Eating disorders do not develop overnight. An eating disorder, categorized as a psychological condition that causes unhealthy eating patterns, can cause serious repercussions and even death.
There is a gradual shift in perception and mindset that contributes to disordered eating patterns. These small changes can be hard to spot in a person, but it’s important to look for them to prevent an eating disorder from growing.
Check out our list of the top 10 signs of eating disorders.
Fear of gaining weight is the hallmark sign of anorexia nervosa. People who have this fear constantly see themselves as overweight, even if they are well underweight. Repeatedly weighing yourself and trying to hide your body with baggy clothes are also signs of an eating disorder that plays on your fear of gaining weight.
Anorexia nervosa isn’t really about food, it’s about equating self-esteem with the thinness of your body and the only way to control this perception is by eating, or rather, choosing not to eat.
O Devotion and purges can be used together or separately in eating disorders. Bulimia nervosa is characterized by both, while binge eating disorder usually only includes binge eating.
People with bulimia try to avoid eating in public and often eat in secret so there are no witnesses to the purge. Sometimes people with bulimia also abuse laxatives or weight loss supplements to get rid of the food they eat.
Binge eating disorder is also accompanied by feelings of embarrassment and embarrassment from the inability to stop eating and resist the urge to eat more. An overlooked sign of bingeing and purging is called Russell’s sign, which is the name for calluses on the top of the fingers due to induced vomiting. Corns develop by repeatedly scraping the knuckles of the front to produce the gag reflex.
In trying to fight for health, people can harm their health. Having an obsession with being healthy can lead to an eating disorder known as orthorexia. People with orthorexia are preoccupied with diet and tracking nutrient intake.
Checking the nutrition label or ingredient list, cutting out entire food groups like carbohydrates, and taking an unusually high interest in what others are eating are all signs of orthorexia. Ironically, registered dietitians or nutritionists are the population most at risk for orthorexia because they are constantly exposed to diet and health information.
- extremely picky eater
Although children and some adults are picky eaters, it is not typical to have extreme aversions to a wide variety of foods. In fact, severe fussy eating behaviors can be a sign of the eating disorder known as avoidant restrictive eating disorder (ARFID) or formerly known as fussy eating disorder.
This eating disorder is not associated with fear of weight gain or body image issues like many other eating disorders. Those with ARFID restrict their food intake so much that they become deficient in most nutrients and lose weight significantly due to a lack of calories.
- Calorie savings for drinks or alcohol
Recently, a new diagnostic term has been added to the plethora of eating disorders that describe people who save their calories for alcohol consumption. This new term is called ebriorexia.
It is common for other eating disorders to avoid consuming high-calorie drinks as they are considered “empty calories”, but ebriorexia works in the opposite way, inviting consumption of high-calorie alcoholic beverages and avoiding all solid foods. Drunkenness is a double-edged sword because it is not just an eating disorder, but also a substance use disorder.
- Cravings for things that aren’t considered food
People may be worried or embarrassed about craving things that aren’t considered food, like hair, dirt, and chalk, but this behavior is actually a diagnosable eating disorder known as pica.
The urge to eat non-food items can be due to malnutrition and is the body’s way of trying to correct a nutrient deficiency.
Although pica is more common in less developed countries, it can still occur anywhere there is a nutritional deficiency.
Pregnant women are at a higher risk of developing pica as nutritional deficiencies occur more often during pregnancy, especially iron deficiency which is one of the main causes of pica.
- chew and spit out food
Chewing and spitting out or regurgitating food is a sign of eating disorder rumination syndrome. Unlike purging, this form of regurgitation is not associated with feelings of shame, anxiety, or disgust.
Regurgitation of partially digested food is unintentional and is a reflex malfunction caused by a psychological condition. Breathing exercises and reversing the spitting habit through behavioral therapy are the two ways to recover from rumination syndrome.
- Eating large amounts of food only at night.
Night eating syndrome is an eating disorder identifiable by consuming large amounts of food only at night, along with insomnia. People with night eating syndrome feel an undeniable need to eat after waking up from a restless sleep and will not be able to go back to bed until the food is consumed.
Depression and anxiety are also common in people with night eating syndrome and can often increase the symptoms of these conditions. It can be difficult to tell if someone is suffering from night eating syndrome as the behaviors occur when everyone is asleep, but keeping an eye out for decreased appetite and daytime fatigue could be a sign of this eating disorder.
- stomach cramps complaints
Complaints of stomach cramps or other gastrointestinal problems are common signs of an eating disorder. Of course, stomach cramps can be caused by a number of circumstances, but when this sign occurs alongside other eating disorder behaviors, it can be cause for concern.
Having unusual eating patterns disrupts the body’s normal digestion, so gastrointestinal problems are typical. Stomach cramps are not necessarily diagnostic of a single eating disorder, so identifying the specific problem can be difficult.
All the fancy labels and categories for eating disorders can be great for people looking for an answer to their health issues, but for those who don’t have clear signs of specific eating disorders, the labels can be frustrating. For those who do not fall under a specific eating disorder, Other Specified Eating Disorders (OSFED) has become a category for those who feel lost.
Exercise is great for your health, but like all things, it should only be done in moderation. Excessive exercise is often combined with disordered eating to quickly lose weight and achieve an “ideal” body.
Many people use exercise as permission to eat, and feelings of guilt will arise if they don’t move enough. Others use exercise as a form of purging in which calories are burned or eliminated as soon as they are ingested.
Those who exercise compulsively may show signs of discomfort with inactivity, injuries, and secret exercise. Exercising too much can cause fatigue, muscle weakness, feeling faint or dizzy, and menstrual irregularities, which are not good for your health.
Eating disorders are serious mental conditions that can take years of conditioning to develop and perhaps years of treatment to recover from. However, eating disorders are treatable and, more importantly, preventable, unlike many other psychological disorders.
If you’re struggling with an eating disorder or know someone who is, you’re not alone. Remember that an eating disorder is no one’s fault and can be controlled.
By HealthfitnessRevolution. Article in English