It seems like today you can’t go anywhere without having a desire for a healthy eating lifestyle clashing with cultural norms, social interaction, or even our desire for autonomy.  I’m sure you’ve heard it before but we are living in the “fast food era” where we want everything now and desire to have everything happen for us at our fingertips.  We, as Americans, often struggle with the idea that we want to eat healthy, we want to enjoy our friendships, and we want to save money… times are not as easy as they once were but still many people view food as the key component of celebrations, gatherings, family tradition, and even just simple connection.  Food seems everywhere and everywhere seems to have possibilities that are open to us.  In the American Heart Association’s article “Too much of a food thing”, Merschel emphasizes that “even shopping for basic foods can be a reminder of how much things have changed” from earlier years explaining that a modern shopper picking up an apple and wonder where the apple came from unlike years prior where the question of the shopper would have been “how much” or “what can I make with it”.  

I am no different.  Of course, I have wondered where the food surrounding me was coming from.  When I was growing up there was food everywhere and I was often embarrassed to invite friends over.  There would always be food in the kitchen and the pantry but we literally had, what some would call a bedroom, set up for non-perishable foods that my parents often treated much like a storefront.  They would buy more; they would put the new to the back of the items; they would rotate the items.  My parents even designated one day a week (Wednesdays) to go shopping together.  They literally made a day of it, they would go to lunch, go to shop, go to pick us up from school, go home with the food, put it all away, and start again the very next week.  So, when I say that when I was growing up, there was food everywhere, I truly mean it.  Now, this is important and has been important for me because while Winnie the Pooh’s relationship with food – especially honey (or how the story would affectionately label “hunny”) – is central to his character development, food was also a central component in my home while growing up.  

WHAT IS AN EATING DISORDER?

Eating disorders are characterized by persistent, unhealthy eating patterns and behaviors.  It’s not just about food – it’s about the way that people feel about the food.  It’s about how people see themselves in charge of the food and what they want to accomplish with the food.  Let’s use a common example… I was tired the other night and haven’t been feeling exceptionally well.  I looked in the fridge, the pantry cabinet, and even around the kitchen.  I decided that there were plenty of items in the kitchen to prepare.  I had two options:  (1) prepare the food and (2) go pick something up.  I did not want to leave the house and I certainly didn’t want to cook.  I looked around once more and settled on eating chips with salsa.  Done?  Of course not, because my thoughts then turned to the way that my body feels, how it would affect my blood sugars, and even how I would look if I ate chips every meal for the next year.  But this is how it works, isn’t it?  You have a distressing behavior around food (maybe you binge or purge or even restrict), you then have a distorted image (gaining weight), and then you experience emotional distress (such as a low self esteem and thoughts that you “can’t do anything right”).  But is this the only type of issue with food that people encounter?  Certainly not!  According to the DSM-5, an Eating Disorder is a severe, persistent disturbance in our eating patterns and is accompanied by distress in psychological and social functioning.  Still, some people become so fixated on their weight loss, their body shape, the weight of their body, and controlling their food intake that they often pay no mind to their own nutritional intake.  

TYPES OF EATING DISORDERS

It is said that almost 5% of people will encounter some form of eating disorder, most often in young adulthood and teenage years.  According to the American Psychiatric Association “Eating disorders affect several million people at any given time, most often women between the ages of 12 and 35.”  The APA elaborates by saying that eating disorders often co-occur with other psychiatric disorders, including mood and anxiety disorders, mood disorders, alcohol use, and other substance use disorders.  Some people struggle with Anorexia, Bulimia, Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake, Pica, Overeating, and even Rumination Disorder.  

ANOREXIA NERVOSA

Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by self-starvation and weight loss resulting in low weight for height and age.  They often eat small amounts of low-calorie foods and exercise excessively.  There are two types:  

1. Restricting Type – people restrict their food intake by dieting, fasting, or exercising to control their weight.  
2. Binge-Eating / Purging Type – People often engage in binging/purging behaviors.  

Symptoms of this disorder include dizziness, brittle hair/nails, muscle weakness, heartburn (for those who vomit), stress fractures from over-exercising, depression, irritability, anxiety, poor concentration, menstrual cessation, and exhaustion.

