Trait mindfulness differentiates the interest in healthy diet from orthorexia nervosa

BACKGROUND: Obsessive healthy eating and its extreme form orthorexia nervosa are epidemiologically significant problems. Mindfulness, the focused, non-judgmental attention to and awareness of present events, may be an important psychological contributor to (orthorexic) eating habits. METHODS: In this cross-sectional survey-based study, 314 women and 75 men (mean age(total sample) = 27.17 years, SD = 10.64) provided data on mindfulness (Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory, presence and acceptance subscale) and orthorexic eating (Teruel Orthorexia Scale, healthy orthorexia and orthorexia nervosa subscale). RESULTS: In this study, we found a positive relation between mindfulness and healthy orthorexia, the non-pathological interest in eating healthy. By contrast, orthorexia nervosa, the pathological obsession with healthy eating, was negatively associated with mindfulness. Gender differences appeared neglectable. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results confirm previous research showing that mindfulness encourages eating healthy and may protect against eating-related pathologies. Result also support the notion that orthorexia has two dimensions, healthy and nervosa, which are differently related to psychological factors, herein mindfulness. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, cohort study.