Orthorexia in Trail Running: The Trap of the Perfect Diet

Orthorexia in Trail Running: The Dangerous Trap of the Perfect Diet

Hey there, fellow trail and vertical gain enthusiast! I'm Charly, and like you, I've spent hours, days, years wearing out my shoes on the trails. For me, trail running is much more than a sport. It's a return to the essential, a dialogue with nature and with oneself. It's that incredible feeling of needing nothing more than your legs, your breath, and the beauty of the landscape. Simple, right? Yet, in our quest for performance, we sometimes tend to complicate things. And one of the areas where things can really go off the rails is nutrition.

We can all agree, eating well is crucial. It's the fuel that allows us to swallow up the miles, recover, and stay in shape. I myself have spent years optimizing my intake, testing in-race nutrition strategies, and searching for the foods that gave me that little extra boost. But there's a fine, almost invisible line between healthy eating and an unhealthy obsession. A line I've seen many athletes, both amateur and experienced, cross without realizing it. This obsession has a name: orthorexia.

It's not an easy topic, I'll give you that. It touches on personal matters, our relationship with our bodies, with performance. But it's precisely because it's a taboo subject that we need to talk about it. Because behind the facade of the ultra-disciplined trail runner who only eats "pure" foods, there is often suffering, anxiety, and, paradoxically, a decline in performance. I've envisioned this article as a discussion between us, a frank and caring conversation to help you understand this trap, to recognize the signs for yourself or a loved one, and above all, to find the keys to ensure that nutrition remains what it should be: an ally to your pleasure and your progress on the trails.

Distinguishing Healthy Eating from Obsession: What Exactly is Orthorexia?

You might be thinking: "Hang on, Charly, I just like to eat healthy. I watch out for processed foods, I prefer organic, I read labels... Am I orthorexic?" The question is legitimate, and the answer is probably no. The fundamental difference lies not in the content of your plate, but in the mental load and anxiety surrounding it.

Definition: When "Eating Well" Becomes a Prison

The term "orthorexia nervosa" was coined in 1997 by Dr. Steven Bratman. He constructed it from the Greek words: "orthos" (correct) and "orexis" (appetite). Literally, the appetite for what is correct. On paper, it sounds positive. Who wouldn't want to eat correctly? The problem is that this quest for dietary "purity" becomes a rigid and punishing obsession.

Orthorexia is not (yet) officially recognized as a distinct eating disorder in all diagnostic manuals, but the medical and psychological community agrees on its characteristics:

• A fixation on the quality and purity of food: The person is not so much concerned with calories as with the origin of the food (organic, pesticide-free), its composition (gluten-free, lactose-free, no added sugar...), or its preparation method (raw, steamed...).
• Self-imposed and increasingly restrictive dietary rules: What starts with eliminating refined sugar can evolve into eliminating all carbohydrates, then dairy, then meat... The list of "allowed" foods shrinks to almost nothing.
• Intense psychological distress: Transgressing a dietary rule causes extreme guilt and anxiety, often followed by an even stricter "purification" phase.

In short, a health-conscious person chooses to eat a salad because it makes them feel good and it tastes good. An orthorexic person eats that salad because they have a panic-inducing fear of eating anything else, and feels virtuous and superior for doing so.

Orthorexia's Favorite Playground: The World of Trail Running

Why are we, as trail runners, particularly vulnerable? Because our sport, by its very nature, checks all the boxes for this kind of behavior to develop.

1. The culture of optimization: In trail running, every detail counts. The weight of your pack, the choice of shoes, the race strategy... And of course, nutrition. We are bombarded with articles about the latest superfood, the perfect sports drink, the ketogenic diet for ultras... It's easy to believe that there is a "magic" diet that will help us shave off those few minutes we're missing.
2. The need for control: In the mountains, we don't control much. The weather, a loose rock, a dip in energy... That's what makes our sport both beautiful and difficult. For perfectionistic and disciplined personalities (sound familiar?), nutrition can become the one thing we have total control over. It's a refuge, a way to calm anxiety in the face of uncertainty.
3. Endurance and asceticism: Our sport values discipline, the ability to endure, to push one's limits. Depriving oneself of certain foods can be wrongly perceived as a form of mental strength, an additional discipline that makes us "stronger" than others.

This isn't a judgment, it's an observation. The qualities that make us good endurance athletes are also the ones that can push us over the edge if we're not careful.

