What is Orthorexia Nervosa: An eating disorder with obsessive focus on healthy diet, food purity, guilt over deviation

It begins innocently enough. A little turmeric in the morning tea, a new app to track sleep cycles, or perhaps a decision to skip sugar for a week. But before you realise, your calendar is dotted with cold plunges, macro counts, 10K steps, yoga, skin-care layering, and a smoothie that takes half an hour to prepare. All in the name of wellness. And yet, you're exhausted.

For a generation obsessed with getting it right, wellness has turned into a full-time job, one that pays not in peace or joy, but in quiet exhaustion and mounting fatigue. What if, under the smoothies and step counts, the very pursuit of being healthy is slowly making you unwell?

The Medical Red Flag: Orthorexia Nervosa

A 2022 review published in Children, a peer-reviewed medical journal, examined 37 studies involving over 16,000 young adults and adolescents. It identified a disturbing pattern: people pursuing pure or clean lifestyles sometimes spiral into orthorexia nervosa, a condition marked by obsessive focus on healthy eating, food purity, and guilt over deviation. Unlike traditional eating disorders, orthorexia isn’t about thinness. It’s about control. Food becomes a moral battleground. One ‘wrong’ bite feels like failure.

Also read | Mental health among teens: Address anxiety, depression, eating disorders in teenagers

5 signals your wellness routine is doing harm

• You feel anxious about eating out

That dinner invite sends you spinning, will there be gluten-free, organic, sugar-free options? If food decisions dominate social life, it’s time to pause.

• You plan meals obsessively

What began as food journalling now eats into your day. Recipes, macros, timings, all have to be perfect. Missing one ingredient feels like a crisis.

• You punish yourself for bad days

Had a slice of cake or skipped your 6am run? If you feel the need to make up for it, this guilt loop can be draining and toxic.

• Your world has shrunk to routines

Workouts, clean eating, supplements, skincare, it fills your mindspace. Friends, hobbies, and spontaneity take a backseat. Ironically, you feel lonelier, not lighter.

• You constantly chase upgrades

You're always adding; new gear, cleaner diets, stricter plans. But the chase is tiring. You don’t feel better; you just feel, busier.

Be well, not perfect:

The quest to be healthy shouldn’t leave you hollow. The medical review suggests that rigid routines often cause emotional distress, social withdrawal, and psychological exhaustion. And unlike food intolerances or physical injuries, these signs don’t show up in tests. They show up in sleepless nights and strained relationships.

Follow wellness, not checklist:

Swap rules for peace. Choose meals for joy, not only metrics. Missed a yoga class? That’s okay. Wellness isn’t a checklist. It’s a feeling, of being alive, not just optimised. As you chase health, do not forget the nourishing corners of a life well lived.

Disclaimer: This article, including health and fitness advice, only provides generic information. Don’t treat it as a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist for specific health diagnosis.