Why Your Eating Disorder Is Never Actually About Food

In this episode of Ask Kati Anything, licensed therapist Kati Morton breaks down why eating disorders are rarely actually about the food or your body. We look at what’s really happening behind the strict rules, rituals, and need for control, and how these behaviors often show up as survival mechanisms to protect us from deeper stress, trauma, and overwhelm. Whether you’re struggling with restrictive eating, binging, purging, orthorexia, or just feel completely exhausted by your relationship with food, this conversation is here to give you clarity, reduce the shame, and help you understand what your brain is actually trying to tell you.

REBOUND: visit www.hellorebound.com/askkatianything & check your insurance or get matched with a therapistONESKIN: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code KATI at www.oneskin.co/KATI

00:00 - Why eating disorders aren't actually about food

00:40 - Pica: Eating non-food items & nutrient deficiencies

05:41 - ARFID: Sensory food avoidance without body dysmorphia

11:13 - Rumination Disorder: Regurgitation & unspoken shame

14:13 - Anorexia Nervosa: Energy restriction & body checking

17:16 - Bulimia Nervosa: Binging, purging & compensatory rules

20:59 - Binge Eating Disorder: Rapid eating, guilt & secrecy

23:56 - Orthorexia: When clean eating & rules run your life

30:43 - Why eating disorders are actually survival mechanisms

49:35 - How loved ones can offer support without triggering shame