Navigate the fine line between mindful eating and orthorexia, where control, anxiety, and imbalance take over

As the old saying goes, ‘we are what we eat.’ It is true that our health depends on the food we eat. If we eat healthy food such as good fats, full of proteins and all the right vitamins and minerals, it will show. But too much obsession with eating healthy can cause a condition called Orthorexia Nervosa.

Symptoms

Eating healthy and what we think is healthy can be two different things when it comes to Orthorexia. Priyanka Chopra, a clinical nutritionist, says, “When a person is diagnosed with orthorexia, it is often found that these patients eat foods they perceive as healthy, not necessarily nutritionally adequate.” 

Orthorexia may have several symptoms, both physical and psychological. Bhavisha Sancheti explains some of the deficiencies a patient is likely to have due to orthorexia. She says, “Talking from a nutritional perspective, micronutrient deficiency may be the most common issue faced by them. Depending on the severity of the deficiency, other health challenges emerge, such as weakness, fatigue, stomach upset, skin and hair issues and other complications depending on the deficiency.”