Confusion with Anorexia or Bulimia

This is a crucial distinction. In anorexia, the main obsession is weight loss and the fear of gaining weight. The goal is quantitative: to eat as few calories as possible. In orthorexia, the obsession is qualitative: the purity of the food. A person with orthorexia may consume a sufficient number of calories, but only from sources they deem "acceptable." Of course, the two can overlap: extreme qualitative restriction often leads to quantitative restriction and weight loss. But the initial motivation is different. The orthorexic trail runner doesn't necessarily want to be thinner; they want to be "purer," "healthier," more "performant." This is what makes diagnosis and self-awareness so difficult.

The Red Flags of Orthorexia in Trail Running: When the Internal Compass Goes Haywire

Identifying the slide is the first and most difficult step. Because it all starts with good intentions. Here are some signals, little markers on the trail of your life, that should prompt you to slow down and check if you're still on the right path.

The Mind in Overdrive: When the Plate Takes Up All the Space

Think about your daily mental load. Work, family, fitting in training... It's already a lot. Now, ask yourself how much space nutrition takes up in your thoughts.

• Obsessive planning: Do you spend more time planning your weekly meals than planning your trail runs? Does the thought of an unplanned meal at a restaurant cause you intense stress?
• Food anxiety: Do you feel anxious while grocery shopping, reading every label, wondering if a product is "healthy enough"?
• Moral judgment of food: Have you classified foods into two categories: "good" (which make you feel proud) and "bad" (which make you feel guilty and weak)? A food is just a food. Attaching a moral value to it is a sign of a problem.

I remember a teammate who refused to come to post-race meals. At first, we thought he was just in a hurry. In reality, he was anxious about not being able to control 100% of what would be on his plate. The pleasure of sharing a convivial moment had been completely overshadowed by the fear of food.

Rituals and Rules: A Gilded Cage

Discipline is good. Rigidity is a cage. Rituals can be reassuring, but when they become inflexible, it's a problem.

• Exclusion of entire food groups: Have you banned gluten, dairy, sugar, legumes, or other food categories without a medical diagnosis (allergy, intolerance)? Self-prescribing restrictive diets is a major symptom.
• Strict preparation rules: Only eating raw food, steamed food, or food prepared by yourself with specific utensils.
• Panic fear of "contamination": The mere idea that your dish has been in contact with an "impure" ingredient (a bit of non-organic oil, sugar...) makes it inedible to you.

These rules, at first, give an impression of control and security. But little by little, they dictate your life and prevent you from living normally. The slightest unexpected event becomes a source of panic.

Social Isolation: The Trail Runner Becomes a Lone Wolf

Trail running is an individual sport, but it has a deeply collective soul. Group runs, races, post-race gatherings... This is our social fabric. Orthorexia comes and blows it all up.

You start turning down invitations to restaurants, dinners at friends' houses, club barbecues. Why? Because you won't be able to control the menu. You prefer to eat alone, at home, with your "safe" foods. Your social world shrinks. Your passion, which should be a source of connection, becomes a cause of isolation. This is one of the saddest and most revealing signs.

The Ultimate Paradox: The Negative Impact on Performance

This is where the trap is most cruel. You do all this to be a better trail runner. You deprive yourself, you discipline yourself, you aim for nutritional perfection. And the result? You stagnate, or even regress.

• Chronic lack of energy: By eliminating entire food groups, especially carbohydrates and fats, you deprive your body of its main fuel. Feelings of heavy legs, energy slumps, and the inability to "pick up the pace" become your daily reality.
• Nutritional deficiencies: Even while eating "healthy" foods, an overly restrictive diet leads to deficiencies in vitamins, minerals (iron, calcium...), and trace elements... The result: fatigue, anemia, a weakened immune system.
• Increased risk of injury: A poorly nourished body is a fragile body. Stress fractures, tendinitis, hormonal problems (amenorrhea in women)... This is the notorious RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) syndrome, where an energy deficit has cascading consequences on your entire health.
• Loss of pleasure: Running becomes a chore. Every outing is an analysis of your sensations, your energy level, which you directly link to your meal from the day before. The simple pleasure of moving in nature disappears, replaced by an anxious analysis of performance.

At the Roots of the Trap: Why Passion Goes Astray

Understanding the mechanisms that push us toward this behavior is essential to be able to break free from it. It's not a matter of willpower or weakness, but a complex cocktail of personal, sporting, and societal factors.

