Subtle and Not So Subtle Eating Disorder Behaviors and Rituals
As a mental health clinician specializing in eating disorders, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside individuals and families navigating the complexities of these struggles. One of the trickiest parts of identifying eating disorders, as well as recovering from them, is recognizing that many behaviors can seem innocuous—or even quirky—at first glance. However, when viewed through the lens of a broader pattern, they may signal underlying distress, attempts to regain a sense of control, or a way to cope with overwhelming emotions.
Let’s highlight some eating-related behaviors and rituals that could indicate the presence of an eating disorder. Each of these actions often serves a deeper emotional or psychological function, rooted in an attempt to manage anxiety or create a sense of order.
Behaviors & Rituals
1. Eating Really Slowly
Individuals may take an unusually long time to finish meals. This behavior can stem from a desire to prolong the eating experience while minimizing the amount consumed. It’s often an attempt to feel in control of the process and reduce anxiety around food.
2. Cutting Food Into Tiny Pieces
This ritual might look like precision, but it often reflects an obsessive need to manage food intake. By breaking food into small pieces, individuals may feel they’re eating more than they are or create a ritualized distraction to avoid facing distressing thoughts tied to eating.
3. Overusing Salt or Condiments
Excessive use of salt, sauces, or spices can have multiple meanings. For some, it’s a way to make the food taste “off” or unpleasant to discourage eating it. For others, it reflects an attempt to enhance flavors due to a disconnection from their sense of taste, which can occur with restrictive eating behaviors.
4. Chewing Gum Constantly
Chewing gum can serve as a way to suppress hunger, occupy the mouth, or create a sense of control over oral sensations without consuming calories. It may also provide a distraction from feelings of discomfort or stress.
5. Measuring or Weighing Food
Precise measuring or weighing of food portions is often about creating a sense of safety. For individuals with eating disorders, this practice can reduce anxiety by ensuring they are adhering to rigid self-imposed rules around food intake.
6. Reading Cookbooks or Recipes Excessively
While many people enjoy flipping through a cookbook now and then, for someone with an eating disorder, this behavior can take on a compulsive quality. They may focus on food preparation as a substitute for eating or as a way to “control” their exposure to food through intellectualization or externalization of the process.
7. Feeding Others While Not Eating Themselves, Or Eating Very Little
Some individuals with eating disorders derive satisfaction from watching others eat, even if they avoid eating themselves. This can serve as a way to feel connected to food without personally engaging in eating, fulfilling an emotional need while bypassing their own anxieties.
8. Organizing Life Around Food
This behavior often involves structuring schedules or activities to avoid situations that involve eating or to ensure they have control over the food environment. It may also manifest as an intense focus on planning meals, which can paradoxically provide both a sense of mastery and a way to avoid eating freely.
What These Behaviors Have in Common
At their core, these behaviors and rituals serve as coping mechanisms for managing distress. For individuals with eating disorders, food can become a battleground where anxiety, fear, and control collide. Engaging in these behaviors provides temporary relief or a sense of order, but often deepens the cycle of distress over time.
The Link Between OCD and Eating Disorders
It’s not uncommon for individuals with eating disorders to also display traits of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In fact, a recent meta-analysis found that individuals with eating disorders were found to be 8.9 times more likely to have a lifetime diagnosis of OCD compared to individuals without eating disorders (Drakes et al., 2021). Both conditions can involve rigid thinking patterns, perfectionism, and compulsive behaviors aimed at reducing anxiety. For example, meticulously weighing food or overusing condiments reflects the same need for precision and control seen in OCD rituals. Understanding this overlap can be crucial in treatment, as addressing the underlying anxiety and need for control can be a key step in recovery.
When to Seek Help
If you notice these behaviors in someone you care about—or even in yourself—it’s important to approach the situation with compassion. Eating disorders thrive in secrecy, so creating a safe, nonjudgmental space to talk about what’s happening can be a powerful first step. Professional support can make a world of difference in helping individuals break free from these patterns and reconnect with their bodies and emotions.
If you’re unsure where to start, reach out to a mental health provider that specializes in providing care for the full spectrum of disordered eating. Healing is possible; you don’t have to continue to suffer. For more information on eating disorders, you can check out the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) website.
Drakes, D. H., Fawcett, E. J., Rose, J. P., Carter-Major, J. C., & Fawcett, J. M. (2021). Comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder in individuals with eating disorders: an epidemiological meta-analysis. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 141, 176-191.