ORTHOREXIA Therapy in New York
Shifting From Food Rules to Food Freedom
Orthorexia often begins with good intentions, wanting to nourish your body, eat “clean,” or take care of your health. Over time, though, the pursuit of “perfect” eating can become exhausting, restrictive, and all-consuming.
You might feel anxious when certain foods aren’t available, overwhelmed by food rules you didn’t mean to create, or disconnected from your body’s natural cues. What once felt empowering may now feel rigid, isolating, or even scary.
If food choices are starting to limit your life instead of supporting it, therapy can help you find balance again.
What Orthorexia Can Look Like
Orthorexia isn’t just about healthy eating, it’s about the fear of being “unhealthy.” People often experience:
Strict rules around foods, ingredients, or preparation
Avoiding social events due to fear of “unsafe” foods
Feeling guilt or shame when eating something outside the rules
Over-researching ingredients or “clean eating” guidelines
Anxiety around meals prepared by others
Difficulty trusting your body’s hunger/fullness cues
A sense of identity tied to “being healthy” or “being disciplined”
You deserve a relationship with food that is flexible, nourishing, and grounded in compassion, not fear.
Why Orthorexia Happens
Orthorexia can be influenced by many factors, including:
Chronic dieting or “wellness culture” messaging
Pressure to look a certain way or achieve “optimal health”
Medical conditions that make food feel complicated
Anxiety, perfectionism, or people-pleasing patterns
Trauma or major life transitions
Social media and comparison
A desire for control when life feels unpredictable
None of this is your fault. You didn’t choose to develop anxiety around food. It’s a response to deeper needs, pressures, and emotions.
Our Compassionate Team of therapists
Therapy provides a safe, shame-free place to explore your relationship with food and understand what’s driving the rigidity or fear underneath.
Together, we can work on:
✔ Rebuilding flexibility and ease with food
Learning how to let go of rigid rules and reconnect with what your body actually needs.
✔ Reducing anxiety around “unsafe” or “off-limits” foods
Understanding where fear comes from and helping your nervous system feel safe again.
✔ Untangling your identity from food choices
You are so much more than what you eat — and healing means reconnecting with that truth.
✔ Healing perfectionism, comparison, and pressure
We’ll explore the internal and external forces that have shaped your beliefs.
✔ Reclaiming joy and connection around eating
So meals become moments of nourishment and presence, not stress or judgment.
How Therapy Helps With Orthorexia
You Deserve a Peaceful Relationship With Food
Orthorexia can make your world feel smaller…fewer foods, fewer options, fewer moments of joy. Therapy helps you widen that world again.
You don’t have to live in fear of making the “wrong” choice.
You don’t have to follow rigid rules just to feel safe.
You don’t have to do this all alone.