The first week of February marks the start of Eating Disorder Awareness Week in Canada. This year, the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) is highlighting a vital truth: eating disorders can and do affect anyone. NEDIC emphasizes that open, supportive dialogue has the potential to save lives. Through honest conversation, we can help break the shame, stigma, and silence that affects nearly 1 million Canadians living with a diagnosed eating disorder—and the millions of others who quietly struggle with unhealthy food and weight preoccupation. Reaching out for help is often the bravest, most important first step toward recovery.
In my practice, I see disordered eating and weight preoccupation take all shapes and sizes. It manifests in many different ways, including severe food restriction, bingeing, or compulsive, excessive exercise.
Recently, I have noticed a significant increase in a specific condition known as orthorexia—the obsessive fixation on eating only “healthy” or “clean” foods.
When “Healthy Eating” Becomes an Obsession
Orthorexia often starts innocently. It might begin as an honest attempt to improve your health—perhaps by trying a vegan lifestyle, going gluten-free, or cutting back on ultra-processed foods.
However, for some, it quickly spirals into a rigid obsession. The safe list of foods becomes smaller and smaller, while any deviance from the diet results in overwhelming guilt, self-loathing, or compensatory behaviors.
Because our culture deeply praises health trends, orthorexia can hide in plain sight for a very long time. Friends and family members often assume these behaviors are just well-informed choices, even commending the individual for their “self-control” and determination. But underneath the surface, orthorexia wreaks havoc on a person’s emotional, social, and physical well-being. Early nutritional and psychological intervention is crucial.
The Bratman Test for Orthorexia
The term orthorexia was first coined in 1996 by Dr. Steven Bratman to describe patients who were overly consumed by food purity. He created this self-test to help individuals identify when a focus on nutrition has crossed the line into an obsession.
Reflect honestly on these questions. The more times you answer “yes,” the more likely food rules are dominating your life:
- [ ] Do you wish that occasionally you could just eat and not worry about food quality?
- Do you ever wish you could spend less time focusing on food and more time simply living and loving?
- Does it feel beyond your ability to eat a single meal prepared with love by someone else without trying to control what is served?
- Are you constantly looking for ways that everyday foods might be unhealthy for you?
- Do love, joy, play, and creativity take a backseat to following a “perfect” diet?
- Do you feel intense guilt or self-loathing when you stray from your chosen diet?
- Do you only feel in control when you rigidly stick to your “correct” way of eating?
- Have you put yourself on a nutritional pedestal, wondering how others can possibly eat the foods they eat?
Finding Peace with Food
To explore this concept further, you can visit [Dr. Bratman’s official site]. If you want to learn more about eating disorders in general or explore localized support across Canada, please utilize the [National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) service provider directory].
As Dr. Bratman beautifully puts it: “Food, no matter how pure, cannot fill the space in your soul that longs for love and spiritual experience. If you are trying to use it for this purpose, you may have gone astray on your journey.”
Remember, food freedom is entirely possible. If you are in Kelowna or the greater Okanagan area and are ready for compassionate, expert guidance to heal your relationship with food, reach out to our dietitian today. You do not have to walk this path alone.
Read what our former clients say about recovering from their eating disorder with our support.
Not sure you can ever let go of your eating disorder? See what our other clients who have recovered say.
