Food Rules & Orthorexia Assessment
A private check-in on whether “eating healthy” has started to take over more of your life than it should.
Check what applies to you
Your answers don’t suggest food rules are running the show right now. Healthy interest in nutrition is normal — the line is when it starts controlling your life.
You checked a few boxes that suggest food rules may be taking up more space than is healthy. Worth talking it through with someone who can help you look at it objectively.
Several answers point toward orthorexia-type patterns, where “healthy eating” has become rigid and controlling rather than genuinely healthy. A professional conversation is a reasonable next step.
Why these questions
These questions track the line between genuine interest in nutrition and food rules that have become rigid enough to cause harm — guilt or anxiety when a rule is broken, a shrinking list of “acceptable” foods, social withdrawal, and self-worth tied to eating “correctly.” Because orthorexia isn’t currently a formal DSM-5 diagnosis, this tool is framed around the underlying pattern rather than a specific diagnostic label.
Want to talk it through?
Reflection is a starting point, not an endpoint. A brief conversation with someone who knows this territory can help you make sense of what you’re noticing.Related reading
Frequently asked questions
Is wanting to eat healthy a problem?
No — genuine interest in nutrition is healthy and common. This tool is aimed at the point where food rules start controlling daily life, relationships, or self-worth, rather than supporting general wellbeing.
Is orthorexia an official diagnosis?
Not currently — it’s a widely used clinical term rather than its own formal DSM-5 category. See our Orthorexia Nervosa page for more on how it’s understood and typically diagnosed.