The Quest for "Marginal Gains" Taken to the Extreme

In high-level sports, we often talk about "marginal gains," those small 1% improvements that can be found everywhere: gear, sleep, nutrition... This culture has trickled down to the amateur level. We are bombarded with information promising that a certain diet or supplement will revolutionize our performance. We end up believing that a magic formula exists and that if we don't follow it to the letter, we are missing out on our potential. Nutrition then becomes less of a support system and more of an equation to be solved, and the slightest mistake is seen as a failure. We forget the basics: performance is built on years of consistent training and a generally balanced diet, not on skipping Sunday dessert.

Control as a Lifeline

I've already mentioned it, but this point is central. An athlete's life is full of uncertainties. Injury, poor form, competition, the weather on race day... For personalities who like to be in control, this is anxiety-inducing. Nutrition then becomes an area where control is absolute. It's you, and you alone, who decides what enters your body. This act of control can be extremely reassuring. It's a way of telling yourself: "Maybe I can't control my VO2 max or the weather, but I can control my plate 100%." The problem is that this need for control ends up controlling you.

The Age of Information (and Misinformation): Social Media

Ah, Instagram... An incredible source of inspiration, but also a real poison. We see athletes (or influencers pretending to be athletes) sharing perfect bodies and perfect plates. "What I Eat in a Day" videos that only show kale salads and green smoothies. Discourses that demonize some foods and elevate others to miracle status. Naturally, we compare ourselves. We think: "If he, with his physique, only eats that, I should do the same." We forget that these posts are a showcase, an idealized version of reality. No one posts a photo of the Saturday night pizza or the empty cookie packet after a tough day. This social and visual pressure pushes us to adopt unrealistic and dangerous eating behaviors.

The "Ideal Candidate" Profile: Perfectionism and Discipline

Let's be honest, to run for hours in the mountains, you need a good dose of discipline, rigor, and often, perfectionism. We like things done well, training plans followed to the letter, gear well-prepared. These are qualities! But these same character traits, when applied rigidly to nutrition, can cause us to tip over the edge. The desire to "do well" turns into a fear of "doing wrong." Discipline becomes rigidity. The search for excellence morphs into an unattainable and anxiety-provoking quest for perfection.

The Collateral Damage of a "Perfect" Plate

The consequences of orthorexia go far beyond a simple complicated relationship with food. It's a veritable tsunami that can affect every sphere of your life.

Physical: A Body Crying for Help

The human body is a formidable adaptation machine, but it needs diversity to function. By focusing on perceived "quality," you risk creating imbalances far more serious than the ones you're trying to avoid.

• Paradoxical malnutrition: You can eat very expensive, organic foods and still be malnourished. Excluding fats can affect the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and hormone production. Excluding carbohydrates depletes your glycogen stores, essential for exertion. Excluding dairy products without compensation can lead to a calcium deficit...
• Hormonal disorders: In women, low energy intake can lead to amenorrhea (loss of menstrual periods), which significantly increases the risk of osteoporosis and stress fractures. In men, it can cause testosterone levels to drop, with impacts on energy, libido, and muscle mass.
• Digestive problems: A diet too high in fiber and too restrictive can, paradoxically, cause bloating, pain, and transit issues. The digestive system needs balance, not an extreme.

Psychological: When the Mind Can't Keep Up

This is often where the damage is most profound. The food obsession is mentally exhausting.

• Generalized anxiety: The anxiety is no longer limited to mealtimes. It seeps into everything, into every decision, every social interaction.
• Mood swings and irritability: The lack of carbohydrates, the brain's fuel, can make you irritable and emotionally unstable. Deficiencies, especially in iron and B vitamins, can also affect your mood.
• Depression: The cycle of restriction, guilt, isolation, and loss of pleasure is fertile ground for depression. Your passion, which was a source of joy and a natural antidepressant, becomes a source of stress. It's a devastating vicious circle.

It is crucial to understand the deep link that exists between what we eat and our mental state. A rigid and anxiety-inducing diet is the enemy of psychological well-being. It's a complex topic that I've covered in more detail in my guide on Nutrition and Mental Health for Triathletes and Trail Runners, a read I recommend if you feel this topic speaks to you.

