You are preparing for an important public speaking engagement; do you reach for the biscuit tin or go right off the whole idea of food? Stress affects people’s eating behaviour in different ways, read on to find out why.

A new type of eating disorder is emerging where people are becoming obsessed with eating to improve their health. According to the Swiss Food Association, this new wave of nutritional obsession, known as ‘Orthorexia’ or ‘Orthorexia nervosa’, from the Greek “orthos” meaning right and correct, and “orexis” meaning appetite, is reaching worrying proportions.

Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia can threaten psychological well-being, physical health, and sometimes even life itself. In all cases, sufferers have a preoccupation with food, a distorted body image and eating behaviours that are out of control.