NCSEM Education

2. The Eating Spectrum

The Eating Spectrum describes how eating attitudes and behaviours occur on a continuum from healthy eating, through disordered eating and to clinical eating disorders. Healthy or normal eating behaviours are characterised by a healthy weight, satisfaction with body image and appearance, and healthy attitudes and behaviours towards food and exercise.

In reality, most people experience some body image concerns and/or have engaged in some dieting behaviours, and mild body image concerns are not abnormal; up to 75% of women express dissatisfaction with an aspect of their body or their appearance³. However, dieting and body image concerns can escalate to disordered eating behaviours, which are potentially more serious⁴.

2.1 Disordered eating

Disordered eating refers to a wide range of abnormal eating behaviours and attitudes that are not severe or frequent enough to be considered a clinical eating disorder⁵. These behaviours can include obsessive, irregular and chaotic eating patterns such as:

• Abstaining from eating for long periods of time (>8hrs) or skipping meals
• Cutting out major food groups, engaging in rigid eating practices, under-eating, and/or frequent self-weighing behaviours
• Purging behaviours such as excessive exercise, or laxative abuse
• Occasional binge eating episodes

Whilst disordered eating attitudes and behaviours are not as severe as clinical eating disorders, they can still have a significant impact on the individual’s quality of life, health, wellbeing and athletic performance². Importantly, disordered eating attitudes and behaviours are strongly linked to the subsequent development of a clinical eating disorder⁶. Identifying disordered eating practices is therefore important in the prevention of a potentially more severe disorder.

2.2 Activity