Not that long ago I was scrolling on Instagram, and a popular health influencer I used to follow pretty closely popped up in my feed, and it literally stopped me in my tracks.
Because frankly, she looked TERRIBLE.
She was sickly and skeletal and her eyes were tired and sunken.
It did NOT look healthy in any way.
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A quick glance at the comments told me I was not the only one who felt that way.
And yet, the content of her post was touting all the health benefits of the carnivore diet.
It honestly made me SO sad for her, because I happen to know she is a lovely person, but it also made me want to reach through the screen and yell DON’T YOU KNOW THIS ISN’T WHAT HEALTH LOOKS LIKE?!!!
But it also made me wonder….how do you actually know when you’ve gone TOO FAR in your quest to get healthy? Is there really such a thing as being TOO healthy?
And this is actually not an easy question to answer, because one thing I had to deal with, and something I know a lot of my clients have had to deal with also, is the disapproval of other people when you actually starting seeing some success with your health and weight loss goals.
I had lots of people tell me, “you’re too obsessive,” “can’t you take a break,” “you’ve lost too much weight,” “this can’t be healthy” and so on and so on. And I know many women in my program have heard those same kind of remarks, when in fact they’re finally just taking control of their life and their health in a really positive way.
So where is the line between a determined health journey and an unhealthy obsession?
That’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today.
Hey there and welcome back to the Thinlicious blog. My name is Ruth Soukup, and I am the founder of Thinlicious and the creator of the Thin Adapted System, as well as the New York Times bestselling author of seven books.
And if this is your first time reading, then you should also know that it’s almost a little bit ironic that I’ve chosen this topic for today’s blog post, because I talk all the time how I am pretty much obsessed with one thing—helping women over 40 create FREEDOM in their lives by transforming their health.
And honestly I’m not ashamed of that. I like to think of it as starting a HEALTH REVOLUTION, and that’s really what this post is all about.
It’s about freedom. And specifically about the freedom to feel your best. The freedom to NOT be controlled by food addictions ever again. And the freedom to confidently pursue all your big goals and dreams because your HEALTH is no longer holding you back.
Because the truth is that there is currently a health CRISIS happening in our country, an epidemic of obesity and disease that is keeping so many women stuck and trapped in a vicious cycle of low energy and medication and just not feeling good.
I want everyone who reads this blog post to be able to find the same kind of freedom I have found, and that I’ve helped so many other women discover over the past couple of years through my TAS program.
And if that gets you fired up, then you’ll probably like it here! We’re health REBELS, and we’re not afraid to question the status quo or do things a little differently.
We’re not looking for a quick fix, but a real, sustainable lifestyle change that actually works. And we’re not willing to settle for anything less than FREEDOM in this area of our lives.
So with all that being said, I still want to dive into today’s topic, which is a little bit of a scary one, actually. It’s the topic of orthorexia and the dangers of getting a little bit TOO obsessed with eating healthy—to the point that it actually becomes detrimental to your health.
Because the truth is that I’ve been there.
If you know anything about me, it’s that I can get a little bit obsessive.
And sometimes that can be a good thing—it’s definitely helped be successful as a business owner, because when I’m determined do something, I pretty much refuse to quit. I’m like a dog with a bone. I’ll just keep going until I figure it out.
But it can definitely be a bad thing sometimes too.
It’s gotten me into trouble. At times, my obsession with work and growing my business has affected my relationships and my marriage.
I’ve had to really work at finding the right balance.
And the same goes for my health.
I spend a LOT of time researching and reading and listening, and interviewing experts for my podcast about all sorts of health topics.
At this point, I probably know too much. Because once you see what’s really happening, what certain foods are doing to your body, how what we eat and how we take care of ourselves actually impacts our health, it’s hard to unsee it.
And I know that if you’re reading this blog, then you’re clearly interested in improving your health, and maybe even losing weight.
And maybe you’ve even struggled with finding the right balance when it comes to healthy eating. Or had moments where you wondered if you were taking it a little bit too far.
