Whether you’re scrolling social media, connecting with a friend, or speaking with a coworker, food and body image can be a main topic. We live in a culture fixated on dieting (aka diet culture) and thinness. This thin ideal perpetuates unrealistic beauty standards, pressuring many to engage in disordered eating and unhealthy eating behaviors to achieve a specific body type.

As a team of eating disorder dietitians with weight-neutral, intuitive eating values, we want to help you understand the difference between disordered eating and eating disorders. Understanding the difference can support you in creating a better relationship with food and body.

Understanding Disordered Eating

Disordered eating includes a range of irregular or unhelpful eating behaviors that might not warrant a diagnosis of a specific eating disorder. It can encompass a wide spectrum of unhealthy but normalized food-related behaviors.

What do we mean by this? Here are some examples:

1. “Clean Eating” Obsession: Many people aim to eat healthily, but when the focus on eating “clean” becomes an obsession, it falls into the category of disordered eating. This is known as orthorexia, where a person might cut out entire food groups or severely limit their diets to the point that it affects their social lives and overall health.

2. Chronic Dieting or Yo-Yo Dieting: You know that person who is always jumping from one diet or “lifestyle” to another? It might even be you! Regularly going on and off diets, also known as yo-yo dieting, is a common form of disordered eating. This cycle of restriction and overeating can disrupt your metabolism and relationship with food, leading to long-term negative effects on your physical and mental health.

3. Food Rules: Having strict rules about what, when, and how much to eat can also be a sign of disordered eating. Examples include not eating after a certain time of day, only eating foods with a specific calorie count, or avoiding certain ingredients without a medical reason – maybe even because someone on social media told you so.

You might be wondering, “if these are normal behaviors, what’s the issue?” While these behaviors might seem harmless or even healthy on the surface, they can lead to significant physical and emotional distress over time. Disordered eating can disrupt your life, impact your social relationships, and lead to more severe eating disorder if left unaddressed.

Understanding Eating Disorders

As mentioned, disordered eating can progress into an eating disorder, impacting your physical health, mental health, and relationships in negative ways. Eating disorders are more severe and are characterized by persistent eating behaviors that negatively impact the ability to function in important areas of life. They are clinically diagnosed based on specific criteria.

*It’s important to note that eating disorders exist in people of all body sizes, races, and socioeconomic statuses. Your body size is not an indicator of whether or not you have an eating disorder.*

Some common eating disorders include:

1. Anorexia Nervosa: Anorexia involves restricting food intake and may lead to significant weight loss, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image. Individuals with anorexia may exercise excessively, count every calorie meticulously, or avoid social situations involving food. 

2. Bulimia Nervosa: Bulimia is characterized by episodes of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors such as purging or excessive exercise. People with bulimia often feel a loss of control during binges and engage in these behaviors secretly.

3. Binge Eating Disorder: This disorder involves regularly eating large quantities of food in a short period, often feeling a lack of control during these episodes. Many times, binges occur due to prior restriction or chronic dieting.

4. Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): ARFID is characterized by an avoidance or restriction of food intake, not due to a fear of gaining weight but rather a lack of interest in food, sensory issues, or fear of adverse consequences (like choking). This disorder can lead to significant nutritional deficiencies, weight loss, and interference with social functioning.

5. Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED): OSFED is a category for eating disorders that do not meet the criteria for any other specific eating disorder but still cause significant distress or impairment. In other words, it’s not so black and white. There are many ways an eating disorder may manifest itself in a person’s life.

Seeking Support

Whether you identify with disordered eating or suspect you might have an eating disorder, you deserve support and healing.

At Confidently Nourished, our team of dietitians is equipped to help you navigate these challenges with compassion. If you find yourself constantly thinking about food, feeling guilty after eating, or following rigid food rules, it might be time to reach out for support. Remember, you don’t have to go through this alone. Contact us today to schedule a session and start your journey towards a more fulfilling relationship with food.