On Chronic Illness, Disordered Eating, and Wellness Culture
Collecting my thoughts on why a body in pain often leads us towards deprivation.
Hey Abbie,
I’d love to hear you talk about the connection between chronic illness and disordered eating. It seems like so many people who struggle with food also live with ongoing health conditions, but I almost never see anyone naming this overlap directly. Why is it so common? And if you’re open to it, could you share some examples from your own experience with chronic illness? I think it would help a lot of us feel less alone.
— Alicia
I’ve received a flavor of this question times over the years—and you’re right, it doesn’t get enough air time. The overlap between chronic illness and disordered eating is everywhere, woven through so many of our stories, and still it remains largely invisible in mainstream conversations about either health or recovery.
Part of the reason is that diet culture and ableism are both so normalized, so baked into the water we swim in, that we don’t always notice the ways they shape our choices—or prey on our vulnerabilities. When you’re living with a body that doesn’t behave in the ways our culture deems “normal,” it’s easy to get pulled into restrictive patterns that promise relief, control, or even a cure.
And yes—I’ll share some of my own story, because I know how lonely this can feel. Earlier this summer, I had one of the hardest months with one of my chronic illnesses (a pituitary autoimmune condition), and I found myself face-to-face with that very temptation: the glittering promises of wellness culture dressed up as healing.
But before I get to that, let’s talk about why this overlap is so common in the first place.