Which statement below best describes disordered eating?

• A. Disordered eating involves the same behaviors as eating disorders, but they occur more infrequently.
• B. Disordered eating is unhealthy behavior around food or eating outside of what is considered normal variation.
• C. Disordered eating includes a subset of eating disorders that do not involve purging or meal avoidance.
• D. Disordered eating is clinically diagnosed unhealthy eating behavior that is not considered dangerous.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of disordered eating. Disordered eating refers to a range of irregular eating behaviors that may not warrant a diagnosis of a specific eating disorder but are still considered unhealthy.
2. Step 2: Compare disordered eating to eating disorders. Eating disorders are clinically diagnosed conditions such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, whereas disordered eating involves behaviors that are less frequent or severe but still deviate from normal eating patterns.
3. Step 3: Analyze the provided statements. Evaluate each statement to determine which one aligns most closely with the definition of disordered eating as unhealthy behavior around food or eating outside of normal variation.
4. Step 4: Eliminate incorrect options. For example, disordered eating is not necessarily clinically diagnosed, nor does it always include behaviors like purging or meal avoidance.
5. Step 5: Select the correct statement. Based on the definition, the statement that best describes disordered eating is: 'Disordered eating is unhealthy behavior around food or eating outside of what is considered normal variation.'