Adolescence is one of the highest-risk periods for the development of eating disorders. Around 2.7% of teenagers experience an eating disorder, with significantly higher cumulative risk by early adulthood. This is not coincidental. Puberty, identity formation, increased social comparison, and exposure to diet culture—particularly through social media—create a context where food becomes more than nutrition; it becomes control, identity, and self-worth.
Many of the “diets” currently trending among teenagers are not just ineffective—they actively increase the risk of disordered eating patterns. Understanding what these look like is a critical first step in prevention.
Seemingly harmless behaviour can quickly shift into risky territory:
1. “Ice & gum” appetite suppression
Patterns such as chewing gum, drinking excessive water, or replacing meals with low-calorie distractions may appear trivial. In reality, they teach young people to override hunger cues. This often leads to rebound overeating and disconnection from internal regulation.
2. Skipping meals (or unstructured fasting)
Restricting food intake is a defining feature of several eating disorders. What begins as “discipline” can evolve into rigid rules about when and how much to eat—one of the core mechanisms that maintains eating disorders.
3. Social media “miracle diets”
Short-form content promoting extreme approaches—juice cleanses, single-food diets, or detox trends—encourages rapid restriction without context. Research shows that engaging with popular diets is associated with increased eating disorder risk and severity, particularly when multiple diets are followed. [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
4. Cutting entire food groups (e.g. carbohydrates or fats)
Rigid “good vs bad food” thinking reinforces all-or-nothing patterns. When young people internalise strict rules (e.g. “carbs are bad”), it creates the kind of inflexible eating style strongly linked to disordered eating development.
5. Obsessing over weight and the scale
Focusing exclusively on weight ignores growth, development, and body composition. During adolescence, this can reinforce body dissatisfaction – one of the strongest short-term predictors of disordered eating behaviour. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
The Onset
Eating disorders rarely start as disorders. They begin as dieting, control, or attempts to “be slimmer” or “healthier.” The shift happens because:
- Biological: Risks during puberty are amplified (hormonal and neurological changes increase emotional sensitivity and body awareness)
- Mechanical: Restriction disrupts the body physically, leading to fatigue, hormonal imbalance, and cognitive effects
- Psychological: We attempt to control the body when we subjectively lack control over our surroundings. Control over food becomes a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety, or identity struggles.
The more rigid and restrictive the behaviour, the more likely it is to persist and escalate.
Exit: Diets; Enter: Lifestyle
Diets are a solution to a problem, originally – a medical one. Healthy people do not need diets and keeping a healthy lifestyle is the best prevention.
One of the most powerful protective factors is how food is talked about at home.
A critical example is dietary fat. Many teenagers equate the macronutrient “fats” with “getting fat,” leading to unnecessary restriction. This belief is not only inaccurate but harmful.
Fats are essential for:
- Brain function and learning
- Hormone production (including those regulating mood and development)
- Absorption of key vitamins
- Satiety and appetite regulation
Removing fats – and other macronutrients—does not improve health. It often destabilises it.
A useful reframe for young people:
“Food is not something to control your body with – it is what allows your body and mind to function.”
Do not eat healthily; Live healthily
In contrast to restrictive patterns, healthy behaviour in adolescence tends to be simple, flexible, and non-obsessive:
- Regular meals that stabilise energy and mood
- Adequate sleep (one of the most underrated protective factors)
- Short power naps rather than reliance on stimulants
- Movement for enjoyment, not punishment
- Balanced digital habits, including breaks from comparison-heavy content
Even small habits—such as encouraging hydration or a 20-minute rest over energy drinks—help reinforce a body-based, rather than appearance-based, relationship with health.
Early signs are often subtle:
- Increasing rigidity around food (rules, restrictions, “safe foods”)
- Skipping meals or replacing them with low-calorie alternatives
- Heightened focus on weight, body shape, or comparison
- Mood changes linked to eating patterns
In conclusion, diet culture encourages teenagers to override their biology in the name of control. Eating disorders, by contrast, often begin with that exact same mindset.
The most protective message you can offer is not about “healthy eating” in a narrow sense—it is about flexibility, balance, and function:
Food is not the enemy. Restriction is.