When it comes to diet, the fad known as “clean eating” has been popular for a time now. Clean eating promotes eating non-processed, natural meals. However, some health practitioners are becoming concerned that this new trend can lead to eating disorders.

Carrie Armstrong was recovering from an illness that had left her bed-bound. Her doctors warned her that the recovery would be slow. Seeking out help online, Armstrong discovered clean eating. She became so obsessed with the clean eating lifestyle that she became unhealthy.

Armstrong states that she went from eating everything, to not just eating raw food, not just eating fruit, but eating only organic melon. Her diet took its toll. Her hair began falling out and her weight dropped to a mere 38kg.

Armstrong said that her life had become consumed by food.

Experts have a diagnosis for what Armstrong and others have experienced: orthorexia. Orthorexia is an as yet unclassified eating disorder characterized by an unhealthy obsession on avoiding food seen as “unhealthy.”

Experts worry that individuals already prone to such disorders might succumb due to the popularity of “clean eating.” The trend is so popular that when searching Instagram for the hashtag #cleaneating, there are more than 17 million posts.

One popular fitness blogger, Zanna Van Dijk, has more than 70,000 followers. She makes a living out of her clean-eating, healthy lifestyle. She also acknowledges how some people can take her recipes and advocating as advice.

While clean-eating is a sound diet plan that encourages a healthy relationship with food, there are segments of the population that can take it too far. The best advice is balance. Both mental and nutritional balance are important for overall health.

If you are looking to stick to your New Year’s Resolutions and get into shape or lose weight, contact Frank Tortorici. A certified personal trainer, Frank’s experience can help you to meet all of your fitness goals.