scholarly journals Orthorexia nervosa: Healthy eating or eating disorder?

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia M. Shah ◽  
Russell Gruber
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Orthorexia Nervosa

scholarly journals The Social Construction of a Concept—Orthorexia Nervosa: Morality Narratives and Psycho-Politics

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 1101-1113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Fixsen ◽  
Anna Cheshire ◽  
Michelle Berry
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
Weight Management ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Social Influences ◽  
Orthorexia Nervosa ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Management Professionals

Our article explores orthorexia nervosa (ON)—an extreme fixation with healthy eating—from a social construction perspective. Interviews with people self-identified as “obsessed” with healthy eating or having ON (“Identifiers”) and nonmedical professionals working with ON (“Professionals”) were comparatively analyzed, along with orthorexia threads from an eating disorder website (“Posters”). Participants made sense of and rationalized their attitudes and feelings concerning healthy eating and aligned themselves according to their interests. Identifiers and Posters applauded “healthy eating” and regarded consumption of “impure” foods as leading to ill-health. Some framed their dietary discipline within an ethically motivated lifestyle, while others were preoccupied with appearance or weight management. Professionals expressed concern for, and disapproval of, extreme views and behaviors in clients and parental and social influences supporting them. Debates surrounding orthorexic practices are tangled; some individuals need help, yet dangers lie in over medicalizing or “troubling” what may be a preferred lifestyle.

Orthorexia Nervosa and the Use of Exposure and Response Prevention to Treat Eating-Related Obsessions and Compulsions

2021 ◽  
pp. 103-124
Author(s):  
Hana F. Zickgraf
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
Food Additives ◽  
Orthorexia Nervosa ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Restrictive Eating ◽  
Compulsive Checking ◽  
Clinically Significant

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a proposed diagnosis involving rigid, intrusive thoughts and unusual beliefs about healthy eating, associated with restrictive eating behaviors. People with ON may avoid specific foods, food additives, dyes, or preservatives, and non-organic or genetically modified foods seen as “impure” or “unnatural,” often engaging in compulsive checking, reassurance seeking, decontamination, or other rituals to ensure that food “rules” are followed and that food is “healthy” and “pure.” ON is distinguished from healthy orthorexia, a non-impairing interest in healthy eating and nutrition. The distinction between ON and eating disorders involving obsessions about weight and shape and restrictive eating motivated by fear of weight gain is less clear. In this chapter, ON and related eating disorder symptoms associated with the diagnoses of anorexia nervosa, atypical anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder are conceptualized as obsessive-compulsive phenomena. Special considerations for exposure and response interventions for patients with clinically significant restrictive eating are described, including recommendations for when to refer patients to eating disorder specialists.

Making an expert: Sources and their contributions in news coverage of orthorexia nervosa

Journalism ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 146488491985970
Author(s):  
Amy A Ross Arguedas
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Orthorexia Nervosa ◽  
Source Selection ◽  
Medical Journalism ◽  
Nuanced Understanding

In 1997, Steven Bratman, a physician specializing in alternative medicine, proposed he had identified a new eating disorder, a pathological fixation with healthy eating. Soon after, orthorexia nervosa, as he called it, began appearing in newspapers – long before it did in scientific venues. Using a mixed-methods analysis of 492 articles published between 1998 and 2016, I examine the various actors who have participated in orthorexia coverage, including those who were assigned expertise on the unofficial diagnosis. The findings demonstrate a variety of credentialed and non-credentialed sources contributed to media coverage in different ways. Experts in mental illness appeared less often than other healthcare providers, including Bratman and dietitians. Based on the findings, I argue for a more nuanced understanding of expertise to better evaluate source selection in medical journalism and propose a typology that considers both the nature of the claims and the qualifications of the person making them. I conclude with several hypotheses about news coverage of novel conditions undergoing biomedicalization.

scholarly journals Orthorexia Nervosa: differences between clinical and non-clinical samples

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Novara ◽  
E. Maggio ◽  
S. Piasentin ◽  
S. Pardini ◽  
S. Mattioli
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Bulimia Nervosa ◽  
Binge Eating ◽  
Binge Eating Disorder ◽  
Diet Group ◽  
Orthorexia Nervosa ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive

