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.