10 Disordered Eating Behaviours that were Normalised in 2025
Current wellness trends and media hype have contributed to the normalisation of certain behaviours that those of us working in the disordered eating space consider harmful.
As a nutrition practitioner, it is becoming apparent that the line between ‘disciplined’ as it is perceived by the public - and what is regarded as dysfunctional through a professional lens - has become somewhat blurred. For example, what often looks like commitment to healthy eating on the surface - and may even be applauded - can often mask anxiety, rigidity and fear around food.
As 2025 draws to a close, certain patterns have felt particularly dominant - perhaps amplified by digital wellness culture and the constant pursuit of “better.”
Here are ten common examples of disordered eating behaviours that often go unnoticed and what they may be signalling beneath the surface:
1. Anxiety about eating the “right” foods
A fixation on healthy eating can appear admirable (who doesn’t want to feel well-nourished after all?), but when the pursuit of “healthy” becomes obsessive, food choices slip into a moral measure of worth.
You may find yourself re-reading ingredient lists, hypervigilant about eating ‘right’ for your hormones or gut health even when you didn’t even have any issues with them before, feeling anxious before meals or avoiding social events because you can’t control what’s served.
When food choices are driven more by fear and control than by trust and flexibility, the behaviour is no longer healthy.
2. Tracking “metabolic health” metrics
Wearing glucose monitors or other wearables and tracking HRV, steps, calories and macros can all offer empowering insights. But for some people fixating on numbers can quickly become a cage that gives a false sense of mastery while distracting you from your natural internal body cues related to energy, hunger and satisfaction.
If your day revolves around hitting or staying under a target or if eating without tracking starts triggering anxiety or guilt, it is definitely worth stopping and questioning this. Constant and intense precision isn’t needed to support health and, in some cases, it can erode it.
3. Skipping meals as a badge of discipline
Skipping breakfast to “save calories” or working through lunch because “I’m not that hungry” are often seen as signs of good self-control. In reality, chronic meal-skipping can keep your nervous system on high alert and your blood sugar unstable, setting up cycles of overeating later.
Regular eating (I usually recommend every 3–4 hours) is not indulgent - it supports your biology including hormonal balance, cognitive clarity and emotional regulation.
4. Chronic dieting and the constant reset
A new year, a new start, another plan. The cycle of restricting, rebelling and restarting can feel like the norm, productive even, in a culture obsessed with weight loss. But research shows repeated dieting increases food preoccupation and weight cycling, not health.
If you spend more time thinking about “getting back on track” than living your life, have you considered that your body may not be the problem but the pursuit of dietary control might be?
5. Obsessive exercise to “earn” or “burn” food
Movement is vital for our wellbeing yet the intention behind it matters. Exercising to punish yourself for eating or to “undo” calories crosses into disordered territory. Over time, pushing the body too hard can interfere with natural appetite cues, disrupt hormonal balance and increase the risk of fatigue and injury.
Ask yourself: if you couldn’t track the outcome, would you still move in the same way? Exercise should expand your life, not shrink it.
6. Believing a flat stomach is THE hallmark of health
It seems that media has convinced a lot of people that a permanently flat stomach is a goal worth striving for. In reality, a visible curve is normal - your abdomen is home to a whole digestive system after all. This unrealistic ideal fuels behaviours like constant body-checking, food anxiety.
Very few people have the genetics to maintain a flat stomach or visible abs with ease - and for those who do achieve them through strict training or restriction, the cost can be high in time and energy invested, and lack of freedom. Striving for a flat stomach mostly benefits the compression-underwear industry, not your wellbeing! A relaxed, nourished belly is not a flaw.
7. WIDESPREAD USE OF Weight-loss drugs or “skinny jabs”
Once a medical intervention, the surge in accessibility of weight-loss injections for pretty much anyone pursuing aesthetic goals is normalising ‘skinny’ and the pursuit of ‘skinny’ in new and concerning ways.
These drugs are increasingly presented - and perceived - as lifestyle enhancers, rather than potent medications that require careful supervision and nutritional oversight.
The therapeutic benefits for some people are undeniable. But the potential side effects are significant and, when used without ensuring adequate nourishment or without addressing underlying eating patterns, emotional triggers or self-care foundations, they rarely bring long-term peace. Once ceased and appetite returns, many experience rebound hunger, renewed body image distress and chaotic eating.
8. “What I Eat in a Day” as normal entertainment
Scrolling countless food diaries on social media may seem harmless - inspiring even. But the content is often carefully curated, performative and filtered. It reinforces comparison and can distort what balanced eating actually looks like.
If watching others’ meals leaves you feeling inadequate, anxious or “off track” it may be time to unfollow and reconnect with your own intuition around food. Real nourishment happens offline!
9. Fear of processed foods
The word “processed” has become almost synonymous with “bad” over the past year - in part driven by influencers, fitness personalities such as Joe Wicks and food-bloggers who champion clean eating. While promoting cooking from scratch (where possible) and encouraging whole foods in our daily diets is positive, a side-effect is the growing intense suspicion of anything that comes in a packet or requires minimal cooking.
The reality is that most foods are processed to some degree and processed foods exist on a wide spectrum. Avoiding all packaged or convenience options can lead to rigidity around eating and unnecessary guilt about “inferior” choices. There is absolutely a place for convenience, flexibility and variety in a nourishing diet. Read my blog for more navigating the noise around processed foods here.
10. Frequent weighing and body-checking
Daily weigh-ins or body-checks can look like self-accountability, but they often mask body anxiety and self-surveillance. On social media, mirror check videos, transformation reels and “progress” photos are frequently shared in the name of ‘motivation’ or being ‘transparent’.
In reality, this kind of exposure keeps both the person posting and the viewer locked into body comparisons, tracking and constant vigilance around their appearance. When your mood for the day is determined by the scales or your reflection in the mirror, the behaviour is no longer providing neutral data -it’s become a barometer for self-worth. Step back and ask yourself: what is this habit really giving me? And would I scrutinise the body of someone I care about with this intensity?
MY CONCLUSIONS
2025 has been a challenging year for those trying to navigate food, health and body image. Each of these ten behaviours could appear harmless and might even be socially encouraged, yet all have the potential to erode a person’s sense of peace with food and their body. Together they form a pattern of disordered eating (meaning they may not always meet full diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder) but may still be distressing, harmful or perpetuate body-image dissatisfaction.
Being able to spot the subtle yet important line between disciplined and disordered really opens the door to awareness and early change. If you recognise yourself in these examples, do try to meet this with curiosity and compassion rather than shame.
As we move into 2026, I believe there is hope in the growing conversation around what real health and wellbeing actually are. A genuinely supportive relationship with food and body doesn’t come from high levels of self-control, but from education and nurturing flexibility and self-compassion in our approach to nourishment.
Take a nourishing step forward today
Are worries about food, weight or overeating draining your time, energy and peace of mind? Are you struggling with low mood, persistent food cravings, poor gut health or digestive challenges?
Old mindsets and habits can be hard to shift on your own. If you are looking to find peace with food and your body, and eat with more confidence and ease, I can help you.
Please check out my private programmes here, or book an exploratory chat to find out more.
