Orthorexia Nervosa: When Healthy Eating Becomes A Harmful Obsession

CHICAGO, Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Eating a healthy diet today can be challenging for many people, given the vast food choices available in our country and the often contradictory information found online and in the media. Certain individuals in pursuit of health, can become lost in the maze of nutrition and inadvertently turn their desire for healthy eating into an eating disorder called "orthorexia nervosa."

"The severity of orthorexia nervosa mirrors the severity of other eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia," said Juliet Zuercher, registered dietitian and nutrition coordinator at Timberline Knolls. "Since orthorexia nervosa is not a recognized diagnosis in the DSM-IV, it's important to identify and understand the nuances of the disorder in order to treat the problem as effectively as possible."