How Diet Culture Can Perpetuate Eating Disorders
From social media and influencer culture to food labels and celebrity magazines, diet culture is present at seemingly every corner we turn. Diet culture messaging permeates our daily lives, both consciously and subconsciously, shaping our perceptions of health, beauty, and self-worth. While many are beginning to recognize the harmful impact of diet culture on both […]
Can You Exercise in Eating Disorder Recovery?
Choosing when to re-implement exercise back into one’s life during recovery can be tricky, especially if they’ve previously engaged in compulsive exercise patterns. Although compulsive exercise is not officially classified as a diagnosis in the DSM-5 due to the lack of sufficient research, it’s an issue that many individuals with eating disorders struggle with. While […]
Navigating Digestive Issues in Eating Disorder Recovery
Digestive issues are one of the most prevalent side effects for individuals with eating disorders, no matter the type. In fact, one study suggests that up to 98% of people with eating disorders meet the criteria for functional gastrointestinal disorders – conditions that affect the functioning of the digestive tract and can cause symptoms like […]
Creating an Eating Disorder Relapse Prevention Plan
If you’re in eating disorder recovery, having a relapse in disordered thoughts and behaviors can leave you feeling confused, stressed, and unsure of what next steps to take – which is why having a relapse prevention plan is essential. Although relapse rates can vary depending on the type and severity of the eating disorder as […]
What to Look For in a Quality Eating Disorder Treatment Team
With the abundance of eating disorder treatment programs and providers to choose from, it can be a real challenge to decipher which one is right for you. When looking for a high-quality treatment team, it’s critical to choose a team of professionals specialized in treating eating disorders, as they are most likely to have a […]
10 Signs of an Eating Disorder Relapse
Recognizing the signs of eating disorder relapse is crucial for individuals in recovery to maintain their level of progress and continue toward sustained recovery. Despite the efforts and strides made on the recovery journey, many still experience potential setbacks – in fact, research suggests that up to 50% of individuals in recovery relapse within the […]
How to Support Someone With an Eating Disorder
If you know someone who is struggling with disordered eating or a negative body image, it can be quite challenging to know how you can best support them. However, understanding how to help someone with an eating disorder, including what to say and not to say, is essential for providing your loved one with effective […]
Weight Restoration: When It’s Needed and Why It’s Important in Eating Disorder Recovery
Weight restoration is often one of the most challenging aspects of recovering from an eating disorder, but it’s also one of the most important. Many individuals with eating disorders face a distorted perception of their bodies, engaging in restrictive eating patterns or compulsive behaviors that lead to malnutrition and weight loss. The process of weight […]
Understanding ARFID: What It Is, Symptoms, and Treatment
Going far beyond typical picky eating, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a type of eating disorder characterized by avoidance of specific foods that result in a persistent failure to meet one’s nutritional needs. Unlike many other types of eating disorders, individuals with ARFID are not driven by dissatisfaction with their body weight or […]
Understanding Bulimia Nervosa: What It Is, Symptoms, and Treatment
Bulimia nervosa is a serious and complex mental health condition that can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, body shape, or any other factor. Individuals with bulimia engage in recurrent binge eating episodes followed by the regular use of compensatory or purging behaviors in an attempt to prevent any weight gain. Oftentimes, the binging and […]