How Perfectionism Fuels Clean Eating Obsession in Millennial Moms

What if your obsession with "healthy eating" is actually making you less healthy? In this episode of The Strong(HER) Way podcast, fitness and nutrition coach Alisha Carlson tackles the uncomfortable truth about orthorexia: the eating disorder disguised as wellness that's silently taking over the lives of high-achieving moms everywhere.

This isn't about demonizing clean eating or telling you to give up your health goals. It's about learning the difference between healthy intentionality and harmful rigidity (and understanding how perfectionism around food can sabotage both your mental health AND your actual results).

Alisha breaks down the science behind why high-achieving, perfectionist women are especially vulnerable to orthorexic patterns, what it actually looks like in everyday mom life, and most importantly, how to pursue your body composition goals in a way that's sustainable, flexible, and free from obsession.

If you've ever felt anxious about eating "off plan," guilt-ridden after enjoying birthday cake, or isolated because of your food rules, this episode is your permission slip to do things differently.

What You'll Learn:

• What orthorexia actually is (and what it's NOT—having goals isn't disordered)
• Why perfectionist, high-achieving moms are especially prone to orthorexic patterns
• The key signs that your "healthy eating" has crossed into disordered territory
• How to tell the difference between healthy structure and rigid food rules
• The science behind why restriction and food anxiety actually sabotage fat loss
• How to pursue body composition goals WITHOUT obsession, anxiety, or rigid rules
• Why your relationship with food is affecting your kids more than you think
• A practical roadmap for building flexible structure around nutrition
• How to have both food freedom AND make progress toward your health goals

Perfect For:

• High-achieving moms who meal prep and eat "clean" but feel anxious about food
• Women who have body composition goals but suspect their relationship with food isn't healthy
• Perfectionist moms who struggle with all-or-nothing thinking around nutrition
• Anyone who's ever felt guilty, stressed, or isolated because of their food choices
• Moms who want sustainable fat loss and muscle building without sacrificing their mental health

Key Takeaways

✅ Orthorexia is not just about weight, it's about purity and control. It's an obsessive fixation on "clean" eating that can damage your physical health, mental health, and relationships.

✅ Having body composition goals is NOT the same as having an eating disorder/ disordered eating. The difference is in the how, the why, and the cost—not whether you care about what you eat.

✅ Perfectionist moms are especially vulnerable. Research shows that socially prescribed perfectionism aka the pressure to excel at everything is one of the strongest predictors of orthorexic behavior.

✅ Rigid food rules actually sabotage your results. Chronic food anxiety elevates cortisol, restriction leads to metabolic adaptation, and the all-or-nothing cycle keeps you stuck in yo-yo patterns.

✅ You don't have to choose between food freedom and fat loss. Flexible structure—intention without obsession—leads to better long-term results than rigid rules ever will.

✅ Your kids are watching and learning from your relationship with food. Healing orthorexic patterns isn't just about you—it's about breaking a generational cycle.

✅ Self-compassion isn't soft, it's strategic. Research shows self-compassion leads to MORE consistent behavior change than self-criticism, especially for perfectionist