{"id":526005,"date":"2026-06-30T15:19:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T15:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/526005\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T15:19:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T15:19:09","slug":"how-to-spot-the-subtle-signs-of-an-eating-disorder-in-your-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/526005\/","title":{"rendered":"How to spot the subtle signs of an eating disorder in your child"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eating disorders have obvious signs: Eating less, avoiding meals, cutting out whole food groups, becoming anxious about eating, or fear of weight gain.<\/p>\n

But these bigger red flags can be hidden behind subtler signs. We asked three experts to talk about behaviours that may signal an eating disorder in children, but which are often missed by parents and caregivers.<\/p>\n

Early signs indicating distress<\/p>\n

Anne Gaynor, clinical manager of the Eating Disorder Centre Cork, says an eating disorder is a mental health issue, and by the time a parent notices behaviours with food, the child\u2019s thinking has been in place for a long time.<\/p>\n

Gaynor says: \u201cDo pick up on comments they might make about their body, comparisons they might make, such as, \u2018Am I as thin as my friend?\u2019 Somebody who develops an eating disorder has an over-evaluation of their sense of self based on how they look. They might say, \u2018I don\u2019t want to wear that because I feel fat, ugly\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might be harmless, but watch how big an effect it has on them when they say this. Do they get really upset by it? Does their whole mood change?\u201d<\/p>\n

Emma Murphy, founder and CEO of Eating Freely and a psychotherapist specialising in disordered eating, says some children constantly body-check. \u201cOthers avoid their body completely. Both can be signs of body distress.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"EmmaEmma Murphy: Some children constantly check their body and others avoid their body. Both can be signs of a problem.<\/p>\n

Parents may notice mirror-checking, pinching of parts of the body, frequent weighing, asking for reassurance, comparing of bodies online, and avoidance of photos. \u201cThey may wear baggy clothes, hide their body, refuse to be seen changing, or become unusually distressed by clothes fitting differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Preoccupation with being \u2018fit and healthy\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gaynor urges parents to notice a child becoming rigid around food information. \u201cThey might [hear] that carbohydrates should be eaten in moderation. Most children will be able to assimilate that information, and think, \u2018Ah, but I still like my carbs\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut a proportion will have very black-and-white thinking. They\u2019ll interpret it as \u2018carbs are bad\u2019 and cut out a food group. A child who previously loved potatoes and bread is now saying, \u2018No, I don\u2019t like them\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murphy says when a child or teen fixates on the purity and quality of food \u2014 all their food needs to be organic or non-processed \u2014 they are giving themselves a rule-book that allows them to cut out a lot of food.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can present as being \u2018fit and healthy\u2019, but, underneath, the concern or intent is to control or lose weight. That\u2019s when it\u2019s disordered.\u201d<\/p>\n

A genuine interest in nutrition and healthy eating is not a problem, Murphy says. \u201cIt becomes concerning when food choices become rigid, cutting out whole food groups, only eating a small range of foods, and becoming socially isolated because of their food rules, like not wanting to go to other people\u2019s houses to eat, or socialise at events where food is included.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HarrietHarriet Parsons: Kids have many ways to hide that they’re not eating, but their behaviour is not deceptive, it is fearful<\/p>\n

Bodywhys CEO Harriet Parsons says when she hears a \u2018should\u2019, she always wonders what\u2019s behind it. She encourages parents to be similarly curious if they start hearing, \u2018I should eat that\u2019, or \u2018I shouldn\u2019t eat this\u2019, or, in relation to exercise, \u2018I should do it\u2019, or \u2018I can\u2019t not do it\u2019.<\/p>\n

Exercise becoming compulsive<\/p>\n

This can be missed as a symptom because exercise is usually framed as positive. Warning signs that it is compulsive include distress if they can\u2019t exercise, exercising despite illness or injury, exercising immediately after eating, needing to \u2018burn off\u2019 food, or becoming anxious on rest days. Parsons says: \u201cCan they rest, stop, or take a break without panic or guilt? It\u2019s about the intent and the rigidity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Masking and hiding<\/p>\n

The crust from their toast is on the plate, but the rest of the slice is in the bin. There\u2019s milk in the bottom of their bowl, but you can\u2019t recall them pouring in the cereal.<\/p>\n

