Eating Disorders Among Latinas
Written by Isabel Vasquez, RD, LDN
When most people think of someone with an eating disorder, they probably picture a young, extremely thin white woman. However, this is a misconception.
Eating disorders affect all different kinds of people. Someone’s body size, gender, race, or ethnicity does not exclude them from potentially having an eating disorder.
As Latina dietitians who work with many Latina clients, we know how important it is to acknowledge the falsity behind the idea that eating disorders only happen to young, extremely thin white women. Eating disorders affect many Latinas, too.
Eating Disorders: A White Issue?
While eating disorders take various forms, they are all commonly caused by a combination of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.
Unfortunately, they’re stereotypically viewed as a white, middle to upper class issue. This generalization is not only false, but it contributes to people of color being under-reported and undiagnosed with eating disorders.
Research shows that bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder are just as common amongst Hispanics/Latines as they are amongst non-Hispanic White folks. Below are a few unique risk factors and considerations for eating disorders amongst Latines.
Conflicting Beauty Ideals
Being Latina and living in the US means existing in between two cultures. This “in-between” pervades various aspects of life—food, music, language, family dynamics.
One other area it pervades is beauty ideals. The Latin American beauty ideal—a voluptuous but small-waisted woman—is different from the US Eurocentric beauty ideal, a thin and toned white woman.
This means that on top of most women’s struggles to live up to unrealistic beauty ideals, Latinas may feel stuck between two beauty ideals, neither of which are attainable. You can imagine the body image issues that easily result from this.
Conflicting Food Messages
Not only are there conflicting beauty ideals between Latin America and the US, but within Latin American culture, food messages are conflicting and may feel impossible to balance.
On the one hand, we are told to eat, eat, eat. Food is a symbol of love, and it’s central to our culture and family time! If we don’t eat not just firsts but seconds of our abuela’s food, they might get offended and assume we don’t like it. However, we’re also called out as “gorda” if we gain a little weight.
Setting boundaries around this language can be tough since we are taught to respect our mamás and abuelas. You can imagine the complicated relationship to food and body that can easily result from this as well.
The Underlying Issues
Although eating disorders manifest as food and body issues, they are mental health disorders. In fact, they are some of the deadliest mental health illnesses. Over 3.3 million people die from eating disorders every year, per a 2020 study in Current Opinion in Psychiatry.
Given that eating disorders are a mental health illness, there are underlying psychological issues that spark this serious disordered behavior.
In Latinas, one common inner struggle is being a part of a marginalized group in the US. The experience of being “othered” and not fitting in with the dominant (aka White) culture can contribute to the underlying issues that trigger an eating disorder.
It can cause feelings of isolation and inadequacy, and ultimately lead to trauma, so turning to controlling food and body could be an attempt to feel a sense of control and conform to the dominant culture. It can be a means of seeking safety from oppression.
Mental Health: Estás Loca!?
Another complication of eating disorders amongst Latinas is that mental health is often stigmatized in the Latine community.
Our family might not be knowledgeable about mental health issues, so they may judgmentally label people as loco if they are struggling with mental health.
They may be more inclined to recommend a home remedy (vivaporu anyone?) because physical ailments may be easier to accept and understand than mental ones. Not to mention how expensive eating disorder treatment can be!
A 2022 study in Current Opinion in Psychiatry found that Hispanic/Latinx individuals seek treatment for eating disorders less often than their non-Hispanic White peers. This is primarily because of the high cost of treatment, and the shame and stigma of having an eating disorder or struggling with mental health.
Change is Necessary
So, what do we need to do to help Latinas get proper diagnosis and high-quality treatment for eating disorders?
There are so many things that need to change, but for one, we need more representation amongst practitioners in both eating disorder treatment facilities and outpatient settings.
The lack of representation and cultural humility among eating disorder practitioners affects the quality of care marginalized patients receive in eating disorder treatment.
Being treated by practitioners and with other patients who do not look like you or share your culture can be isolating and limit the quality of care you receive.
There are many reasons there are only a few other Latine providers in this space, one being that many people get into the eating disorder field through their own experience with an eating disorder, but as mentioned above, Latines are under-reported and undiagnosed with eating disorders.
Furthermore, the barriers to completing all the schooling and internship hours it takes to become a Registered Dietitian or therapist and the lack of diversity in these professions overall definitely hinders people of color from entering these fields.
Here at Your Latina Nutrition, we are proud to be a team of mostly Latina, dietitians of color who support our clients in exploring their relationships to food and their bodies in a culturally inclusive way. If you want to work with us through insurance, learn more here.
NOTE: If you think you or someone you know may be struggling with an eating disorder, please contact Project Heal for support and resources.
For education on how to ADD nutrition to your favorite Latine cultural dishes, make peace with food, and focus on your health without dieting, join our nutrition library for just $27/month.
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Disordered Eating vs. Eating Disorder. How They Differ and Overlap.