Because the reality is that there is a lot of conflicting advice out there, and it can be really hard to know what’s actually good for you and what’s not. And it can be really easy to get sucked into all the fear-mongering and the hype, and to start cutting things out of your diet left and right, and to start feeling like you have to eat a certain way in order to be healthy.
And let me tell you, it’s exhausting. And in the end, I don’t think it’s sustainable. Or healthy. Because when you’re constantly cutting things out of your diet, and constantly restricting yourself, and constantly trying to eat a certain way, to the point that it restricts your life, THAT’S NOT FREEDOM.
Instead, that’s when “getting healthy” can start to have a really negative impact on your mental and emotional well-being, not to mention your physical health. And that’s when it becomes a problem.
So that’s what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about the dangers of orthorexia, and how to recognize the warning signs, and what you can do to avoid falling into this dangerous trap.
But before we do that, I want to take a quick second to let you know about an opportunity to work with me and my team to transform your health. If you’re looking for a more personalized approach, and you want to work with a health coach to help you reach your goals, then you should know that we are currently enrolling new clients into our TAS program, which stands for Thin Adapted System.
It’s a program that is designed to help you heal your gut and balance your hormones, so that you can lose weight and keep it off for good in a healthy, sustainable way. Because we don’t just focus on what to eat or not to eat, we focus on transforming your mindset.
And that’s why it’s a program that gets RESULTS. Our clients are not only losing weight with a 92% success rate, they’re also reversing type 2 diabetes and healing their leaky gut and getting off medication and so much more. It’s been so amazing to see the transformation in so many women’s lives.
And if that’s something you’re interested in, then I would love to have you join me for a free workshop, where I’ll explain how and why our program works and explain how you can get started. To register, just go HERE to do . Once again, that’s Thinlicious.com/workshop.
Okay, so with that out of the way, let’s dive into the topic of the day.
What is orthorexia?
So first things first—what exactly is orthorexia? Well, orthorexia is a term that was first coined by a doctor named Steven Bratman back in the 1990s. The word itself actually comes from the Greek word “ortho,” which means right or correct, and “rexia,” which means appetite. So put it all together, and you’ve got an “unhealthy obsession with healthy eating.”
And that’s basically what it is. Orthorexia is an eating disorder that is characterized by an extreme or excessive preoccupation with eating food that one considers to be healthy. And while that might not sound like a bad thing on the surface, the reality is that this preoccupation can start to take over a person’s life and have a really negative impact on their mental and emotional well-being.
In fact, orthorexia is not actually about the food itself—it’s about the thoughts and behaviors that surround the food. People with orthorexia are often consumed with thoughts about what they should and shouldn’t be eating, and they may spend hours each day researching different foods and ingredients, and reading labels, and planning their meals. They may also become extremely anxious or distressed if they are unable to eat the foods that they consider to be healthy.
And this can lead to a whole host of other issues, including social isolation and relationship problems, as well as feelings of guilt and shame. It can also lead to malnutrition and other physical health problems, as people with orthorexia may cut out entire food groups or severely restrict their calorie intake.
So it’s a pretty serious issue. And while orthorexia is not yet officially recognized as a distinct eating disorder in the DSM, which is the manual that mental health professionals use to diagnose mental disorders, it is still a very real and very serious problem that affects a lot of people, especially women.
In fact, studies have shown that women are more likely to develop orthorexia than men, and that it often starts in the late 20s or early 30s, although it can affect people of all ages. And while the exact cause of orthorexia is not yet known, it is thought to be related to a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors.
So that’s what orthorexia is. It’s an eating disorder that is characterized by an extreme or excessive preoccupation with eating food that one considers to be healthy. And while it’s not yet officially recognized as a distinct eating disorder, it is still a very real and very serious problem that affects a lot of people, especially women.
The warning signs of orthorexia
But how do you know if you or someone you love might be struggling with orthorexia? What are the warning signs to look out for? Well, there are actually quite a few, and they can vary from person to person. But in general, here are some of the most common warning signs of orthorexia:
1. An extreme preoccupation with food and eating healthy that never goes away, even after someone has reached their initial health or weight loss goals. This is probably the most obvious sign of orthorexia.
