Miriam Salinas, a therapist specializing in food anxiety: "If you answer yes to most of these statements, you may have a problem with your body and food."

A series of thoughts and habits related to food and body image can be signs of an internal conflict that many people fail to recognize. Therapist Miriam Salinas Gascón , a specialist in food anxiety , has issued a thought-provoking warning: "If you answer yes to most of these statements, you may have a problem with your body and food."

The author of the book Dare to Eat Life , who experienced an eating disorder firsthand, has compiled these signs on her Instagram account to help those trapped in a complicated relationship with food. These aren't diagnoses, but rather common indicators in people who suffer from intense mental pressure regarding what they eat, how they look, or how they feel after eating.

The warning signs

Among the statements Salinas suggests to detect possible warning signs are questions such as: “Do I think about food all day long , about what I've already eaten or what I'm going to eat?”; “Every time I eat, am I thinking about whether that was 'good' or 'bad' in relation to what I feel I should be eating?” ; or “ Does the way I see my body in the morning define my mood for the rest of the day?”

It also raises other common questions: “ If I go out to eat with friends or family, do I usually look for ways to ‘make up for it’?”, “Have I said no to some outings because they didn’t fit with what I ‘should’ eat?” , “Do I feel like if I stray from my eating plan I’ve already ruined everything and that day I’ll eat everything I always forbid myself to?” or “Do I prefer not to buy certain foods because if I have them at home I can’t control myself?”

For Salinas, many of these responses reflect mental patterns that influence the daily lives of thousands of people. “This constant rumination can be a sign that you're taking up a disproportionate amount of cognitive space, diverting mental resources from other areas of your life,” she notes. Applying moral judgments to what you eat—classifying it as “good” or “bad”—is, according to the therapist, a common cognitive distortion .

The relationship with one's body also plays a key role in these dynamics. "Self-perception, often influenced by external standards, can have a significant impact on mood, self-esteem, and emotional well-being," she emphasizes. The "all or nothing" mentality, whereby a small deviation in eating leads to compulsive eating of what is usually restricted, is another example of how extreme control leads to discomfort and guilt.

Avoiding meals out for fear of breaking your eating plan is also a relevant sign. “ Avoiding social situations related to food is a sign that dietary rigidity is affecting your social life and well-being , prioritizing adherence to a 'plan' over human connection and enjoyment,” she says.

Regarding the difficulty of having certain foods at home, the therapist reminds us that the problem isn't the food itself, but rather the lack of tools to manage our relationship with it: "Feeling like you can't have certain foods without completely losing control may indicate a lack of tools to manage moderation and flexibility."

“If most of your answers were affirmative... it's an important indicator ,” she emphasizes. For many people, these behaviors can be framed within issues such as excessive preoccupation with food, orthorexia (a pathological fixation on eating “healthy”), or even more complex eating disorders. “You are not alone in this. The good news is that everything can improve,” Salinas concludes. She recommends seeking out mental health professionals with specific training in eating behavior . “You deserve to live a life where food is a source of nourishment and pleasure, not constant anxiety.”