When we think of eating disorders, we typically think of anorexia and bulimia. Both disorders are well known and commonly portrayed in a huge range of pop culture shows and films.
More often than not, these portrayals reinforce the stereotypical image of an eating disorder that we're all familiar with - a young woman, rake-thin, unable to eat and at rock-bottom.
Anorexia is a visible disorder that has the highest mortality rate of all eating disorders, but sometimes, disordered eating can come in more subtle forms, and it can hide in plain sight.
As we've become more and more health conscious as a society, a new type of eating disorder has come to fruition - one that has spawned from the depths of social media influencer hell - and it's one that's focused on being "healthy". It's called orthorexia nervosa, and while it isn't a full diagnosis in a clinical setting yet, sufferers of orthorexia may be diagnosed with OSFED (other specified feeding and eating disorders), or even anorexia.
Read more: Record number of children and young people waiting for eating disorder treatment
Orthorexia refers to an unhealthy obsession with eating 'clean' or 'pure' foods, and unsurprisingly, those who suffer with orthorexia may restrict certain food groups to the extent that they can become seriously malnourished.
Behavioural symptoms of orthorexia can involve sticking to an extremely strict "healthy eating" diet plan, and obsessing about "clean" food to the extent that it gets in the way of work and personal relationships.
According to Beat Eating Disorders, other behavioural signs of orthorexia can include:
- Restricting or cutting out entire food groups to make their diet more healthy
- Judging the eating habits of others
- Becoming obsessive with the healthiness of their diet
- Adapting existing theories of healthy eating to meet their own beliefs
Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses which cannot be pinpointed to any one cause, but studies have shown time and time again that increased social media use and is linked to a higher risk of developing an eating disorder - particularly with image-based apps like Instagram, Tik Tok and Facetune.
A quick Instagram search of the hashtag "clean eating" on Instagram will pull up a whopping 48.6 million posts, usually of picture-perfect models posing with their chia-seed laden acai smoothie bowls or vegetable platters. These such posts often promote some obscure pill, juice or powder that promises to give the body the "cleanse" it needs.
According to the Beat Eating Disorders website, an eating disorder such as orthorexia can come with a host of serious psychological symptoms - including low mood or depression, feelings of anxiety or guilt when eating food they regard as 'unclean', as well as the inability to focus.
While social media alone isn't to blame, trends that promote restrictive eating and body-perfection, as well as the idea of some foods as "clean" and others as "unclean", can target those who are already clinically vulnerable to disordered eating.
Jo Whitfield, Beat's National Officer for Wales, said: "Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses with complex causes. Some messages of not eating calories, diet or weight loss promoted by the diet and food industry are unlikely to be the sole and direct cause of an eating disorder, but they may exacerbate the problem or be a contributing factor for someone who is vulnerable to developing one or is already ill."
Sometimes, people with orthorexia will feel physically unable to eat something they feel is "unclean", or unhealthy.
Jo added: "If someone has become very regimented about what they’re eating or appears to be going to extremes in order to lose weight, it could be a sign that they are developing or have developed an eating disorder."
"It’s important in that case that they seek treatment as soon as possible, as this will give them the best chance of recovery. Anyone worried about themselves or someone they know should seek advice from their GP at the earliest opportunity."
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