10 Things You Need To Know About This New Eating Disorder You've Never Heard Of

For those of us experiencing Orthorexia Nervosa, the quest to eat right becomes an eating disorder in and of itself.

It often starts from a place of good intentions – with a person maintaining a healthy lifestyle or making changes to a more healthy lifestyle.

Over time we become a bit more obsessional – with a rigid focus on types of ingredients, types of foods, quantities, and times of day things should be eaten.

Orthorexia tends to be more common among those who tend to be more addictive, to be more anxious and have low self-esteem. They are also more vulnerable to having a problem.

Other risk factors are obsessiveness and compulsiveness, rigid or black-and-white thinking, and harm-avoidance.

For many of us it's a mix of genetic predisposition that drives us toward an external fix, and in this culture, the external fix is to get thinner.

Our health-conscious environment, for all its good intentions, may be what’s tipping vulnerable people like us over the edge.

The road to recovery isn't always easy, but can be achieved with eating disorder therapy.

A healthy life is not just about rigid adherence to an eating regimen. It is also about relationships, and balance.

So if you or someone you know is suffering from orthorexia, please visit www.nationaleatingdisorders.org or call NEDA’s helpline at (800) 931-2237.