How A Disordered Diet Can Impact Your Mental Health

How A Disordered Diet Can Impact Your Mental Health

In a society where new health fads become popular every month, we may often decide to give each one a ‘try’ to see which suits us best. This form of yo-yo dieting or the constant pondering about what to eat next might just be detrimental to our mental health in the long run. Now we’re not proposing you reject every new health-related diet but rather we’re cautioning you to make sure you don’t spiral into these unhealthy habits or ways of living. Why? Because this may be a sign you’re following a disordered diet. Disordered eating patterns vary in their degree of severity. However, if minor eating inconsistencies are left undealt with then your mental health and overall wellbeing can be greatly impacted.

How can you identify if you or a loved one might need to seek help? Some of the common indicators of disordered eating, i.e., irregular eating patterns or behaviours that do not fit the criteria of a clinically diagnosed eating disorder are as follows: 

1. Frequent switching of diets.

2. Avoiding food groups and heightened anxiety attached to eating said food(s).

3. A growing unhealthy attachment to counting calories, hours spent exercising, etc.

4. Adopting eating habits that are compulsive in nature.

5. Eating secretively or scarcely due to a self-perceived fear of being judged.

6. Rigid, perfectionist mentality towards eating and consumption. 

Some of the above reasons may not seem to be of great concern, however, if left unresolved they may lead to psychological consequences like depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, suicidal tendencies, etc. Nonetheless, fret not, recovery is possible; it begins with being open to seeking help. Here are a few ways to begin setting yourself or a loved one on the path toward recovery:

1. Reach out to a fully-licensed medical professional to be able to support your journey to recovery.

2. Practise positive self-talk on a regular basis and work on creating a list of characteristics, and attributes that make you, you.

3. Learn, encourage and support a loved one during the process.

4. Take one step at a time and celebrate small achievements towards overcoming disordered eating.

 
We believe it’s important to openly discuss topics such as this because the more we as a community contribute to broadening our understanding of disordered eating, the better equipped we are to help and strengthen those looking to overcome disturbances in their eating behaviour.