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- Dictionaryeating disorder
noun
- 1. any of a range of mental conditions in which there is a persistent disturbance of eating behaviour and impairment of physical or mental health: "she went into therapy, hoping to put an end to her chronic eating disorder"
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Feb 15, 2024 · Disordered eating refers to a wide range of behaviors that involve eating in a way that prevents full participation in life activities or impairs healthy growth and development. At best, disordered eating can lead to physical and psychological symptoms in children and teens. At worst, disordered eating can develop into an eating disorder.
- Eating Disorders
The most common eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and...
- Eating Disorders
- Overview
- What is disordered eating?
- Disordered eating vs. eating disorders: What’s the difference?
- Disordered eating affects all genders, races, body sizes, and income levels
- Disordered eating is pervasive — but why?
- Repairing a disordered relationship with food
- The bottom line
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A coworker tells you over lunch that they’ve stopped eating carbs.
Your cousin falls silent at the dinner table to log their meal in a weight loss app.
And your best friend texts the group chat that they’re hitting the gym to “earn” the brunch you’re meeting up for later.
Scenarios like these have become normalized, but they’re all behaviors that a growing number of healthcare professionals consider signs of disordered eating.
For many, it’s difficult to know when habits — particularly those that diet culture has labeled “healthy” — fall into this category.
This is especially true for people who don’t match the stereotypes surrounding eating disorders, such as People of Color, men, and people at higher body weights.
The term “disordered eating” refers to food- and diet-related behaviors that don’t meet diagnostic criteria for recognized eating disorders (EDs) but may still negatively affect someone’s physical, mental, or emotional health.
Chelsea Levy, MS, RD, CDN, is an Intuitive Eating counselor and weight-inclusive dietitian in New York City who works with people recovering from disordered eating and EDs. She told Healthline that disordered eating and full-threshold EDs fall along a spectrum.
“On one end is healthy eating, or just regular old eating, and then all the way on the other side of extreme or unhealthy behaviors would be an eating disorder,” she said. “Disordered eating would be somewhere in between.”
Disordered eating habits may include:
•avoiding entire food groups, certain macronutrients, or foods with specific textures or colors without a medical reason
•binge-eating
There are eight categories of full-threshold feeding and eating disorders:
•anorexia nervosa
•bulimia nervosa
•binge eating disorder
•avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder
•pica
Eyre put it simply: “In my opinion, most people have a disordered relationship with food.”
Disordered eating and eating disorders can affect anyone, regardless of their identities or experiences, though some groups may be at higher risk than others.
While misconceptions suggest that the people at highest risk for eating disorders are thin, white, cisgender, affluent women and girls, the reality is quite different:
•People at higher body weights are more likely to exhibit disordered eating behaviors. In fact, Eyre said that just 6% of people with eating disorders are medically underweight.
•Research on EDs and disordered eating in Communities of Color is lacking. However, studies suggest that People of Color are just as likely as white people to engage in disordered eating, while advocates and other studies say that People of Color may be even more likely.
•Sexual minority adolescents — those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, or other non-heterosexual identities — are more likely to engage in disordered eating than heterosexual adolescents.
Most eating disorders and cases of disordered eating are rooted in body image concerns, which are often influenced by fatphobia. Fatphobia — the fear or hatred of fatness — seeps into everyday life, from the kitchen table to the doctor’s office.
The weight loss industry, the media, and influencers alike encourage behaviors and products meant to keep weights low and waistlines small, despite evidence increasingly suggesting that weight loss diets do more harm than good for many people.
The normalization and celebration of these behaviors is one reason disordered eating endures. Put simply, it’s hard to spot.
Medical professionals in the United States and the United Kingdom receive little training on EDs and are often the ones prescribing weight loss to patients. There’s especially sparse education on EDs in adults, men, People of Color, and LGBTQIA+ people.
Plus, whether a behavior becomes disordered can depend on context.
For example, while fasting for weight loss may be disordered, fasting for religious reasons isn’t necessarily harmful. And having “food rules” could indicate disordered eating, but having preferences or following cultural eating practices wouldn’t.
Whether you feel that your relationship with food may be disordered, could meet ED criteria, or is just something you’d like to improve, support is available — and you deserve access to care.
“If you’re asking the question ‘Is my relationship with food disordered?,’ talk to somebody. You don’t have to have the most serious eating disorder that’s ever existed in order to need healing.”
— Rebecca Eyre, MA, LMHC, Project Heal CEO
Consider speaking with an eating disorder-informed physician, licensed therapist, nondiet registered dietitian, or other healthcare professional.
They can help you talk through your feelings surrounding food, your body, and your weight and guide you in reframing any beliefs that might propel disordered eating.
Levy recommends that people who occupy marginalized identities work with professionals who have lived experiences in common with them or can demonstrate allyship.
The phrase “disordered eating” is becoming more common, but it can be tough to determine whether your habits might fall into that category.
Overall, disordered eating includes food- or diet-related behaviors that are consistent with eating disorder pathology but aren’t considered severe or frequent enough to meet the requirements for an ED diagnosis.
Disordered eating may involve compensatory behaviors, fasting, bingeing, purging, or following fad diets, among other behaviors. These habits are also common in EDs, and the difference between the two, according to experts, isn’t always clear-cut.
“I see eating disorders as a diagnosis from a clinician under the DSM-5, whereas disordered eating might look like some sort of dieting that could turn into an eating disorder,” Levy said.
Cultural ideas about disordered eating prioritize young, thin, white, cisgender, affluent women and girls, but older adults, people at higher body weights, People of Color, LGBTQIA+ folks, people with lower incomes, and men also experience it — even more often, in some cases.
It’s important to work with an eating disorder-informed healthcare professional if you suspect that you’re dealing with an ED or if you’re unsure whether your habits might constitute an ED.
Disordered eating is a term for food- and diet-related behaviors that don’t meet the criteria for eating disorders but may still harm your health. Learn how to recognize disordered eating, what causes it, and how to recover from it.
- Rose Thorne
Jun 28, 2024 · Disordered eating is a range of irregular eating behaviors, often for purported but not evidence-backed health reasons. It's tricky to recognize because it may not align with a specific eating disorder diagnosis, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. However, it can still pose significant risks to your physical and mental health.
Oct 26, 2018 · Disordered eating is a range of irregular eating behaviors that may or may not warrant a diagnosis of a specific eating disorder. Learn the signs, consequences and treatment options for disordered eating from registered dietitian nutritionists.
Mar 28, 2023 · The most common eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder. Most eating disorders involve focusing too much on weight, body shape and food. This can lead to dangerous eating behaviors. These behaviors can seriously affect the ability to get the nutrition your body needs.
Jan 3, 2024 · Physical Signs of Disordered Eating. The most common physical symptoms of disordered eating include: Significant fluctuations in weight. Stomach complaints and pain. Changes in bowel habits. Changes in menstrual regularity, including stopped or missed periods. Feeling dizzy, weak, or tired. Fainting.
People also ask
Is disordered eating an eating disorder?
What are disordered eating patterns?
What are disordered eating habits?
What causes eating disorders?
What is an eating disorder & how is it treated?
Jul 29, 2024 · Whereas an eating disorder is a clinical diagnosis, disordered eating refers to abnormal eating patterns that do not meet the criteria for an eating disorder diagnosis. Someone with an eating disorder may exhibit disordered eating behaviors, but not all people with disordered eating will be diagnosed with an eating disorder.
