Food, Feelings, and Finding Balance: Understanding Disordered Eating

Food, Feelings, and Finding Balance: Understanding Disordered Eating

What Are Disordered Eating Behaviours?

Disordered eating behaviours fall between normal eating and diagnosed eating disorders. They include unhealthy habits like skipping meals, extreme dieting, or emotional eating. While not always a clinical condition, they can harm both your physical and mental health.

Common Disordered Eating Behaviours

  1. Binge Eating: Consuming large amounts of food in a short period, often accompanied by feelings of guilt or shame.
  2. Restrictive Eating: Severely limiting food intake or avoiding entire food groups to lose weight.
  3. Emotional Eating: Turning to food for comfort during stress, sadness, or boredom.
  4. Obsessive Calorie Counting: Fixating on numbers rather than focusing on nourishment.

Causes of Disordered Eating

  1. Cultural Pressure: Media and societal standards often glorify thinness, creating unrealistic body image expectations.
  2. Stress and Trauma: Emotional challenges can trigger unhealthy eating patterns as a coping mechanism.
  3. Perfectionism: High standards or fear of failure can lead to control-seeking behaviours around food.
  4. Dieting Culture: Constant exposure to fad diets can normalise extreme eating behaviours.

Warning Signs to Watch For

  • Preoccupation with food, weight, or body image
  • Extreme guilt or shame around eating
  • Frequent dieting or fluctuating weight
  • Avoiding social events involving food

The Impact on Health

  1. Physical Health: Nutritional deficiencies, weakened immune system, digestive issues, and more.
  2. Mental Health: Increased anxiety, depression, and feelings of low self-worth.

How to Address Disordered Eating

  1. Seek Professional Help: Dietitians and therapists can help you develop healthier relationships with food.
  2. Practice Intuitive Eating: Focus on listening to your body’s hunger and fullness cues rather than following strict rules.
  3. Challenge Negative Thoughts: Work on reframing harmful beliefs about food and body image.
  4. Build a Support Network: Share your struggles with trusted friends or family who can encourage you without judgment.

Final Thoughts

Disordered eating is more common than many realise and can significantly affect your life. Recognising the signs and seeking help early can prevent it from escalating. Remember, food is fuel—not an enemy—and you deserve to feel good in your own skin.