'Clean Eating' Can Be an Indication of an Eating Disorder if It Goes Too Far

Diet culture is intricate and entrenched in society. Some people, specifically kids, prefer veggie burgers or green juice due to various concerns. Some juveniles start labeling food as healthy or clean and unhealthy and allow those labels to dictate what they can eat.

However, this form of so-called healthy eating eventually becomes a dangerous obsession as they focus only on a particular food, leading to an eating disorder known as "Orthorexia Nervosa."

This eating disorder can be hazardous, despite being celebrated by society.

Previously, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, in an exclusive interview, shared how their son, Jaden, tracks a restrictive relationship with food. While not diagnosed with orthorexia Nervosa, the Smiths worry that their 24-year-old son was not getting enough protein because he was a vegan.

The "Set it Off" actress shed light during her show, "Red Table Talk," that her son looked drained at 21, and she believes it was because of the lack of nutrients. The long-term couple noted that their son now eats a healthy vegetarian diet and is recovering.

What Is Orthorexia Nervosa?

Orthorexia Nervosa is commonly referred to as orthorexia. This condition is a fixation on keeping a perfect diet which may include avoiding foods or groups of foods due to a specific concern, may it be because of undiagnosed allergies, how the food was prepared, anxiety over the origin of a particular food, and more.

For instance, one might only be allowed to eat organic foods. While this sound similar to the condition, the two are different. Anorexia is the fixation on how nutrients massively affect body appearance, while orthorexia is mainly characterized by a desire for how food affects perceived health.

Lisa Ranzenhofer, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist at the Eating Disorder Research Unit/Columbia Doctors and an assistant professor at the New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City, says the number of adolescents with the condition seems to be rising.

Very Well Family says that the stress of the recent COVID-19 crisis appears to have intensified almost all eating disorders, especially as COVID-19 news coverage constantly stigmatized those with large bodies.

What is "Clean Eating"?

Clean eating is defined as consuming simple, entire foods without artificial ingredients and food as close as possible to one's natural state. This form of eating encourages one to create meals from scratch to make a meal as clean as possible.

Very Well Family suggests tracking the child's meal, especially if the plate has been eaten clean. This eating indicates that they follow a very restrictive relationship with food, as clean eating can go too far, resulting in an eating disorder.

Furthermore, Orthorexia Nervosa can be a bit trickier to acknowledge due to society's culture that has been normalized over time and many habits that might emerge in orthorexia.

Lynn Corey, Clinical Manager for the Behavioral Health Outpatient Services at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, in Somerville, NJ, explains that orthorexia is all about getting rid of more foods with no sugar and carbs that gradually go vegan.