Food rules are rigid, self-imposed guidelines about what, when, or how someone should eat. In orthorexia, these rules become extreme and lead to guilt or anxiety if broken.

Clean eating refers to focusing on “pure” or “healthy” foods while avoiding those perceived as harmful. When taken to extremes, this behavior can result in orthorexia and serious nutritional deficiencies.

A nutritional deficiency happens when the body doesn’t receive enough vitamins or minerals to stay healthy. Orthorexia often causes deficiencies because many food groups are eliminated unnecessarily.

Orthorexia often shares features with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), such as repetitive checking of ingredients or compulsive avoidance of certain foods. These traits reinforce rigid thinking patterns that keep the disorder active.

CBT helps individuals identify and challenge distorted thoughts around food purity and health. It is one of the primary evidence-based therapies used to treat orthorexia.

ERP is a therapy technique that gradually exposes clients to feared foods while helping them resist the urge to avoid or restrict. Over time, it reduces anxiety and rigidity around eating.

Food morality is the belief that foods can be categorized as “good” or “bad,” leading to shame when eating “unhealthy” options. This thinking pattern is common in orthorexia and must be reframed during treatment.

Registered dietitians provide guidance to restore balanced eating patterns and rebuild trust in food. In orthorexia treatment, this includes challenging rigid beliefs and reintroducing restricted food groups.

Because of fear around eating “impure” foods, people with orthorexia may avoid restaurants, family meals, or social gatherings. Addressing this isolation is an important part of recovery.

Holistic recovery goes beyond restoring nutrition—it addresses emotional health, identity, and quality of life. This approach helps clients build a healthier, more flexible relationship with food and themselves.