{"id":19689,"date":"2022-06-09T13:33:59","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T18:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=19689"},"modified":"2026-08-14T05:39:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T10:39:35","slug":"what-is-disordered-eating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/what-is-disordered-eating\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Disordered Eating?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all need food to live. Eating and drinking is also a deeply social activity, whether that means sitting down at the dinner table for a cherished family meal or grabbing a quick bite and glass of wine after work with friends. When a person\u2019s relationship with food is disrupted by intrusive <\/span>body image concerns<\/span><\/a> or anxieties, they may develop a pattern of disordered eating: a pattern of restrictive or compulsive behaviors around food and drink. If left untreated, disordered eating can lead to serious physical and mental health complications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The earlier someone is able to recognize their disordered eating and seek treatment, the likelier they are to recover\u2014both physically and psychologically. Here are some common <\/span>signs and symptoms<\/span><\/a> of disordered eating.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

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Preoccupation with food, calories, or weight gain: <\/b>It\u2019s completely normal to think about the food we eat, but food shouldn\u2019t be the guiding preoccupation of our daily lives or a source of distress. Calorie tracking, measuring daily food intake, or weighing oneself multiple times per day can all be indications of disordered eating.<\/span><\/p>\n

Feeling like you have to \u201cearn\u201d food: <\/b>Ascribing a <\/span>moral value<\/span><\/a> to how much you do or don\u2019t eat can be a sign of disordered eating. While it isn\u2019t necessarily harmful to be aware of the nutritional values in the food you eat, thinking of your food intake as a rigid allotment of calories and\/or macronutrient values (e.g. carbohydrates) that need to be limited or “earned” is a <\/span>restrictive behavior<\/span><\/a> associated with disordered eating.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Overcompensating with exercise: <\/b>Compulsive exercising \u2014 sometimes even to the point of injury \u2014 is strongly linked<\/a> to disordered eating.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Having trouble eating in front of others:\u00a0<\/b>Anxiety around eating in public may reflect a fear of how disordered eating behaviors will be perceived by others. This anxiety might even manifest in <\/span>physical symptoms<\/span><\/a> like trouble swallowing, stomach pain, nausea and a racing heart.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Fixation on dieting: <\/b>Dieting in and of itself is one of the most common <\/span>disordered eating patterns<\/span><\/a>. Popular diets often prescribe too little food and\/or restrict eating from certain food groups. Even modest dietary restriction has been found to <\/span>push the body and brain into a state of semi-starvation<\/span><\/a>, which can create heightened anxiety around food. This anxiety can lead to more dieting.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Lack of enjoyment or anxiety around eating: <\/b>Food-related anxiety, or a general inability to enjoy eating, is a common indication of disordered eating. Starvation alters your brain chemistry, specifically<\/span> affecting the neurotransmitters <\/span><\/a>responsible for mood and memory. Disruptions in serotonin and dopamine have been found to physiologically perpetuate food-related anxiety.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Prioritizing calorie count over food value: <\/b>Thinking of food strictly in terms of calories instead of their overall nutritional value can lead people to habitually prioritize low-calorie, low-nutrient foods. Repeatedly choosing low-calorie foods over higher calorie, nutritionally substantial foods (like opting for a pair of rice cakes at lunch instead of a hearty sandwich) can cause <\/span>fatigue<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>reduced cognitive function<\/span><\/a>, and a whole host of <\/span>malnutrition-related health problems<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Disordered eating vs. eating disorders<\/h3>\n

The <\/span>National Eating Disorder Association<\/span><\/a> characterizes <\/span>eating disorders<\/span><\/a> as \u201cserious but treatable mental and physical illnesses\u201d that can affect anyone. They are influenced by psychological, biological, and social factors\u2014including societal pressure to maintain a specific body image. Eating disorders, like anorexia and bulimia nervosa, are specific diagnoses determined by a medical professional.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Disordered eating, on the other hand, is more of a descriptive term that can encompass a wide array of behaviors and traits. A person with disordered eating will likely show symptoms associated with one or more eating disorder diagnoses, but these food-related behaviors may or may not culminate in a specific eating disorder diagnosis. The behaviors may be triggered by societal body image pressure, a traumatic life event or any number of circumstantial factors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite its distinction from specific eating disorder diagnoses, disordered eating can interfere tremendously with a person\u2019s day-to-day quality of life. Disordered eating can also cause significant health complications, including those associated with specific eating disorders.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Seeking help<\/h3>\n

It can feel scary to seek help for an eating disorder or disordered eating patterns. But the negative consequences of untreated disordered eating are significant.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to changes in the brain that affect a person\u2019s enjoyment of life, ongoing starvation or semi-starvation can create <\/span>problems in the cardiovascular and endocrine systems<\/span><\/a>. Low blood pressure and cardiac arrhythmia are common in anorexia patients in particular, thus increasing the risk of heart failure. Malnutrition and\/or starvation can lead to menstrual irregularity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then there are the repercussions of specific nutritional deficits. For example, not consuming enough of certain vitamins and minerals <\/span>over time can cause <\/span>bone loss and premature osteoporosis<\/span><\/a>. Diminished estrogen levels further heighten the <\/span>risk of osteoporosis<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Recent studies have also found a strong correlation between eating disorders and severely reduced immune function. Eating disorder patients were found to present a <\/span>significantly elevated risk<\/span><\/a> of developing opportunistic infections that require hospitalization.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in getting help for disordered eating but not sure where to begin, you can start by talking to your primary care doctor or even seeing an <\/span>urgent care provider<\/span><\/a> for a <\/span>check-up<\/span><\/a>. You might also consider finding an <\/span>eating disorder therapist <\/span><\/a>who will help you get to the psychological root causes of your disordered eating patterns, and can act as an emotional support in your road to recovery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n