We know how hard it can be to distinguish disordered eating from having an eating disorder. To give you some clarity, disordered eating is food- and diet-related behaviors that do not meet diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder, but can still negatively impact your physical, emotional and mental health. It is often accompanied by the goal to lose weight, or be in a certain sized body, but does not have to be related to this outcome.

Disordered Eating is characterized by: 

• Chronic restrictive dieting to lose weight or prevent weight gain.
• Avoiding food groups like carbohydrates or fats.
• Skipping meals.
• Calorie counting.
• Exercising to “work off” calories.
• Feeling shame or guilt around eating, especially foods that are considered to be “bad.”
• Eating when stressed, bored, upset, lonely, or sad.
• Being preoccupied with your body, food and weight.
• Compulsive overeating or undereating.
• Feeling anxious or depressed about food or your body.

Disordered eating can lead to various health consequences including digestive upset, depression, bone loss, electrolyte imbalances, anxiety, high or low blood pressure, and progression to an eating disorder.

How we can help with disordered eating:

• Be a safe space to explore your relationship with food and your body
• Guide you through identifying the root of the disordered eating behavior, and offer a personalized plan for transforming your relationship with food into a positive one
• Ease your fear of foods by guiding you towards mindful/intuitive eating
• Reconnect you with your body by providing guided meditations, and mindful eating exercises
• Support your health by providing an evidence-based, personalized, functional medicine nutrition plan