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After having rewatched BBC's Sherlock for probably the fifth time, I picked up on a new trait of Sherlock's. Throughout the series we see a lot of scenes where other characters are eating, especially John. However, we never see Sherlock eat on screen.

Is this intended to subtly imply that Sherlock has an eating disorder?

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  • Out of curiosity, are there any scenes where Sherlock does eat? Not that it would necessarily disprove an eating disorder, but it would give some context as to how often he goes without eating.
    – Thunderforge
    Jan 13, 2017 at 17:40
  • @Thunderforge I think there might be one or two, but I can't recall specifics
    – DForck42
    Jan 13, 2017 at 17:44
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    I found a few fan forums where people discussed this and raised a few points. In The Blind Banker he tells Molly that he never eats when he's working. Also, he did take a mince pie from Mrs. Hudson's fridge at one point, but that wasn't in the script and Cumberbatch ad-libbed it as it felt like the right thing to do. Apparently he was sitting by a half-eaten egg and piece of toast in Scandal.
    – Thunderforge
    Jan 13, 2017 at 17:50

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Eating Disorder...NO

enter image description here enter image description here

But that's not to say that Sherlock's eating habits are regular.

"Don't eat when I'm working, digestion slows me down."

The Blind Banker - Sherlock Holmes

Which is a paraphrase of Sherlock in literature.

"Because the faculties become refined when you starve them. Why, surely, as a doctor, my dear Watson, you must admit that what your digestion gains in the way of blood supply is so much lost to the brain. I am a brain, Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix. Therefore, it is the brain I must consider."

The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone - A Conan Doyle

He does eat though..

There are instances of him actually eating or talking about it.

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Last 2 images from The Norwood Builder (others also there)

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  • 2
    One episode had him walking into Mrs. Hudson's house and going straight to the fridge to grab a mince pie, which Cumberbatch ad-libbed because it felt natural.
    – Thunderforge
    Jan 13, 2017 at 19:42
  • Agreed, Sherlock's irregular eating patterns are an aspect of his generally unorthodox attitude to self-care, which includes his drug taking and his willingness to experiment on himself.
    – EleventhDoctor
    Jan 23, 2017 at 10:49

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