Becoming a Vegetarian? Links With Eating Disorders

It's safe to say that becoming a vegetarian is a risk factor linked with developing an eating disorder, but is becoming a vegetarian more likely to cause an eating disorder? That's tricky.

Links Between Becoming a Vegetarian and Eating Disorders

Whoa, you say. Becoming a vegetarian is a healthy choice. How can it be a warning sign of a possible eating disorder? We have two reasons to think so -- logic and (a smattering of) research.

A hallmark of eating disorders is separating foods into "good" and "bad" categories. Vegetarianism gives a person with anorexia, for example, a handy reason to avoid eating an entire class of foods. Because meat and dairy products are often higher in calories and fats than fruits and vegetables, being a vegetarian fits right in with the goal of anorexia, which is losing weight at any cost.

Studies show a link as well. A small project quizzed 143 college women about their attitudes toward food. Of the 30 who said they were vegetarians, more than a third were found to be at risk for an eating disorder. (Compare that to overall national rates: With an estimated 10 million women nationwide struggling with an eating disorder -- and a population of around 300 million -- we can estimate that around 3% to 4% of women are affected.) Vegetarians were also more likely to weigh themselves several times a day, and more often reported a desire to purge food after eating.

Vegetarians vigorously challenge the one larger study attempting to show a link between vegetarianism and eating disorders. Of the 5,000 students surveyed for the study, those describing themselves as vegetarian were more likely to have eating disorders and a host of other problems. But critics point out that many of the "vegetarians" in the sample ate chicken and fish, avoiding only red meat. Those who avoided all meat did not seem to differ significantly from the rest of the sample population.

Is Vegetarianism the Chicken, the Egg, or Neither?

The question becomes whether being a vegetarian causes eating disorders in some, or whether it's just a sign of underlying eating disorders that are already there. The thought processes of disordered eating may come before vegetarian choices begin.

We can't know for sure until one or more solid, long-term studies track a large population to determine when attitudes toward food and body image change versus when disordered eating starts.

My Friend (or Child) Is Becoming a Vegetarian. Should I Worry?

If someone you know and love has decided to become a vegetarian, it doesn't necessarily mean that she's flirting with an eating disorder. Here are reasons that should raise concern:

• Becoming a vegetarian to lose weight. If your loved one instead cites ethical concerns or legitimate health reasons, there may be no problem with his choice.
• Unwillingness to replace meat with other nourishing foods. What about nuts, for example? Some foods are more filling and contain significant amounts of (not unhealthy) fat. If these foods are also off-limits, it could signal an underlying eating problem. To illustrate, consider the following quote from a bulletin board posting I spotted. This person had struggled with anorexia for 12 years, and then was considering becoming a vegan:

  I have struggled with anorexia for 12 years and been hospitalized numerous times. The only thing that has kept me from becoming a Vegan is that so many of the foods that Vegans eat (nuts, beans, lentils, etc.) are scary for me because they seem to have more calories and fats for the volume of food compared to lean meats, and lean fishes.

  This young woman's reasons for becoming a vegan were positive -- animal welfare and health benefits -- and she wanted to recover from anorexia. Were she to choose to become a "vegan" without eating beans, lentils, and so on, anorexia would be controlling her diet more than being a vegan would.
• "Slipping up" is a blow to self-esteem. Those with eating disorders link their self-worth to their food intake. A person should not think that she's "bad" for eating something outside the norm by mistake, or even on purpose.
• Eating choices create isolation. A daughter who refuses to eat at the table with the family, for example, may be isolating herself. Isolation is very common in eating disorders. You can actually take some comfort if your daughter chooses to eat with you and questions you for eating meat. This means that it's important to her as an issue that goes beyond herself.
• There are other symptoms of an eating disorder. Become familiar with eating disorder symptoms; you may be able to sleep better at night. At worst, you'll know more about when to take action.