\u201cBreakfast is often a meal that young people eat on their own; there\u2019s a lot of activity going on with the family trying to get out of the house,\u201d says Parsons, so a child\u2019s not eating can easily be missed.<\/p>\n

Maybe you notice your child pushing food around their plate and don\u2019t realise they\u2019re hiding high-calorie items under their salad. Parsons says parents underestimate the opportunities children have to hide food rather than eat it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re sitting down to dinner and you get up to [fetch] a glass of water. Kids can then hide food in pockets and up sleeves. Or the dog might be given more than just a scrap from the table,\u201d says Parsons, who urges parents not to view this behaviour as deceptive or manipulative, but to see it as fearful.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you only focus on the hiding of the food, the young person gets very defensive; lines of communication aren\u2019t kept open.\u201d<\/p>\n

Excuses for not eating<\/p>\n

Are you hearing a lot of, \u2018I ate at so-and-so\u2019s house\u2019, or \u2018I had something earlier before training\u2019, or \u2018I\u2019m not hungry\u2019?<\/p>\n

\u201cLots of excuses to avoid eating at home or eating with the family is not a red flag like dramatic weight loss, but it can be a less obvious sign,\u201d says Parsons.<\/p>\n

Gaynor says a parent might suddenly realise, \u2018I haven\u2019t seen her eat a meal here in a while\u2019, because they\u2019ve \u2018eaten at school\u2019, or are going to a friend\u2019s and \u2018will eat there\u2019. She says this is fine, if it is occasional. \u201cBut if your instinct is telling you something has changed and there may be a problem, trust that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boys are more easily overlooked<\/p>\n

The American Psychological Association reported in 2024 that males now comprise about one-third of eating disorder diagnoses, but noted that they have historically been excluded from research and overlooked in diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoys can go under the radar,\u201d says Murphy. With boys, she says, there can be an obsession with muscle or leanness. \u201cParents should watch for a boy becoming preoccupied with being too small, too soft, not muscular enough, not lean enough, or needing visible abs. He may spend lots of time checking his body in mirrors, comparing himself to influencers, measuring muscles, avoiding certain clothes, or becoming distressed if he misses training.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe he wants to lift weights all the time, or changes his sport and wants to go to the gym, or is spending excessive amounts of time in the gym.\u201d<\/p>\n

She says disordered eating is harder to spot in boys. \u201cIt may sound like: \u2018I\u2019m cutting\u2019, \u2018I\u2019m bulking\u2019, \u2018I need to get lean\u2019, \u2018I\u2019m only eating meat\u2019 or they\u2019re on a \u2018Keto\u2019 or \u2018Paleo \u2018diet. They may say, \u2018I need more protein\u2019, \u2018I\u2019m not eating carbs\u2019, or \u2018I\u2019m getting shredded\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Be concerned, says Murphy, if it becomes rigid, anxious, obsessive, secretive, or socially limiting.<\/p>\n

Bathroom behaviours after meals<\/p>\n

These include spending unnecessarily long periods in the bathroom after eating, flushing repeatedly, running taps or showers, using mouthwash or brushing teeth immediately after meals, or wanting privacy straight after eating.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese can be warning signs of purging behaviours,\u201d says Murphy, who cautions that one sign on its own doesn\u2019t mean a child is purging. \u201cBut if bathroom patterns change alongside food anxiety, secrecy, or weight and body preoccupation, parents should take it seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being dictated to by fitness trackers and wearable devices<\/p>\n

\u201cBe curious if they\u2019re getting too obsessed with wearables,\u201d says Gaynor. \u201cIf they\u2019re looking for certainty and getting caught up in numbers and \u2018definiteness\u2019 \u2014 like, \u2018I\u2019m not going to stop doing this exercise \u2019til my [tracker] tells me I\u2019ve burned so many calories\u2019 \u2014 do wonder about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

One subtle sign on its own may not necessarily be anything to worry about, say the experts, but if you notice a cluster of troubling behaviours, it might be time for a conversation with your child.<\/p>\n

Help is out there<\/p>\n

Here are some resources you may find useful if you are worried your child may be suffering from an eating disorder<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Eating disorders have obvious signs: Eating less, avoiding meals, cutting out whole food groups, becoming anxious about eating,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526006,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[20645,51540,89130,103,61,60,1786,756],"class_list":["post-526005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-parenting-school-children","tag-parenting-teens","tag-parenting-tweens","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-parenting","tag-parenting-advice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}