Eating Disorders: I Had No Idea

This week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week and the theme this year, announced by the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) is: I Had No Idea. I've had friends in the past who were dealing with an eating disorder and have had the pleasure over the past six months to get to know a lot of new people with eating disorders as they seek treatment at the clinic where I work as a dietitian. Sticking with the theme of "I Had No Idea", here is some information about eating disorders you might find surprising.

Definitions. There are several different ways to define an eating disorder. There are official definitions in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM 5).  Then there are more fluid definitions that indicate a broken relationship with food, regardless of current or past weight.

Food on the Brain. Jessica Setnick is an RD who has a training curriculum called Eating Disorder Boot Camp. In it, she states that people with anorexia nervosa spend 90-110% of their day thinking about food. I use this as a quiz question when teaching medical residents about eating disorders: who spends the most amount of time thinking about food, people who are on a diet, people with bulimia nervosa, or people with anorexia nervosa? Last week I had the first group get it right - most guess that it is people on a diet. Sadly, it is those who are eating the least who are thinking about food the most.

No One Image. When you think of a person with an eating disorder, does an image of a skinny female model with her ribs poking out pop into your head? Frail women are often portrayed as the image of a severe eating disorder. But in reality, this disease spares no one and affects people of all genders, race, shapes, and sizes. We're seeing an increase in our clinic of patients who had been told they were overweight or obese and began to lose weight, which everyone around them applauded, not knowing that they were doing so in an unhealthy and potentially dangerous way.

Mental and Physical. There is almost no part of the body or mind that an eating disorder will spare.

Whether you know someone who has been officially diagnosed or just someone who struggles with self-esteem and has a disordered attitude towards food, take a moment this week to think about them and what they might be going through.

Why You Should Meet with an RD

A Registered Dietitian (RD) is a healthcare provider who specializes in nutrition; how food affects your body and how your body reacts to food. Like some other medical specialties, it can be confusing to know whether or not you need an RD or could benefit from meeting with one. To help figure this out, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics put out an article, What a Registered Dietitian Can Do For You. Here is an excerpt to help you better understand whether or not an RD can help you:

The highest level of nutrition counseling. Anyone can call themself a nutritionist, but only a registered dietitian (RD) has completed multiple layers of education and training established by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In addition to holding a bachelor's degree, an RD must fulfill a specially designed, accredited nutrition curriculum, pass a rigorous registration exam, and complete an extensive supervised program of practice at a health care facility, foodservice organization or community agency.

Personally tailored advice. When you see an RD, the last thing you'll get is one-size-fits-all diet advice.  After learning about your health history, favorite foods, eating and exercise habits, an RD will help you set goals and prioritize. Follow-up visits will focus on maintenance and monitoring your progress.

Guidance navigating food allergies, sensitivities and intolerances. When you suffer from conditions such as celiac disease, food allergies or lactose intolerance, it's easy to be overwhelmed by what you think you can't eat. That can translate into a boring diet and may even lead to nutrient deficiencies. An RD can teach you how to read food labels so you’ll know which ingredients to avoid and a help you find substitutions to keep your diet balanced and tasty, too.

A weight loss program that really works. Fad diets may sound like the quick ticket to weight loss, but they rarely work for very long. A registered dietitian will partner with you to develop a safe, effective weight loss plan that you can stick with for the long haul. 

If you're convinced that now is the time for you to see an RD, contact me for an appointment today by e-mailing eatdrinkandbeactive@gmail.com or calling 617-431-8006.