BULIMIA NERVOSA

People with Bulimia Nervosa commonly alternate between eating only low-calorie “safe foods” and binge eating on high-calorie foods that they believe to be “forbidden foods”.  People are commonly secretive in nature and often feel shame and embarrassment after their binges.  People often consume large amounts of food in a short period of time and often until they feel sick.  People with Bulimia Nervosa can be underweight, normal weight, overweight, or even obese.  If they are significantly underweight, the person would be diagnosed as Anorexia Nervosa with Binge Eating/Purging type.  Possible signs that someone may have Bulimia Nervosa include:  

1. Frequent Trips to the bathroom
2. Cheeks Swelling
3. Chronic Sore Throat
4. Dental Decay
5. Dizziness
6. Diarrhea that is Unexplained
7. Fainting
8. Heartburn 
9. Laxative or Diet Pill Misuse
10. Misuse of Diuretics (Water Pills)

AVOIDANT RESTRICTIVE FOOD INTAKE

This is an eating disorder that involves a disruption in a person’s eating behaviors that results in a failure to meet the person’s nutritional needs.  Often it is the result of “picky eating”, as it has been called for years.  It is often linked to a low appetite or an extremely low interest in food and trying new foods.  It often brings about anxiety that the person encounters such as choking, nausea, vomiting, constipation or even allergic reactions to the new food.  This food aversion often comes after the person encounters a negative event (i.e. choking, food poisoning, etc) with newer foods.  Treatment usually involves a treatment plan, which almost always includes a therapist, a registered dietician, and a primary care physician.

BINGE EATING DISORDER

This eating disorder is often thought to be similar to bulimia nervosa where the person binges on a large amount of food but is different in that there is little to no purging.  The diagnosis of a binge eating disorder often requires frequent binges (at least one per week over a period of three months) and is associated with three or more of the following:

• Eating more rapidly than normal.
• Eating until the person is uncomfortably full.
• Eating alone because of feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating.
• Eating large amounts of food when not feeling the hunger to do so.
• Feeling disgust, shame, guilt, or even depression after a binge.

RUMINATING DISORDER

This eating disorder is one where the person regurgitates and then re-chews their food.  So, the person will eat their food and then bring it back up into their mouth just to rechew it and reswallow it.  Unlike many of the other eating disorders, this eating disorder can occur at various times in the person’s life span, including: infancy, childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, adulthood, and even in geriatrics.  

PICA

This is also considered an eating disorder but is not always a familiar one.  Pica is an eating disorder that lasts over a month in duration and where the person repeatedly eats things that are not food and always have no nutritional value.  Typical substances include paper, paint, soap, cloth, hair, string, pebbles, clay, and others.  The behavior is not developmentally appropriate so it would not include a child eating sand out of their sandbox but more like the mother bringing their child to the sandbox so that they can eat some sand.  

NIGHT EATING SYNDROME

This eating disorder involves a combination of eating during nighttime hours and having disturbances in the person’s patterns of sleep.  People who fall into this category, often consume most of their daily caloric intake during nighttime hours and feel unable to sleep without overindulging in foods before laying down to go to sleep.  Unlike those who struggle with sleep-related eating disorders, people with NES are fully awake and aware of this type of eating style.  While the causation for this type of eating disorder is yet to be fully understood, it is believed that people who struggle with NES struggle with their circadian rhythm thus leading to hormonal imbalances in the person.  

WINNIE THE POOH LOVES HIS HUNNY

I sure wish we all had better experiences with food.  I mean, isn’t the “willy, nilly, silly old bear” one that truly loves his compulsive act of eating?  Isn’t he just enjoying a snack?  Or a meal?  I mean, just his statements about food alone sure show us how he loves his hunny pot.  I mean, this bear doesn’t just love his food but also revels in his enjoyment of foods, sharing of foods, and even his need for “a smackerel or something” at all various times of the night.  Some of his most famous lines even have to do with food… “I wasn’t going to eat it… I was just going to taste it” or even “What could be more important than a little something to eat?”  So, if that doesn’t illustrate this bear’s pure love for food, I don’t know what will. However, some other loving quotes taken straight from the Winnie the Pooh character include:

• “When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “What’s the first thing you say to yourself?” “What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. 

• “Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called”. 

• “It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like ‘What about lunch?'” 

REASONS WINNIE THE POOH LOVES HIS HUNNY

There are surely different types of eating disorders, but who would have thought that Winnie the Pooh struggled with one himself?  I mean, he hides and stockpiles his honey to eat later in secret as well as continuously throughout the day.  He has no planned mealtimes.  He eats regularly and does not find an activity worthy if he does not have some of his honey tagging along with him, either physically or in thought, which leads to Pooh’s problems with obesity.  In fact, D’Shonda Brown, who wrote “Winnie the Pooh: Tales of an Eating Disorder”, explains that “A conspicuous cause for Winnie the Pooh’s eating disorder would be his loneliness and vie for constant companionship. When he is not with his other fictional friends, he is eating to his heart’s desire, attempting to fill the void caused by the absence of attention from others. Due to his inability to stop eating honey, and eating even when full, binge eating symptoms  clearly arise. Another psychological cause for the pudgy Pooh bear’s compulsive overeating disorder would be body dissatisfaction; because of his  obesity, he is incapable of performing the simplest of tasks, such as running for long periods of time when playing tag with his friends or reaching for honey high up in a tree.”  So, while Pooh’s relationship is a central component of his character and his overall character development, it’s more than just a bear liking a snack.  It’s childlike; comforting; symbolic – the “hunny” symbolizes what pooh could see as his innocence (much like how a child likes chocolate and wants it when they see it); it’s friendship (he is always inviting his friends to enjoy his “hunny” with him); it’s even a pure indulgence (allowing himself to frequently partake in the “hunny”).  Other possible reasons why Winnie the Pooh loves his “hunny” include:

