What happens when “healthy eating” becomes so rigid that food stops being joyful—and starts controlling your life?

In this episode, we’re joined by Jason Wood, Executive Director of ANAD, for an honest conversation about orthorexia, men’s body image, eating disorders, vulnerability, and recovery.

Jason shares his personal experience with orthorexia and what it was like to recognize that his relationship with food had become increasingly rigid and consuming. We talk about how diet culture can shape men’s relationships with food and their bodies, why eating disorders in men can be difficult to recognize, and how the pursuit of “health” can sometimes become another way an eating disorder hides in plain sight.

We also dig into something that can be especially complicated for men: vulnerability. Jason talks about the pressure many men experience to keep pain to themselves, the power of telling our stories, and how peer support and community can create safer spaces for people to seek help

Things We Yap About:

• What orthorexia can look like—and why it can be difficult to recognize
• How diet culture influences men’s body image and relationships with food
• Why eating disorders in men are often overlooked or misunderstood
• The connection between “healthy eating,” rigidity, and disordered behaviors
• Masculinity and the pressure to keep emotional pain to yourself
• The role of vulnerability and storytelling in recovery
• The importance of peer support and community care
• Creating safer spaces for men to talk about eating disorders

Eating disorders don't always look like restriction, weight loss, or a desire to be smaller. Sometimes they can hide behind the pursuit of health, fitness, discipline, or “clean” eating. And sometimes, finding the language to talk about what's happening is the first step toward getting support.

Resources & Mentions:

• ANAD: https://anad.org/
• ANAD Book Corner: https://anad.org/learning-library-old/book-recommendations/
• Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery by Mallory Tenore Tarpley
• Starving for Survival: One Man’s Journey with Orthorexia by Jason Wood
• Running in Silence: My Drive for Perfection and the Eating Disorder That Fed It by Rachel Steil

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