Abstract Background Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) is a construct characterized by behaviors, emotions, and beliefs on eating healthy food and excessive attention to diet; moreover, dieting has been considered a risk factor in ON symptoms development. The principal aim of this study was to investigate the differences in clinical and non-clinical groups most at risk of ON. Aspects that could be associated with ON (Eating Disorders [EDs], obsessive-compulsive symptomatology, perfectionistic traits, anxiety, depression, Body Mass Index [BMI]) were investigated in all groups. Methods The sample consisted of 329 adults belonging to four different groups. Three were on a diet: Anorexia/Bulimia Nervosa group (N = 90), Obesity/Binge Eating Disorder group (N = 54), Diet group (N = 91). The Control group consisted of people who were not following a diet (N = 94). Participants completed several self-administered questionnaires (EHQ-21, EDI-3, OCI-R, MPS, BAI, BDI-II) to assess ON-related features in different groups. Results Analyses highlighted higher orthorexic tendencies in Anorexia/Bulimia Nervosa, Obesity/BED, and Diet groups than in the Control group. Moreover, results have shown that in the AN/BN group, eating disorders symptomatology and a lower BMI were related to ON and that in Obesity/Binge Eating Disorder and Diet groups, perfectionism traits are associated with ON. Conclusion Individuals who pursue a diet share some similarities with those who have an eating disorder regarding emotions, behaviors, and problems associated with orthorexic tendencies. Moreover, perfectionistic traits seem to predispose to higher ON tendencies. In general, these results confirm the ON as an aspect of the main eating disorders category.

Orthorexia Nervosa: Can Healthy Eating Food Trends Impact Food Companies Marketing Strategies?

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 754-770
Author(s):  
Paulo Duarte ◽  
Susana Costa e Silva ◽  
Ana Margarida Sintra Pisco ◽  
João Moreira de Campos
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Orthorexia Nervosa ◽  
Food Trends

scholarly journals Orthorexia Nervosa: When Healthy Eating Becomes Unhealthy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audryn Andreoli ◽  
Patrick J. Aragon ◽  
Demara B. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Orthorexia Nervosa ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Eating Disorder Treatment ◽  
Disorder Treatment

Abstract Purpose Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) is a recently proposed eating disorder that has gained growing acknowledgment. However, there exists a significant gap in the literature regarding ON. Additionally, the lack of formal criteria for the diagnosis of ON has led to a debate regarding whether it is a standalone diagnosis or part of another condition, including other eating disorders. This debate is further fueled by shared characteristics and consequences between ON and other disorders, namely Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN). Moreover, ON has been recognized as highly prevalent in individuals’ post-treatment for AN and BN. Thus, this study aimed to determine whether eating disorder history predicts greater severity of ON symptomology. Additionally, we aimed to determine whether sex, racial, and age group differences exist in severity of ON symptomology.Method The Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ) was administered to 535 individuals along with questions regarding previous eating disorder history and demographic variables. Results Analysis confirmed that individuals previously diagnosed with an eating disorder and those who previously received eating disorder treatment demonstrated higher ON symptomology severity. Minimal-to-no group differences among sex, race, and age in EHQ scores, except for Caucasian/White individuals scoring higher than Asian/Asian American individuals, were revealed.Conclusion ON is highly prevalent among individuals previously diagnosed with an eating disorder and those who previously received eating disorder related treatment. Little to no age, sex, and racial differences were demonstrated in ON symptomology. Level III: Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies

scholarly journals The effect of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral skills (IMB) model variables on Orthorexia Nervosa behaviors of pregnant women

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayşe Taştekin Ouyaba ◽  
Pınar Çiçekoğlu Öztürk
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Orthorexia Nervosa ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Behavioral Skills

Abstract Purpose This study aims to test the effect of the components of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model on Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) behavior of pregnant women and health outcomes using a hypothetical model. Methods The study is cross-sectional research and was carried out with 350 pregnant women who had the Non-Stress Test in the obstetrics outpatient clinic of a university hospital. The participants were selected using the convenience sampling method. The data were collected with a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the structural equation model.Results It was found that 26.6% of pregnant women had an ON tendency. Higher levels of information on healthy eating cause more ON behaviors (β=-0.25, p<.001). The higher motivation for healthy eating (β=0.71, p<.001) and a higher tendency to ON behaviors (β=-0.18, p=.001) are associated with better health outcomes.Conclusion Our findings show that high levels of information and motivation about healthy eating affect ON tendency and health outcomes. The findings are significant in that they lead and guide the interventions for the detection, prevention, and treatment of ON during pregnancy.Level of Evidence: Level V, cross-sectional study

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