About eating disorders

Eleven million people in the United States struggle with eating disorders. You may know someone who has signs of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder.  Many others engage in disordered eating, due to negative self-image and an overwhelming desire to be thinner, and may be at risk for developing an eating disorder.

Facts

• A healthy meal plan consists of three balanced meals and two to three snacks daily from the food groups on the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) food guide pyramid.
• No single food can supply all the nutrients you need.
• Fat, carbohydrates and protein are nutrients that perform many necessary functions in your body — you cannot live without them.
• A minimum of 15 percent to 20 percent of your overall calories should come from fat.
• Gaining weight and fat is a normal part of development.
• People come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
• Sociocultural influences put intense pressure on us to be thin. Our society has a prejudice against people perceived as “fat.”

Statistics

• Eighty percent of women are unhappy with their appearance.
• The average American woman is 5’4” and weighs 140 pounds. The “ideal” woman portrayed in the media is 5’11” and weighs 117 pounds.
• Most eating disorders begin with a weight-loss diet. Thirty-five percent of “normal dieters” progress to unhealthy dieting. Of those, 20 percent to 25 percent progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders.
• Experts estimate that 10 million females and 1 million males in the United States have an eating disorder. An estimated 5 percent of those with eating disorders die as a direct result of the eating disorder.

Read about causes of eating disorders.

Find out about common myths.

Find out about eating disorders and diabetes.