Heightened health-related anxiety
One fine evening, Mr. X went to his favorite restaurant. He ordered his favorite seekh tuj (barbeque), his mouth watered, inhaling the irresistible smoky aroma of sizzling meat on the grill. While waiting for his food, he scrolled through Instagram to pass the time. Soon, his order came to his table, eagerly he took a bite. Just then, he came across a viral reel that made him numb for a moment by what he had seen. As he kept swiping, he noticed his Instagram feed was flooded with footage of food safety raids in local markets. He saw videos of rotten meat being stuffed into bags. Some people even claimed it was dog meat being sold as mutton. Journalists, reporters were claiming that this might be the reason of growing cancer crisis in Kashmir.
The loud, terrifying captions and disturbing images of fully rotten meat and spoiled wazwan made him so uncomfortable that he was unable to take another bite of his favourite barbeque he once enjoyed. He pushed his plate aside, stood up, and left the restaurant without a second thought, And just like that, his appetite disappeared. That night, he couldn’t eat anything.
The next morning, he went straight to his butcher’s shop and asked about the source and quality of the mutton. He even checked the storage refrigerator to ensure that no old meat was kept there. From the day forward, he began scrutinising everything he bought. He carefully read the labels on all packaged foods and even googled them to be assured about the food quality. Family dinners changed completely. Instead of simply enjoying the food, he constantly asked questions about where it came from, how it was prepared, and whether the quality of the food had been assessed before cooking. His fear of contaminated food increased every day, and his preoccupation with food quality began to disrupt his socio- occupational life. Slowly, he developed a food-related eating disorder called “ Orthorexia Nervosa”.
What is Orthorexia Nervosa?
It is an eating disorder which is characterised by extreme preoccupation with clean and pure food, a person having orthorexia is overly focused on eating only healthy foods and this obsession towards clean and healthy eating negatively impacts well-being and can lead to social isolation.
Signs and symptoms of Orthorexia Nervosa includes:
Completely avoiding certain food groups due to strong fear of it being unhealthy or contaminated.
Excessive worrying about the quality and source of food which often leads to anxiety.
Paying too much attention to the nutritional content of meals.
Rigid dietary rules and restrictions which significantly impacts socio-occupational and educational life ultimately leading to psychological impairment.
Maintaining a belief that specific dietary habits are healthy even after getting medical complications because of restricting food habits.
In severe cases,orthorexia can lead to weight loss which ultimately causes malnutrition.
Orthorexia nervosa differs from other eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa as it’s not driven by concerns of appearance or excessive body gain, instead it is an uncontrollable and pathological fear of illness. Several personality traits such as, obsessive–compulsive disorders, general anxiety disorder, perfectionism etc., can predispose individuals to pathological restrictive eating habits. Exposure to media also acts as a catalyst in triggering these symptoms. In today’s digital era, where nearly everyone has access to social media, platforms like Instagram and Facebook acts as powerful catalysts. While these media handles provide access to health-related information, they also overwhelm users with misinformation, unscientific claims, and extreme dietary routines.
There are several evidences which indicate that such exposure significantly elevates the risk of developing orthorexia. A study conducted in the United Kingdom found that Instagram users were 49% more likely to exhibit symptoms of orthorexia nervosa (Turner & Lefevre, 2017). More recently, a large-scale international study also concluded that adolescents who are highly engaged with nutrition-related content on social media were over five times more likely to develop orthorexic tendencies (Strahler et al., 2023). Several studies also indicate that people with chronic illnesses are more susceptible to develop eating disorders like orthorexia due to fear of reoccurrence and desire to maintain a healthy life.
In Kashmir, recent food safety raids and their media coverage have significantly influenced public attitudes towards diet and health. The food security department exposing the sale of spoiled or adulterated food, often accompanied by alarming social media headlines such as “Rotten meat behind rising cancers” or “Food scandal endangering public health.” has created panic among Kashmiris. Some journalists have even framed the issue in stark terms, asking, “cancer gasneh tali kya gase, aese chi yim zahar khenavaan?” which means (if cancer will not befall us, then what will, when we are being fed poison?). In Kashmir, where gastrointestinal cancers are prevalent, it is obvious that people would start linking the news with rising stomach and other gut related cancers, ultimately leading them to adopt rigid food practices.
Moreover, adolescents and younger generations who spend most of their time on social media form another vulnerable group. Another concerning factor is that in Kashmir, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and other mental health related problems are highly prevalent making it a particularly vulnerable region for the rise of Orthorexia Nervosa.These psychological vulnerabilities, create a fertile ground for Orthorexia nervosa to emerge and persist. While such reports are intended to safeguard the community, its sensational framing has instead created heightened fear and mistrust among people.
Currently, every other social media handle, along with the restaurant owners themselves, are posting that customers are no longer visiting their restaurants, This behaviour of people can be a potential precursor for orthorexia nervosa, because it reflects how fear of contamination and heightened health-related anxiety are pushing people to avoid these food outlets. The fact that people are now avoiding restaurants and clinging only to what they perceive as “clean diets” shows how easily vigilance can turn into obsession. Additionally its is unfortunate to see that many restaurant owners and workers are losing their daily livelihood due to the prevalent issue. Therefore,a balanced approach is the need of an hour.
The following steps must be taken in order to tackle this issue:
- Food safety certification: Every restaurant, whether big or small, including street food vendors, should be given a valid food quality certification after proper inspection. This would assure people that the food being served has been checked and approved.
- Routine inspection with Transparency: The food security department should continue such inspections and monitor food quality consistently, the results should be published transparently but without sensationalising it.
- Counselling and Awareness: People should be educated about the dangers of extreme dietary restriction and knowledge about proper nutrition should be given via awareness programmes.
- Responsibility of Media: Social media outlet and news agencies should consider reporting responsibly, valid information should be portrayed without exaggerating fear in ways that can potentially fuel disordered eating.
- Psychological Support: As we know that health related anxiety is a main trigger of orthorexia nervosa, mental health services should be made accessible for those struggling with fear, obsession, or food-related distress.
Remember, food should always be a source of nourishment, joy, and social connection, not a trigger for anxiety or obsession. Acknowledging food safety is indispensable, but it should not be at the cost of people sliding into rigid, harmful eating patterns jeopardising mental and social well being.
The Author is a Doctoral Scholar in Psychology.
