If you are looking for support with eating disorder recovery or food hoarding, and want to speak to a registered dietitian, you can book a free 15-minute call here.
When people think about eating disorders or the effects of starvation, they often imagine restriction, avoidance, or food fears. But there’s another behaviour that can appear both during and after periods of undernourishment: food hoarding.
Many of our clients struggle with food hoarding, and find this compulsion to be confusing or even shameful. It can show up as keeping cupboards overstocked, hiding snacks, needing to buy extra freezers or cupboards for the amount of food, or feeling anxious if food supplies are running low.
Why does food hoarding happen?
When the brain is starved, it switches into protection mode.
This happens whether or not through an eating disorder, dieting, or even famine and food insecurity.
One of the ways it tries to keep you alive is by creating powerful urges to ensure food is available at all times.
This behaviour might be more likely to occur in people who are neurodivergent, and in particular those with OCD.
OCD is interestingly very closely genetically connected with Anorexia.
Food hoarding can also appear in the absence of starvation, but in those who have Hoarding Disorder.
Approximately 2-6% of the population struggle with hoarding. We don’t have stats on how many people struggle with food hoarding, probably because itself is not a diagnosis.
It might look like:
- Buying or storing more food than you need
- Keeping secret stashes of snacks “just in case”
- Feeling panicked if cupboards or the fridge look empty
- Struggling to throw away food, even if it’s gone off
This behaviour is your brain’s way of trying to keep you safe from starvation.
Food hoarding after famine and eating disorders
History gives us lots of examples of food hoarding after famine. Survivors of wars, rationing, and famine often carried food anxieties for the rest of their lives. Some couldn’t relax unless cupboards were full, others found it impossible to waste food.
The same is true for people recovering from an eating disorder. Even once weight has been restored and eating feels easier, food hoarding can linger. This is a leftover survival strategy.
Over time, with consistent nourishment and reassurance, these urges usually soften. Some people might benefit from additional psychological support if the behaviour is particularly problematic, but for most people it will naturally resolve with sustained recovery.
Treatment
Treatment for food hoarding in Anorexia and other eating disorders focusses on treatment of the underlying eating disorder.
Typically it’s recommended to take a multi-disciplinary approach, with psychological treatment such as CBT-E, nutritional restoration with the support of a dietitian and medical monitoring.
Finding compassion
If you notice food hoarding in yourself or a loved one, try to approach it with some compassion, rather than judgement.
Remember:
- It’s a normal response to food deprivation
- It doesn’t mean you’re doing recovery wrong
- With time and sustained recovery and nourishment, the behaviour tends to resolve itself.
We Are Here to Help
If you or someone you know is struggling to navigate the nutrition landscape and would like some advice, we are here to help. Our team of specialist dietitians focuses on mental health and eating disorders. We aim to support you in becoming your healthiest and best self while helping you achieve your personal goals. You can send us a message here or find out more about our services here.
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Blog reviewed by:
Sophie Corbett, Specialist Eating Disorder Dietitian and founder of Mental Health Dietitians.
