The Continuum of Eating

Healthy Eating:

• Eating a variety of foods
• Eating adequate amounts of food
• Eating without undue guilt or anxiety
• Eating regularly most of the time
• Occasionally rewarding oneself with treats or comfort foods

Note: Vegetarians and vegans can have perfectly healthy relationships with food. These are belief systems as well as ways of eating.

Problematic Eating:

• Recurring episodes of overeating
• Recurring episodes of under-eating
• Recurring distress regarding body size
• Recurring negative comparisons of one’s body to others
• Over-exercising to lose or maintain weight
• Avoidance of categories of foods to avoid guilt, which can result in compromised nutrition

Note: Problematic eating can be a temporary phase, or it may lead to more disturbed eating patterns.\

Eating Disorders:   

There are three types of eating disorders – anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. 

1. Anorexia Nervosa is a disorder characterized by self-imposed starvation.
   Symptoms include the following:
   • Weight loss, which usually occurs rapidly
   • Restrictive eating, such as fasting or severe diets
   • Dizziness or fainting spells
   • Rigid exercise routines
   • Intense fear of fat, regardless of low weight
   • Self-worth that is determined by what has or has not been eaten
2. Bulimia Nervosa is a disorder characterized by bingeing (eating large quantities of foods in a short period of time) followed by purging.
   Symptoms include the following::
   • Bingeing
   • Secretive eating
   • Vomiting, use of laxatives, diet pills
   • Fear of being fat, regardless of weight
   • Rigid, often excessive, exercise routines
   • Self-worth which is determined by what has or has not been eaten 
3. Binge-eating disorder is characterized by uncontrolled eating of large amounts of food in a short period of time. Binge-eating is sometimes, but not always, associated with obesity.
   Symptoms include the following:
   • Repetitive episodes of eating rapidly far past the point of fullness
   • Feeling tormented by eating patterns
   • Restriction of activities due to embarrassment about weight
   • Secretive eating, due to embarrassment about quantity of food consumed

Note: Eating disorders are psychologically painful and often medically risky.