The dangerous downside of ‘clean eating’
The dangerous downside of ‘clean eating’
Amy McHugh | Washington Post | March 11, 2025
In 1997, physician Steven Bratman coined the term “orthorexia” (orthos, “right” and orexia, “appetite,” translating to “righteous eating”) in response to his patients who were fine physically but “driving themselves crazy” over their eating habits.
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Some recent research suggests orthorexia is on the rise.
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A TikTok search for “clean eating” generated 64.5 million posts. “What I Eat in a Day,” a common term on social platforms, chronicles influencers’ daily food intake and hacks including filling up on bowls of cucumbers and calorie-deficit days.
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“Orthorexics develop quite ornate rules around clean eating and living and adhere to them,” says David J. Alperovitz, director of the Klarman Eating Disorders Center at McLean Hospital. “People gravitate toward things they can control when they feel anxious, and food and diet, as well as weight, body shape and size, are quantifiable.”
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