What are Food Rituals, and How Do I Know if I Have Them?

Do you have your morning coffee the same way every day, or never eat the crust of a sandwich? These are food rituals, but they don’t technically mean you have a problem with food.

Read on for:

• What food rituals are
• Common disordered eating habits
• How food rituals could signal or evolve into an eating disorder

What are food rituals?

Food rituals are compulsive behaviors concerning food, ones that cause a person anxiety if they cannot use them. These behaviors might also create a sense of control over food or the sense that they’re eating the “right way.”

Common examples of disordered food rituals include:

• Eating at very specific times
• Weighing food
• Not eating food prepared by someone else
• Not eating food unless you know exactly what’s in it
• Taking sips of water between every bite
• Chewing food a specific number of times
• Eating very slowly or very quickly
• Never completely finishing a meal or snack; always leaving something on your plate
• Cutting food into very small pieces
• Pulling apart food
• Mixing food together in an abnormal way
• Never allowing food to touch other foods on your plate
• Using only specific plates, bowls, or silverware
• Not eating with hands, even when it makes sense to (e.g. cutting up pizza and eating it with a fork)
• Using abnormal condiment/seasoning combinations (e.g. carrots and mustard) to stimulate the senses
• Avoidance of certain good textures/consistencies (e.g. only eating soft foods)
• Never having liquid calories
• Eating food in a certain order (e.g. needing to eat something savory or “healthy” before having something sweet)
• Cutting out entire food groups
• Always modifying orders to cut down on calories or “be more healthy,” even when you want to have the item that’s listed on the menu (e.g. only drinking sugar-free lattes)
• Eating only with other people, or only eating alone
• Only eating while doing a specific activity (e.g. needing to watch TV while eating)
• Never eating on the go; needing to sit down and slowly put a meal or snack together
• Needing to carefully consider food; being unable to quickly choose and eat something
• Never eating out or getting takeout
• Compulsively calculating the amount of calories you eat in a day
• Only eating food that’s at a certain temperature
• Slowly choosing foods to binge on

If I have food rituals, do I have an eating disorder?

Given today’s diet-centric “healthy living” movement, it can be hard to tell whether you have disordered eating. As an example, many people are into intermittent fasting, the diet where you restrict the number of hours you allow yourself to eat. This can be or turn into a disordered food ritual. But, since so many sources recommend it, you might not recognize how dysfunctional this relationship to food could be for you.

You may have disordered food rituals if:

• You get anxious if you can’t do them
• It’s hard for you to be spontaneous around food
• Your food habits seem really odd to others
• You food habits are becoming expensive to keep up with (e.g. paying for expensive sugar-free ingredients if you don’t need to and can’t really afford to)
• The way you eat requires you to go out of your way regularly (e.g. having to go to a separate restaurant to get your own food)
• You eating makes you feel isolated or like you’re missing out on important events
• You feel like you’re restricting yourself

Food rituals can stem from sensory issues (especially for individuals with autism). They can also be due to food intolerances, severe allergies, or OCD. But, these rituals are also common in most people with eating disorders, and especially those who suffer from Orthorexia Nervosa, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, and individuals with comorbid OCD.

What should I do if I think I have an eating disorder?

If you show other signs of an eating disorder, or have no other explanation for your food rituals, then you may be struggling with an eating disorder. If this is you, talk to someone about getting help. An eating disorder professional can help you break your disordered eating habits with exposure therapy.

While food rituals might not seem harmful now, they keep you from living an unrestricted, free life.