If you or someone you know is constantly talking about food, and thinking about food, and obsessively planning meals, and reading labels, and researching ingredients, even after you’ve lost the weight or reached your health goals, then that could be a red flag.
And this might seem like a strange thing to say if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, or you’re already in my TAS program, and you know how much we talk about the importance of reading labels and planning your meals and tracking your food.
So let me be super clear about this. If you are starting your health journey, or still working towards your health goals◊whether that’s wanting to reach a healthy weight or reverse Type-2 diabetes or improve your cholesterol or get off medication◊then the best way to do that is to watch what you eat◊to make sure you’re eating the right foods and that you’re tracking your macros and that you’re planning your meals whenever you can so that you don’t get off track.
But once you’ve actually ACHIEVED those goals, once you’ve hit your goal weight or been able to eliminate medications, and you’ve also achieved the main goal of OUR program, which is to heal your body and become metabolically flexible, then it should no longer necessary to be quite so vigilant or restrictive.
In fact, at that point you SHOULD be adding in a bigger variety of foods, because otherwise you’ll continue to lose weight, which might not be healthy.
So that’s the first thing to watch out for—when you’ve achieved your goals, but you just can’t obsessing over every single thing you eat.
2. Extreme feelings of guilt, shame and anxiety. People with orthorexia often have a lot of guilt and shame surrounding their food choices, and may become extremely anxious or distressed if they are unable to eat the foods that they consider to be healthy.
They may feel like no matter WHAT they’re eating, or how much they track, they’re still not eating healthy enough, or that they’re doing something wrong, or that they’re a bad person for eating certain foods. Or they may also have a lot of anxiety around social situations that involve food, or about eating out at restaurants.
And again, a little bit of this might be normal, especially if you are actively working towards a health or weight loss goal and you don’t want to get off track, but if your guilt and shame and anxiety becomes so severe that it restricts your life and prevents you from actually doing normal, healthy activities, then this a problem. And definitely a red flag.
3. Severe restriction of certain foods or food groups. People with orthorexia often cut out entire food groups, or severely restrict their calorie intake. They may also have a long list of foods that they consider to be “off limits.”
Frankly, this is why I’m not a big fan of the carnivore craze that seems to have taken hold of the keto community. I just refuse to believe that permanently cutting out whole foods like fruits and vegetables is a good thing for our bodies.
It’s also why in our program we don’t talk about calories. Because your body NEEDS calories. And when you learn how to lose weight in a sustainable way, by actually healing your body and reversing insulin resistance and balancing your hormones, your body will tell you what it needs and how much food it needs, and because your metabolism is working the way it should, you can actually trust the signals that your body is giving you.
4. Physical health problems. Severe restriction of certain foods or food groups can lead to malnutrition and other physical health problems, such as fatigue, dizziness, weakness, and hair loss. People with orthorexia may also have a weakened immune system, and be more susceptible to illness. If you’re getting sick all the time or your hair is falling out in clumps, or you’re starting to just not look physically well, that should be a big red flag that what you’re doing isn’t actually healthy.
The goal is OPTIMUM health and vibrancy. That means having lots of energy, sleeping well, and looking and feeling your absolute best.
5. Social isolation and relationship problems. People with orthorexia may start to isolate themselves from friends and family, or from social situations that involve food, and this is definitely a huge red flag! If you’re saying NO to social situations because you can’t control every detail of what you’ll be able to eat, then there might be a problem there.
Because again, that’s not freedom. That’s loneliness. And it’s not healthy.
6. Obsessive or compulsive behaviors. People with orthorexia may start to exhibit obsessive or compulsive behaviors, such as constantly checking labels, or weighing and measuring their food. They may also have a lot of rules and rituals surrounding food and eating.
And again, there’s a difference between starting out in your health journey or working towards a weight loss goal that you haven’t achieved yet, and actually hitting that goal and yet still not being able to ease up or let go of the compulsive behavior. So it’s something to keep an eye on.
And then finally…
7. Defensiveness. People with orthorexia may become very defensive if someone questions their food choices, or if someone tries to get them to eat something that they don’t consider to be healthy. They may also become very judgmental of other people’s food choices, and may even try to control the behavior of the other people in their life—their kids or spouse.
