04/03/2026
“I know I’m being bad … I can eat this right now as long as I don’t eat anything else the rest of the day.”
Intuitive Eating principle #1: reject diet culture.
Disordered eating isn’t rare. It might be more common than you think.
We often picture eating disorders as extreme and visible. But disordered eating — restriction, bingeing, obsessive food rules, chronic dieting — exists on a much wider spectrum.
Here’s what the research actually shows:
📊 Eating disorders impact approximately 9% of the US population — and that rate increased nearly 8% from 2013 to 2018. (Harvard, 2020)
📊 22% of children and adolescents worldwide show signs of disordered eating. (JAMA Pediatrics, 2023)
📊 4 out of 10 people have either personally experienced an eating disorder or know someone who has.
📊 Health visits for eating disorders among those under 17 increased by 107% between 2018 and 2022. (Pastore et al., 2023)
📊 Only 10% of people with eating disorders ever receive treatment. (Project HEAL)
📊 Less than 6% of people with eating disorders are medically underweight — meaning most people suffering look “fine” from the outside.
Also stats are much higher for athletes, LGBTQ+, veterans, and how often you use social media.
Disordered eating hides in plain sight. It’s dressed up as discipline, wellness, and willpower. This is why healing our relationship with food can be difficult.
If your relationship with food causes you stress, guilt, or anxiety — that matters. You deserve support.
And remember, f*ck diet culture.
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