Social: The Solitary Race

Eating is a social act. Sharing a meal is sharing a culture, a history, a moment. Orthorexia excludes you from all of that. Your relationships with your friends, your family, your partner become strained. You become "the one who eats differently," "the one who can't eat anything." Others may feel judged or no longer know how to invite you. The isolation, initially chosen, becomes forced. And an isolated trail runner is a trail runner in danger, because it's the community that carries us through difficult times.

Rediscovering the Pleasure of Eating and Running: Your Action Plan

If you've recognized yourself in the preceding lines, first know that you are not alone and there is no shame to be had. Awareness is the first step toward healing. Getting out of this trap is possible. It's a path, a bit like an ultra, with its ups and downs, but the finish line is worth all the effort: rediscovering freedom and pleasure.

Step 1: Accept Without Judgment

The first thing to do is to stop beating yourself up. You wanted to do the right thing. Your intentions were good. Recognizing that this quest for perfection has harmed you is not an admission of weakness, but proof of strength and lucidity. Accept the idea that the path you've taken is no longer the right one, and be kind to yourself.

Step 2: Let Go of Perfection (the 80/20 Rule)

Perfection doesn't exist, not in training, not in life, and certainly not in nutrition. I suggest one of my favorite "practical gems": the 80/20 rule. Aim for a healthy, balanced diet, rich in whole and nutritious foods 80% of the time. And the remaining 20%? Let go. Eat that pizza with your friends, have that dessert that catches your eye, drink that recovery beer after the race. That 20% won't ruin your performance. On the contrary, it will nourish your morale, your social relationships, and your ability to stick with it in the long term. Flexibility is the key to sustainability.

Step 3: Reconnect with Your Body

Orthorexia has taught you to eat with your head, by following rules. It's time to relearn how to eat with your body. Listen to your sensations:

• Hunger: Is it real hunger (stomach rumbling, low energy) or an emotional craving (stress, boredom)?
• Satiety: Learn to stop when you're no longer hungry, not when your plate is empty or when you've reached your calculated calorie quota.
• Pleasure: What food do you really feel like eating, right now? Allow yourself to respond to that (in moderation, of course). Your body is often smarter than you think and knows what it needs.

Step 4: Rediscover Food Diversity

Make a list of the foods you've forbidden yourself. What if you tried to reintroduce one, just one, this week? Go gradually, without pressure. Choose a food that used to bring you pleasure. Maybe a piece of cheese, a piece of bread with your soup, a square of chocolate (other than 99%!). The goal is to deconstruct the fear and reassociate these foods with pleasure rather than guilt. Vary the colors, textures, flavors. Cook for pleasure, not just for function.

Step 5: Do a Digital Cleanup

Is your social media feed a source of stress or inspiration? Sort it out. Unfollow all accounts that promote restrictive diets, use guilt-inducing language ("clean eating," "guilt-free"...) or make you feel bad about yourself. Instead, follow registered sports dietitians-nutritionists, chefs who love good food, and athletes who have a balanced and relaxed approach to nutrition.

The Importance of the Team: Seeking Support

You never win an ultra alone. You have a team, pacers, friends at aid stations. To overcome orthorexia, it's the same thing. You don't have to fight this battle alone.

When and Who to Consult?

If you feel the situation is overwhelming you, that the anxiety is too strong, don't hesitate to seek professional help. It's the best gift you can give yourself.

• A general practitioner: To do a complete health check-up, check for deficiencies, and refer you to specialists.
• A dietitian-nutritionist (specializing in sports if possible): They will help you deconstruct your false beliefs, restructure your diet in a healthy and non-anxious way, and adapt it to your needs as an athlete.
• A psychologist or therapist: To work on the roots of the problem: anxiety, perfectionism, the need for control. This is often essential for lasting recovery.

The Role of Your Support System

Talk about it. To a trusted friend, your partner, a family member. Choose someone who is caring and won't judge you. The simple act of verbalizing what you're going through can be incredibly liberating. Explain to them how they can help: by avoiding comments on your plate, by suggesting activities not centered around food, or simply by being a listening ear.

The path to a peaceful relationship with food is a process. There will be easy days and more difficult days. The important thing is to remain indulgent with yourself and to celebrate every small victory. Your body is not an enemy to be tamed or a machine to be optimized. It's your best friend, your adventure partner on all the trails of the world. Nourish it with care, but also with joy, pleasure, and freedom. That's the most powerful fuel there is.

Over to you!