Episode Details

Today, I explore food rituals in eating disorders. These are often safety behaviours and can include things like: -

• Cutting food into teeny, tiny pieces and taking extremely small bites.

• Eating food types in a very specific order, with no food combining.

• Rearranging food items on the plate, so they do not touch.

• Tearing food apart and eating the different components.

• Chewing food for a specific number of bites.

• Meticulous weighing, measuring and calorie counting of every morsel.

• Eating at precise mealtimes, as the clock strikes the hour. Not one second before or after.

• Hiding food or throwing it away.

• Excessive seasoning of food or using bizarre concoctions of sauces.

• Drinking volumes of fluid before, during and after eating.

• Eating on child size plates and using little cutlery.

• Engaging in activity rituals to burn calories before or after eating.

• Having to clean the kitchen or visit the bathroom before eating, doing things in the ‘right’ order.

• Buying quantities of food to feel safety in its presence but never eating it, 

  rather filling the cupboards to overflow and hoarding.

I talk about different types of food rituals and how to change your relationship with them. I hope that you find it helpful.

🌐 If you're looking for more support in your recovery journey, you can explore my work here: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/

 💬 Have you used psychological formulation? What do you think about it as a tool?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Welcome to the official Podcast channel of Harriet Frew, The Eating Disorder Therapist.* This channel is dedicated to supporting you in finding peace with food, improving your relationship with eating, and overcoming disordered eating. My aim is to create a space that feels safe, informative, and encouraging, where recovery is not only possible, bu