Disordered Eating
Disordered eating is characterized as behaviors, thoughts and emotions that fall on a spectrum between normal eating and eating disorders. Disordered eating includes symptoms and behaviors of eating disorders, such as Anorexia, Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder, but at a lesser frequency and severity. Healthy eating habits include consuming food when hungry and stopping consumption when full. Conversely, an individual struggling with disordered eating may continue to costume food past the point of fullness, eat when not hungry, restrict food intake, or engage in purging behaviours.
Disordered eating may include one or a combination of the following behaviors:
● Fasting
● Binge eating
● Skipping meals
● Avoiding a type of food or food group
● Self-induced vomiting
● Laxative, diuretic, enema misuse
● Steroid and creatine use
● Using diet pills
These behaviours are often performed in secret as feelings of guilt, shame, and failure are common among people who engage in disordered eating. The accompanying “loss of control” feeling can encourage an individual to further restrict their eating, binge, or purge. Intense restriction (fasting or dieting) sends signals to the body that the individual is starving, which trigger powerful hunger cues that will-power alone is ineffective in resisting. As a result, the individual becomes stuck in an unhealthy diet cycle that is extremely difficult to break.
Disordered eating can have negative impacts on an individual’s life as it is linked with low self-esteem, social withdrawal, reduced ability to cope with stressful situations, and places the individual at a high risk of developing a fully-fledged eating disorder. Seeking help early is the best preventative measure.
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