While some women's desire for suffering manifested in extreme forms, such as beating, self-flagellation, and self-mutilation, many late medieval women mystics manifested their desire for suffering in intense food asceticism. This asceticism occasionally reached a stage similar to modern anorexia; however, the reasons for self-starvation differed. Intense fasting was particularly common among women in Germany and the Low Countries, especially during adolescence. In some cases, these women became unable to bear even the sight or smell of earthly food. This intense fasting was not a denial of the flesh, but rather an identification with Christ's suffering and preparation for the Eucharist. A number of late medieval women mystics were even reputed to survive only on the Eucharistic wafer. Thus, self-starvation, like self-mutilation, served as a path toward mystical enlightenment and union with God.
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