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Last updated on March 4th, 2024 at 03:04 am
Food restriction is when we reduce, eliminate, or moderate our food choices without medical necessity. Diet culture tells us that many food behaviors that we have are “normal” when in fact they are highly restrictive.
You might be restricting food if you are:
- Clean eating
- Counting calories
- Intermittent fasting
- Cutting out carbs
- Using diet pills
It is important to know that just because a food trend is popular, does not mean it is not restrictive.
Let’s dig into some of the most common food restrictions, when food restriction becomes more problematic, and how to truly eat freely.
What is Considered Restricted Eating
Restricted eating occurs any time you create food rules, fear foods, or create ritualistic behaviors around eating. Here are some of the most common food restriction practices and what makes them “restriction” and not just dietary habits.
It’s important to know that even if you are not physically restricting the food, thinking you should restrict food is still problematic.
As a good rule of thumb, if how you feel about food comes with the phrase:
- Good
- Bad
- Healthy
- Unhealthy
- In Moderation
It is in fact a food restriction. Food restriction is taking place even if you physically eat the food but are mentally feeling guilty about that food.
Clean eating
What is it:
If you are clean eating you might be:
- Avoiding processed foods
- Only eating organic
- Avoiding GMOs
- Not eating “junk” foods
Why Is Clean Eating Restrictive:
Many foods that are not considered “clean” are also packed with vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients. They are also common foods in Western culture. Cutting these out can make us want them more and could leave us nutrient deficient.

Cutting Carbs
What is it:
If you cut carbs you typically avoid foods like:
- Bread
- Pastas
- Rice
You might even separate carbs into “good” and “bad” carbs and base your food decisions on that.
Why Is Cutting Carbs Restrictive:
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for our bodies and brains. Cutting carbs can not only make us crave carbohydrates intensely. Low carbohydrate intake will also leave you feeling sluggish, getting headaches, and unable to concentrate.
Calorie Counting
What is it:
Calorie counting consists of:
- Monitoring total calories for the day
- Seeking out zero or low-calorie foods
- Setting limits for calories per day
- Setting limits for calories per meal
Why Is Calorie Counting Restrictive:
Any time we set limits on calories we can have per day or meal we are restricting the body’s natural ability to navigate hunger.
Counting calories can make it so that we can’t stop thinking about food as a result of the restriction.
Intermittent Fasting
What is it:
Intermittent fasting is when you have regulations about when you’re allowed to start and stop eating. Intermittent fasting can look like:
- Not starting eating until a certain time (for example 12 p.m.)
- Stopping Eating at a certain time (for example 5 p.m.)
- Fasting completely for a 24-hour time period once a week
- Fasting after a cheat day
There are other variations to intermittent fasting schedules as well. Intermittent fasting often leads to night time binging as not enough food is eaten throughout the day.
Why Is Intermittent Fasting Restrictive:
Any time you deny the body food when it is experiencing any type of hunger you are practicing food restriction.
Excessive Exercise
What is it:
Excessive exercise includes exercise where you are not meeting the demands of the activity by eating enough food.
Excessive exercise can include:
- Restricting food until a certain level of exercise is met
- Exercising without proper pre and post-meals or snacks
- Pro Ana workouts
Why Is Excessive Exercise Restrictive:
Excessive exercise puts your body into an energy deficit. This can make you feel sluggish, have poor concentration, or experience low blood sugar.
Macronutrient Counting
What is it:
Macronutrient counting is when you only allow a certain amount of your calories for the following macronutrient groups:
- Protein
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
Why Is Macronutrient Counting Restrictive:
Macronutrient counting is restrictive because it does not allow our body to intuitively make food decisions. It also typically involves calorie counting which is also a form of food restriction.
Not Eating Sugar
What is it:
Do you feel like you’re not physically hungry but craving sweet foods?
If you are restricting sugar, you are probably doing one or more of the following:
- Avoiding foods with added sugars
- Cutting out candies and sweet treats
- Avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages
Why Is Not Eating Sugar Restrictive:
Sugar is a carbohydrate, which is the body’s primary source of energy. While we can get carbohydrates in other forms that do not include simple sugars, restricting simple sugars will cause us to intensely crave these foods.
Food Restriction Vs. Food Allergies
Restricting food is not the same as a food allergy. If you have a food allergy or food intolerance it is medically necessary for you to restrict the foods because your body is unable to appropriately digest these foods.
Common food allergies and intolerances include:
- Celiac disease
- Lactose intolerance
- Nut allergies
- Shellfish allergies
There are many more food allergies that will be unique to each person. People with food allergies and intolerances need to speak with their doctor to see if it is appropriate to ever include these foods in their diet.
Food restriction unlike food allergies is not associated with any medical condition.
Why Does Food Restriction Happen
Food restriction can be the result of:
- Fear of gaining weight and fatphobia
- Thin privilege
- Food shaming
- Food Rules
- Binging and then restricting
- Diet Culture
- Feeling Fat
- Body dysmorphia
- Biased BMI standards
We are often taught negative messages about food and our bodies from a very young age. This can cause us to want to restrict foods to either shrink our bodies or uphold a moral standard.
If you’re looking to truly stop restricting food, this may involve grieving the thin ideal.
We often get the message that our internal worth and value are tied to the types of foods we eat. This can lead us to want to restrict foods others may deem as bad or unhealthy.
Why Is Restricting My Food Bad
When you restrict your food, it can lead to guilt, shame, anxiety, depression, and malnutrition.
While some people. Having restrictive practices around food can lead to weight loss which is often short-lived.
The result of food restriction commonly includes:
- Weight loss rebound is greater than the amount of weight loss
- Female athlete triad for those who are athletes
- Extreme hunger
- Low mood from low energy intake
- Disordered eating or an eating disorder
Is Restricting Food A Disorder
Restricting food itself is not an eating disorder. However, it is the number one predictor of developing an eating disorder.
Restricting food becomes an eating disorder when:
- Thinking about food begins to disrupt our day-to-day activities
- You cut calories to a dangerously low level
- Our exercise far surpasses our level of caloric intake
- You have dramatic weight loss (though this is not always the case)
- You feel tremendous guilt and shame around eating
- You isolate yourself and your restriction of food begins to impact relationships
- You’ve lost your period
Restricting your food is one of the major warning signs of an eating disorder, but having some restrictive practices does not necessarily mean you have an eating disorder.
Some examples of eating disorders that food restriction can lead to include:
- Anorexia
- Atypical Anorexia
- Orthorexia
- Binge Eating Disorder
- Other specified feeding and eating disorders (OSFED)
How To Stop Food Restriction
Here are some ways to make peace with food and stop restricting for good:
- Practice intuitive eating
- Honor all types of hunger
- Respect your body by nourishing it with all foods
- Practice food neutrality
- Journal using body-positive journal prompts about your experiences
- Keep a list of positive body affirmations
Not sure if you are restricting your food? Take the food freedom quiz. You can also check out these books on body trust to help you heal your relationship with food.
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