But For Real Episode 28: The One About Eating Disorders + Body Image 🍽️
In a time where it feels like 2000s diet culture is back in full force, this week’s episode about eating disorders and body image is important now more than ever.
Whether you’re currently struggling with your body, have struggled in the past, love someone who struggles, or are just interested in a deep dive on these complex challenges, this episode is for you.
This episode covers:
Tea & Crumpets
Emerson is OBSESSED with Sabrina Carpenter’s new album Man’s Best Friend. The album cover has proven to be very controversial online, and Em has been pulled in by all the discourse. House Tour is her fave track and is a must listen.
Valerie is currently loving The Practice of Groundedness by Brad Stulberg. It’s a book a book that argues against the "hustle culture" by promoting a sustainable path to success through "groundedness," which emphasizes presence, non-linear progress, and long-term fulfillment over short-term gains — much needed in today’s world.
Step Into My Office: Do I have an eating disorder or is it just lifelong body shame?
A listener wrote in about how she has struggled with body image for as long as she can remember. Growing up in the 90s, diet culture has always been a mainstay in her life. She can’t figure out if it’s an ED or just lifelong body shame and wants help untangling what’s “normal” in our culture vs. what’s actually disordered.
Later in the episode Em and Val get into what eating disorders are and what diagnostic criteria looks like, but the main take home of their advice in this segment is that whether you’re struggling with a clinically diagnosable ED or not, it is possible to recover and heal from any level of disordered eating — regardless of diet culture noise.
The DSM: Eating Disorders, Disordered Eating, and Body Image
This segment starts with a bit of Eating Disorders 101. Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions characterized by persistent disturbances in eating behaviors and related thoughts/emotions. They aren’t “just about food” — they’re often about control, shame, self-worth, and coping.
Some relevant criteria (from our frenemy, the DSM-5):
Anorexia Nervosa: Restriction of energy intake → significantly low body weight, intense fear of gaining weight, disturbance in body image.
Bulimia Nervosa: Recurrent binge eating (large amounts of food with sense of lack of control) + compensatory behaviors (vomiting, laxatives, excessive exercise). Must occur 1x/week for 3 months.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED): Recurrent binge eating without compensatory behaviors. Associated with distress, eating rapidly, eating until uncomfortably full, eating when not hungry, eating alone due to shame.
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED): Symptoms cause distress but don’t meet full criteria — very common.
ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder): Limiting food intake due to sensory issues, fear of consequences (like choking), or lack of interest in eating — not about body image
After this overview, they get into some statistics, including that 30 million Americans will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime.
Next, Emerson explores the line between disordered eating and eating disorders. Disordered eating is defined as patterns of irregular eating behaviors that don’t meet full criteria for an eating disorder but still negatively affect physical and mental health.
Some examples of disordered eating:
Chronic dieting or “yo-yo dieting”
Skipping meals or restricting calories
Obsession with “clean eating” (sometimes called orthorexia)
Frequent guilt/shame after eating
Rigid rules around food or exercise
Using exercise primarily to “earn” or “burn off” calories.
Why It Matters:
Many people oscillate between disordered eating and diagnosable EDs across their lifetime.
Cultural normalization (“cheat meals,” “detoxes,” “fasting trends”) make disordered patterns acceptable
Some warning signs for disordered eating include:
Preoccupation with weight, food, calories, or exercise
Avoiding social situations involving food
Physical symptoms: dizziness, fainting, hair loss, GI issues, irregular periods
Emotional distress tied to food/body.
After this educational deep dive, Val and Emerson explore some educational frameworks to explore to unlearn disordered eating and negative body image including body positivity, body neutrality, intuitive eating, and Health At Every Size.
Our relationships with food and our bodies don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re shaped by our families, our culture, our generation, and all the messages we’ve absorbed along the way. If you’ve struggled, you’re not alone — you’re human, living in a society that profits off your insecurity. Healing isn’t about forcing yourself to love every inch of yourself; it’s about finding freedom from shame and learning to trust your body no matter your age, your size, or your history.
Now That’s What I Call…OKAAAAY
Em’s pick for the week is Fat Funny Friend by Maddie Zahm. The song went viral on TikTok in 2022 and explores Maddie’s relationship with food, body image, and how society has played a role.
Val’s pick is Ana’s Song by Silverchair. It’s a tearjerker of a song about the lead singer Daniel Johns’ struggle with anorexia.
Fire Dumpster Phoenix
Val’s find for this week is about a how man crossed 26 miles in a kayak made from mushrooms!
Emerson’s find for this week is about a dog’s wholesome last meal.
If you want to learn more about any (or all) of these topics, click the podcast player at the top of this post or the YouTube video down below to listen to the full episode and dive in with us.
Resources + Stuff Mentioned in This Episode:
Sabrina Carpenter’s new album
The Practice of Groundedness by Brad Stulberg
"Ana's Song" by Silverchair
"Fat Funny Friend" by Maddie Zahm
He crossed 26 miles in a kayak made from mushrooms – and lived to tell the tale
A dog’s wholesome last meal
Connect with Us:
Send a story or ask for advice: butforrealpod@gmail.com
But For Real on IG: @butforrealpod
The Gaia Center on IG: @thegaiacenter
Val on IG: @valkaymartin
The Gaia Center website: www.gaiacenter.co
DISCLAIMER: But For Real Podcast is not a substitute for individualized mental health treatment or healthcare. This podcast is solely for entertainment and educational purposes. If you are in crisis, please utilize crisis support services, such as the Crisis Text Line (Text START to 741741 in the US) or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: (Call 988 in the US), or visit www.findahelpline.com for international resources.
