When Healthy Eating Turns Rigid

Orthorexia — a harmful preoccupation with eating 'correctly' — is a condition that professionals diagnose and treat, and nothing in this article stands in for that care. The line it explores is a real and sometimes subtle one: choosing food from values is not a disorder, and eating plant-based for ethical, environmental, or health reasons is a considered choice, not a warning sign. Rigidity is a different thing from conviction, and it can attach itself to any way of eating. Knowing what the drift toward rigidity looks like makes it easier to name — and easier to bring to someone qualified to help.