It's no secret that eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors have become more prevalent in our society. But let's face it, figuring out the distinction between them isn't always easy. In a world where dieting and intense workouts are often glorified, it's tough to tell when behaviors cross the line from unhealthy habits to a serious eating disorder.

Eating disorders, are serious psychological conditions that disrupt normal eating patterns and can have devastating effects, even life-threatening ones. Now, disordered eating, on the other hand, involves less severe but still troublesome behaviors like compulsive eating or rigid dieting. The big distinction between the two lies in how much these behaviors mess with your life. Whether it's an eating disorder or disordered eating, both can take a toll on your mental and physical well-being, so it's crucial to address them head-on.

What is Disordered Eating?

Disordered eating is a broad umbrella term that includes disordered relationships with food, exercise, and one’s body. Disordered eating includes unhealthy food and body behaviors, usually undertaken for the purpose of weight loss or health promotion, that may put the person at risk for significant harm. Disordered eating can have a negative impact on an individual's health and emotional wellbeing. While disordered eating does not always end in an eating disorder diagnosis, it can still have serious psychological and physical repercussions if left unaddressed.

Signs of Disordered Eating Include

• Skipping meals

• Avoiding certain food groups (e.g., carbohydrates, fats)

• Limiting eating to only certain times of day 

• Using exercise as a means of “burning” or “earning” food

• Assigning moral value to food choices (“good” or “bad”)

• Frequently dieting

• Imposing food rules

• Avoiding events involving food

• Feeling anxiety surrounding food choices

• Restricting certain food choices to specific days/times

• Eating large amounts of food at one time

• Being rigid about exercise routines

• Preferring to eat alone

What is an Eating Disorder?

When an individual's eating habits become excessively extreme to the point of disrupting their daily life, it is often an indication that they are suffering from some form of an eating disorder. Eating disorders are severe mental illnesses that involve significant disturbances in eating behavior, as well as related thoughts and emotions. The primary distinction between disordered eating and a diagnosable eating disorder lies in the level of distress caused by changes in eating habits, weight fluctuations, or behavioral patterns.

The different types of eating disorders include:

• Anorexia nervosa – a condition that causes you to severely restrict the amount of food you eat because you are convinced that you’re too heavy, even when you’re dangerously underweight.

• Binge eating – a condition that causes repeated episodes during which you feel out of control as you eat large amounts of food in a short timeframe, even when you’re not hungry or already uncomfortably full.

• Bulimia – a condition that causes a repeating cycle in which you to binge eat large amounts of food in a short amount of time and then purge yourself in a variety of ways, including self-induced vomiting, excessive laxative or enema use, or misuse of diuretics to compensate.

• Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)-persistent avoidance or restriction of food intake, leading to significant weight loss, nutritional deficiency, and impairment in physical and psychosocial functioning. Individuals with ARFID may experience extreme anxiety or fear surrounding specific foods, textures, colors, or smells, resulting in a limited variety of foods consumed. Unlike other eating disorders, ARFID is not driven by concerns about body weight or shape but rather by sensory sensitivities, fear of adverse consequences associated with eating, or a lack of interest in eating altogether.

• Other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) – a condition in which you don’t meet the strict criteria for anorexia or bulimia, but you have a significant eating disorder that is affecting your health and longevity.

How do I know if I need help to address my eating?

If your eating is causing you distress, or starting to have a negative impact on any areas of your life it is probably time to seek help. You deserve to have a healthy relationship with food, weight and your body image. You don’t need to struggle in silence and it is possible to find food freedom.

When you get the support you need for disordered eating, it can help you to establish a healthy relationship with food and body image, gain confidence in yourself, and develop healthier coping strategies. Recovery from an eating disorder or disordered eating is an ongoing process that requires hard work and dedication but with the right kind of support, it is possible to find balance and contentment. If you are ready to begin your healing journey and want to learn more about what eating disorder therapy will look like, visit my link or contact me to learn more.