The Comfort that only his “hunny” can bring…

Food providing comfort is surely not a new thing.  It includes memories of what our mother and their mothers before all brought to our families in means of tradition and culture and often includes our favorite snacks, desserts, and meals.  My biggest comfort food is the Swedish Pancake.  Swedish Pancakes were a staple in my family while growing up and now that I have children of my own, I often prepare this enticing and albeit comforting breakfast dish to my children over the weekends.  Think back for yourself and ask yourself what stands out for you.  Is it a certain type of cookie that you would smell while playing outside with your neighborhood friends?  Is it a homemade pizza with the homemade crust your grandmother would make for Friday nights when you and all of your cousins would stay at her home?  Is it macaroni and cheese with fried chicken, a stew, a casserole, or even a certain type of lasagna?  No matter what provides you comfort in the means of your food choices, the idea of “comfort food” comes from the pure release of stress and sadness people get from eating these foods.  Much like Winnie the Pooh who indulges in his “hunny” as a way to not only provide himself with calories but also to provide himself with comfort.

In fact, LifeSpring Home Nutrition explains “People often gain happiness and enjoyment from eating what is often called “comfort food.” Comforting meals may include familiar childhood foods, traditional ethnic dishes, or favorite snacks.”  LifeSpring Home Nutrition also explains that the idea of a “comfort food” is defined as “any food that improves mood or helps people feel a sense of calm, peace, and familiarity.”  What better to explain a comfort food as Winnie the Pooh’s relationship with his “hunny”.  

The Symbolism of Friendship and Generosity…

Winnie the Pooh’s love for his “hunny” can be seen as the innocent, uncomplicated joy that comes from him offering his friends and himself something that he could enjoy.  Perhaps a simple pleasure that he could not resist the temptation of and therefore gets stuck in Rabbit’s doorway, risking danger in the beehive to attain his perfect snack, and even having a social staple that he found in the Hundred Acre Wood.  Pooh offers his “hunny” to his friends, shares it with them, and even makes his “hunny” a common staple that each of us have grown to love.  Despite his cravings, and in lieu of him often not being able to resist eating all of it, Winnie the Pooh often shows that his friends mean more to him then even his “hunny” means to him.

The Simple Pleasure that comes from his “hunny”…

Good food provides a sense of pleasure for most of us.  We all have that one dish like I explained previously and that one dish provides us with what food scientists have labeled our “bliss point,” you know, the perfect point between fat, salt, sugar, and craving.  It’s the point we feel most satisfied and satiated.  It’s what food scientists, bakers, and chefs consider the “perfect” thing that our food can include and people often experiment for hours on what it takes to have this for their eaters, like us.  While there is nothing “inherently wrong with enjoying the pleasure that comes from eating tasty food,” the key is to enjoy foods in moderation.  

TYPES OF EATING HABITS PEOPLE DEEM “NORMAL”

Truth be told, there are many types of eating habits that people consider “normal”, either through their culture, their lifestyle, and even their personal preferences.  More common ways of eating include three meals a day (where a person eats breakfast, lunch and dinner at pretty consistent times and often adding in light snacks throughout the day), grazing (eating 6 meals or snacks throughout the day and often used by people with high metabolism, strong fitness goals, and even those who have concerns about their blood sugars), intuitive eating (where people eat based on how hungry they are), mindful eating (where the person focuses on eating and recognizing their hunger and fullness cues), time-restricted eating (you know, where the person has an eating window like 12pm to 8pm and is often referred to as “intermittent fasting”), and even clean eating (where the person focuses on eating whole foods and is not very rigid or obsessive about their eating patterns).  No matter the eating style that a person incorporates, the person often needs to be flexible, think about when they feel satisfied, eat balanced meals, and respond to their hunger/fullness cues.

