According to a report in The Guardian newspaper, Britain is currently experiencing an increase in the number of cases of orthorexia nervosa, a psychological condition whereby sufferers restrict the consumption of sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, wheat, gluten, yeast, soya, corn and dairy foods. They also cut out any foods which contain artificial additives, or have come into contact with pesticides and herbicides.

Ursula Philpot, chair of the British Dietetic Association's mental health group, is quoted by The Guardian as stating: "Other eating disorders focus on quantity of food but orthorexics can be overweight or look normal. They are solely concerned with the quality of the food they put in their bodies, refining and restricting their diets according to their personal understanding of which foods are truly 'pure'."