Delving into the dark side of healthy eating

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As healthy eating trends grow across Canada, a Vancouver Island University (VIU) student researcher is investigating a condition where the desire to eat “pure” becomes a harmful obsession.

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Isabelle Desrosiers, who recently graduated from the psychology program at VIU, is raising awareness about a relatively unknown eating condition called orthorexia nervosa, where a person gets fixated on only eating “healthy” foods. It is often overlooked because affected individuals aren’t necessarily focused on weight loss. And society’s fixation on healthy eating and living makes the condition even more difficult to diagnose.

“It’s time we recognize that extreme health habits can be just as harmful as unhealthy ones,” says Desrosiers. “As a hidden eating condition, orthorexia often goes unnoticed, leaving many individuals to suffer in silence.”

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders currently classifies eight types of eating disorders, but orthorexia nervosa isn’t one of them. The oversight is one of the reasons Desrosiers felt compelled to study it.

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“The aim of my research was to increase awareness of orthorexia as a serious condition that could affect anyone in Canada. I hope it will be recognized as a disorder, leading to better treatment options for those affected,” she says.

Desrosiers recently shared more information about the cluster of behaviours in a story posted on Vancouver Island University’s Facebook page. More than 173,000 people viewed the story and it sparked a lively debate on the page. She hopes to share her research results at the Canadian Psychological Association Conference and publish the findings in an academic journal.

Desrosiers credits VIU with the success of her undergraduate research project. Throughout the year, she was mentored by Dr. Melanie O’Neill, psychology professor and director of the university’s Fear and Anxiety Lab. She also received an internal award to support her research.

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As a teaching-focused university, VIU places a strong focus on undergraduate research to give students real-world opportunities to solidify classroom learning.

“I had different expectations coming here, and I received so much more. I know students who graduated from the same program, but at a different school, and they didn’t get the same opportunities I did. My professors cared about me and put me on the right track,” says Desrosiers, who plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.

To find out more about Vancouver Island University or any of its 100-plus programs, visit viu.ca.

This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Vancouver Island University. 

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