When healthy eating becomes an unhealthy obsession.
What the evidence says
- Orthorexia nervosa: obsessive focus on “clean” or “pure” eating that impairs functioning[1]
- On Bratman’s account — he coined the term — the pattern shows social withdrawal, intense guilt over deviations, and rigid ever-tightening rules[2]
- Unlike anorexia (quantity focus), orthorexia focuses on food quality and purity[1]
- Can lead to malnutrition through excessive food elimination[1]
- Bratman also describes identity attachment to the eating pattern — his clinical description, not validated criteria[2]