When Does Healthy Eating Become Too Strict?

You Should Know: Wellness content on social media about “optimizing” your health has never been more popular, and much of it promises that eating the right foods can fix just about anything. It should be no surprise, then, that a new study found that popular TikTok and Instagram videos often reflected themes associated with orthorexia nervosa, an unhealthy fixation on eating only “pure” or healthy foods, along with rigid food rules. Orthorexia isn’t an official eating-disorder diagnosis, but many dietitians and eating disorder specialists now recognize it as a form of disordered eating that may require treatment. 

Going Deeper: Australian researchers analyzed 300 popular TikTok and Instagram videos that were tagged with healthy eating hashtags. They rated 68% of the info as misleading or deceitful: About two-thirds pushed “clean” eating, and nearly 30% listed out strict food rules. What’s more, most creators had no formal qualifications, although qualified creators shared accurate info far more often than unqualified ones.

Takeaway: Wanting to eat well and improve your health is great, but the line gets crossed when food takes over your thoughts and eating anything “imperfect” leaves you feeling anxious or guilty.

Bottom Line: When food rules start running your life, a dietitian or doctor can help. And it’s always important to check who’s giving the nutrition advice.