15 QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD YOU ASK YOURSELF BEFORE SEEING A THERAPIST…

Now I am in no means a nutritionist, a doctor, or even a Registered Dietician.  So, before I say this next part, please understand that I am a mere therapist who has only done my share of research since being diagnosed with Diabetes.  But if someone were to walk into my office (virtually or literally in-person), I would ask them these questions:

1. What are your thoughts on food?
2. What are your feelings about food?
3. Do you feel guilt, shame, anxiety, depression, or any strong emotion after eating?
4. Do you worry about calories and have a certain set of food rules?
5. Do you think of food as “safe foods” and “problem foods”?
6. What are your eating patterns?
7. Do you eat when you are not hungry or only when you are hungry?
8. Does the topic of food take up a lot of your time and mental space?
9. Do you avoid social situations because of food?
10. Do you ever try to “undo” the calories you have eaten by excessively exercising, skipping meals, vomiting, using laxatives, or by weighing yourself to prove you can “undo”?
11. Do you ever weigh your worth based on what the scale says?
12. Have there been any physical changes in your weight, fatigue, stomach issues, or even menstruation?
13. Do you believe your worth is tied to your appearance?
14. Are you preoccupied with changing your shape or body type?
15. Do you feel “out of control” when it comes to certain foods?

HOW CAN A THERAPIST HELP YOU?

Therapists at Fresno Family Therapy can play a transformative role in helping you regain your sense of power and self-worth back by creating safe, judgment-free spaces where you are not shamed or guilted with your secrets but rather given safe spaces where you can explore your feelings surrounding food.  It is important to feel heard and accepted so that you can rebuild your true sense of trust in yourself.  You will need to do some very hard work, like ask yourself what is behind your issues with food, and find the WHY for your issues with food but, like I always tell my clients, you must understand why something exists before you can understand how to change it.  It’s time.  You’re worth it.  You are important enough to unpack and reclaim your autonomy over your body and your choices.  With therapy you can reconnect with your body’s hunger signals, fullness signals, and even your own needs.  With therapy you can challenge your rigid food rules and often more rigid beliefs surrounding foods.  With therapy you can practice intuitive and mindful eating in a way that works for you!  And you can do each of these without shame, guilt, and anxiety that someone will judge you…. Because even though we can’t promise the work won’t bring anxiety, we can promise that no therapist will judge, shame, or guilt you.  

So, if you think you may be struggling with issues related to your eating, please reach out to Fresno Family Therapy today!  Therapists, here at Fresno Family Therapy, are trained to help guide you through our structured, evidence-based methods that not only help you find coping strategies to help with your most perplexing symptoms but also will help you gain the insight you need for this diagnosis and your possible symptoms.  Call us today!

Please Note:  This article is for informational purposes only and should not be used as more than one simple way to share what “My diagnosis means what?!” means for our readers.  This article is a part of a series to help us all see and understand what our diagnosis is or means or what our loved one’s diagnosis is and means for them.  In subsequent articles, we will also address other Winnie the Pooh characters, including Roo, Kanga, Rabbit, Owl, and even Christopher Robin.  We are in no means attempting to make light of your diagnosis but are rather using different fictional characters to show you what you are possibly dealing with in a fun and informative way.  Stay tuned for more!

Resources:

Bourassa, Nancy. (March 19, 2019).  “Why Some Foods May Be More Addictive Than Others.” CNN, Cable News Network, Retrieved from:   www.cnn.com/2019/03/19/health/bliss-point-addictive-food/index.html.

Brown, D’Shonda.  (January 30, 2022).  “Winnie the Pooh:  The Tales of an Eating Disorder.”  Retrieved from Winnie The Pooh: The Tales Of An Eating Disorder

Guarda, Angela.  (February 2023).  “What are Eating Disorders?”  Presented in the American Psychiatric Association and retrieved from Psychiatry.org – What are Eating Disorders?

Kubalan, Jillian.  (October 25, 2019).  “Get your Vitamin P:  Why Pleasure Matters when it comes to What You Eat.”  Healthline.  Retrieved from www.healthline.com/nutrition/get-your-vitamin-p-why-pleasrue-matters-when-it-comes-to-what-you-eat.

LifeSpring Home Nutrition.  (September 28, 2024).  “Comfort Food that Nourishes the Body and Soul.”  Retrieved from Comfort Food That Nourishes the Body and Soul.

Martin, David Steen.  (July 12, 2025).  “What is Night Eating Syndrome?”  Presented in WebMD and retrieved from What Is Night Eating Syndrome?

Merschel, Michael.  (March 13, 2024).  “Too much of a food thing: A century of change in how we eat.”  Retrieved from Too much of a food thing: A century of change in how we eat | American Heart Association 

About the Author: 

Tammie Makely, LMFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #113186

• Addiction
• Trauma
• Couples Therapy
• Sex Addiction
• Anger Management
• Sexual Abuse
• EMDR
• Grief/Loss
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Stress management
• Co-Occurring Disorders
• Codependency Issues