Final answer:
Orthorexia is an obsession with consuming only 'pure' or 'healthy' foods to an unhealthy extreme, not officially recognized as a distinct disorder but indicative of a potentially harmful relationship with food.
Step-by-step explanation:
Orthorexia is an eating disorder that involves an obsession with healthy eating and purity of diet to an extreme level. Unlike anorexia nervosa, where individuals maintain a low body weight through starvation and/or excessive exercise, or bulimia nervosa, which is characterized by binge eating followed by purging, orthorexia is characterized by an excessive preoccupation with consuming only foods believed to be healthy or 'clean'. This obsession can lead to severe dietary restrictions and nutritional imbalances, and may harm a person's overall well-being. While it is not officially recognized as a distinct disorder in diagnostic manuals, the term expresses a potentially harmful relationship with food focused exclusively on its perceived healthfulness.