What is an eating disorder? What to do about it.
A quick overview of eating disorders, disordered eating and what to do about them.
Have you or someone you love ever felt intensely uncomfortable about food or body image?
You wouldn’t be the only one
Many people struggle with their body image and relationship with food. The degree of struggle can vary from person to person and it can also vary based on circumstances. When eating, exercise, and body image behaviors cause increased turmoil in one’s life, it can be helpful to understand what’s going on and what to do next.
It’s complex
Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses characterized by disturbances in one’s food, exercise, and body image behaviors. Eating disorders are diagnosable, while disordered eating behaviors do not have a diagnosis. Both eating disorders and disordered eating can go unnoticed, as society tends to normalize many disordered eating behaviors.
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are diagnosed using criteria outlined in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual).
When disordered eating behaviors reach a certain level, one may be diagnosed with an eating disorder. A few of the most common eating disorders are Binge Eating Disorder, Bulimia Nervosa, and Anorexia Nervosa.
Other eating disorder diagnoses include:
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders (OSFED)
Pica
Rumination Disorder
It’s important to recognize that not meeting criteria for an eating disorder does not invalidate your struggle if you experience disordered eating. For more information on each of the eating disorders and associated criteria, see the NEDA website.
Disordered Eating
Disordered eating can be viewed as any self-imposed behavior that disconnects you from your body.
Disordered eating behaviors can lead to increased anxiety and stress in one’s relationship with food, though they might begin with the desire to improve health and feel better. Here are a few examples:
Calorie-counting and/or limiting intake to a certain number of calories each day.
The disconnect - Our bodies aren’t robotic and our needs and appetites fluctuate. When you’ve set a goal of x number of calories, what happens when you’ve reached your limit for the day and you’re still hungry?
Cutting out or drastically limiting certain foods or food groups.
The disconnect - Cutting out entire food groups often leads to the elimination of certain essential nutrients. For example, the keto diet prescribes very low carbohydrate intake but carbohydrates are our body’s primary source of energy. When we cut out other categories of foods (ex. desserts), we become vulnerable to feelings of deprivation and typically, eliminating a food does not eliminate your desire for it. Oftentimes, the desire grows.
Experiencing food-related guilt and shame.
The disconnect - Diet culture would have us believe that there is a “perfect” way to eat. This often sets us up to think about food in a black and white manner which causes guilt or shame when we eat something “bad.” Food choices should not equate to morality.
Other disordered behaviors can include:
Compensation via restriction, exercise, purging, etc.
Binge eating
Cleanses
Use of diet pills or supplements
What do I look for? Signs and symptoms
A few things to pay attention to
Both eating disorders and disordered eating can be recognized through many ways, but here are a few potential signs and symptoms:
General preoccupation with food or body image
Secrecy and shame (eating in secret, hiding food, isolating, etc.)
Physical complications like hair loss, dry skin, dizziness/fainting, menstrual irregularities, and more
Swift changes in eating behaviors (like abruptly becoming vegan or no longer wanting to eat mom’s famous lasagna)
Rigid food rules and rituals
Excessive exercising
Body checking
What about food or your body? Ask for help.
A Great Health Professional
If you think you or someone you know may be struggling with disordered eating or an eating disorder, I’ve got great news - there is help and you don’t have to go through this alone. I recommend reaching out to a trusted health professional (dietitian, therapist, medical doctor, etc.) to do further assessment and to provide feedback for next steps.
Choose Optimism, Not Overwhelm
You do not need to have a diagnosed eating disorder in order to benefit from working on your relationship with food. With the normalization of disordered behaviors, contradicting nutrition information, and the media, it can be hard to navigate food without getting overwhelmed. It’s a journey and it can very frustrating to find the right support and solution. There is hope of having a relationship with food and your body that does not produce anxiety, guilt, and shame.
What do I do next?
You’ve got this!
You or someone you love can overcome an eating disorder with the right help, strategy and support. The future you will be glad you did.