And again, I’m treading carefully here, because I think there’s a fine line.
When I was actively working to reach my weight loss goal, I had friends tell me I was no fun anymore, and that I was taking it too far, and that what I was doing wasn’t healthy when I knew that it was.
And I had to be able to shut out that noise and find the inner strength to keep going, even when other people didn’t get it, or were maybe even a little bit jealous.
But if it gets to a point where people who genuinely know you and care about you are expressing concern that you’ve taken things to an extreme, that’s where you might want to listen, or at least seek out the opinion of other people you know and trust to see if there might be something to it.
And know also, that it’s not okay to make food decisions for other people to the point where they are “not allowed” to eat anything you don’t approve. That is control to an unhealthy level.
People ask a lot about how I handle food with my kids, and this topic is a big deal to me because I have teenage daughters who I want to grow up having a super healthy relationship with food and their body.
And of course as a mom who has done ALL the research, I would prefer that they avoided all sugar and processed junk and crappy fast food and soda and all the rest.
But I also know that shoving my views down their throats (literally) is only going to set them up for a lifetime of disordered eating. They have to have the autonomy to make their own choices.
So I cook healthy meals for our family, which they LOVE to eat. But they also eat like teenagers some of the time. And that’s okay.
Because over time, I’ve seen them continue to make healthier choices, and to actually crave the food that will nourish their bodies. I don’t have to force them, because I’m hopefully modeling the approach I want them to take.
How to avoid going overboard with your health goals
So what can you do to avoid falling into the trap of orthorexia? How can you find a healthy balance when it comes to food and eating? How you can you reach your health and weight loss goals without becoming too obsessed or restrictive?
Well, here are a few tips that can help:
1. Focus on balance, not perfection. The most important thing you can do to avoid orthorexia is to focus on balance, not perfection. Remember that it’s okay to indulge every once in a while, and that no one is perfect. It’s also okay to eat foods that you enjoy, even if they’re not the healthiest. The key is to find a healthy balance that works for you.
2. Listen to your body. Another important thing you can do is to listen to your body. Pay attention to how different foods make you feel, and try to eat in a way that makes you feel your best. If you find that certain foods are causing you to have a negative reaction, then it’s okay to avoid them. But if you’re not having any issues, then there’s no need to cut them out of your diet.
3. Seek help if you need it. If you’re struggling with orthorexia, or if you think you might be, then it’s important to seek help. Talk to a doctor or a mental health professional about what you’re going through, and don’t be afraid to ask for support. There are also a lot of resources available online, and there are support groups and hotlines that you can reach out to.
4. Surround yourself with positive influences. It’s also a good idea to surround yourself with positive influences, and to try to limit your exposure to negative or triggering content. This means being mindful of the people you follow on social media, and the websites and blogs that you read. If something is making you feel bad about yourself, or if it’s triggering your orthorexia, then it’s okay to unfollow or unsubscribe.
5. Practice self-care. Finally, be sure to take care of yourself and practice self-care. This means getting enough sleep, and managing your stress, and taking time to do things that you enjoy. It also means being kind to yourself, and not beating yourself up if you have a bad day, or if you don’t always make the healthiest choices.
At the end of the day, the most important thing is to find a way of eating that is sustainable and that makes you feel your best. And if you can do that, then you’ll be well on your way to avoiding the dangers of orthorexia.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it—everything you need to know about orthorexia, and the dangers of getting a little bit too obsessed with healthy eating. It’s a serious issue, and one that affects a lot of people, especially women. But the good news is that it is possible to avoid falling into this dangerous trap, as long as you focus on finding a healthy balance, and listening to your body, and seeking help if you need it.
And if you want to learn more about how our program can help you lose weight and get healthy FOR LIFE without dieting or drugs, then I’d love to invite you to join me for my next FREE workshop!
If you’ve never joined me for a live workshop, you should know they’re always really fun and JAM PACKED with valuable info! Plus you can ask all your questions and get any answers you need in real time.
To get all the info and get signed up, you can do that HERE.