While the terms “eating disorder” and “disordered eating” sound similar, they represent distinct conditions with varying levels of severity and impact. Eating disorders are serious, potentially fatal mental health conditions affecting nearly 30 million Americans. Statistically, nine percent of women will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime, with only 27 percent receiving necessary treatment. Disordered eating, however, is even more prevalent, with 65 percent of women aged 25 to 45 reporting such behaviors in a 2008 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill survey. It's often harder to identify due to its subtle nature and societal normalization.

Disordered eating typically manifests when behaviors interfere with consistent and adequate self-feeding. These behaviors can include restrictive practices like juice cleanses, skipping meals, creating strict food rules, overexercising, undereating, or avoiding specific foods like desserts. These patterns are not random; they are frequently influenced by social media, television, peers, and particularly by diet culture, which champions thinness, often through unhealthy means, as highlighted by Rachel Engelhart, RD, clinical director at the Eating Recovery Center. Although disordered eating may not cause the same intensity of emotional or physical distress as a full-blown eating disorder, it still significantly impacts mental and physical well-being. Moreover, Sadi Fox, PhD, a psychotherapist specializing in eating disorders, cautions that disordered eating can be a “slippery slope into eating disorders.” Individuals striving for weight loss or struggling with body image are often more susceptible, but anyone can develop these habits.

The fundamental distinction between disordered eating and an eating disorder lies in their severity and frequency. An eating disorder meets specific diagnostic criteria outlined in the DSM-5, the manual used by therapists for mental disorder diagnoses. Disordered eating, while serious, may not fulfill these criteria. For instance, a person with disordered eating might purge food, but not with the frequency required for a bulimia diagnosis. Despite not meeting a formal diagnosis, disordered eating remains significant. Engelhart notes that society often normalizes and even praises such behaviors, making them sneakier and harder to spot. Disordered eating stems from everyday influences like unsubstantiated diet trends, unvetted nutrition advice from social media, or detox promotions. Friends, trainers, or nutritionists can also inadvertently share disordered habits, often sought as a quick fix for body image dissatisfaction. Eating disorders, conversely, can be triggered by “bigger hitters” such as anxiety, past traumas, and a lack of coping skills, and can evolve directly from disordered eating. As Fox explains, a juice cleanse leading to significant weight loss could, for example, initiate criteria for anorexia due to caloric restriction and being underweight.

Understanding non-disordered eating, such as intuitive eating, helps clarify what disordered eating looks like. Intuitive eating involves consuming desired foods—ideally a balanced mix of carbs, protein, and fiber—and eating in response to hunger cues until satisfied. Disordered eating, conversely, involves ignoring hunger cues, undereating, or avoiding certain food groups. Mentally, it can involve excessive preoccupation with food, constant questioning about it, and expressing concerns about various foods. Common disordered eating habits include following restrictive fad diets, skipping meals, using diet pills, taking laxatives or diuretics, doing juice cleanses, drinking detox teas, cutting out non-allergenic foods, having elaborate food rituals (e.g., cutting food into tiny pieces, eating in specific orders,