Eating Disorders, Disordered Eating & Impact on Wellbeing
Disclaimer: This article is written for informational purposes. Please seek the help of a mental health professional for diagnosis purposes.
Diet culture surrounds you everywhere whether it is on social media or everyday life situations. You receive unhealthy messages reflected in the relationship you have towards your body and yourself. The diet industry spends a trillion of dollars per year on diet products and feeding your insecurities as this industry seems to have a fix for every perceived imperfection. Recent studies have shown a direct relationship between social media use to higher rates of body image dissatisfaction, eating disorders, and disordered eating, especially among teens. I would like to address that you are capable of healing your relationship to food, body, and yourself.
You might be in this right now or have been there before at some point in your life. I have been there where I was always dieting, punishing my body to “perfection” and hating my body. The “perfect” body doesn’t exist. When you are going through an eating disorder/disordered eating or you have an unhealthy relationship with yourself, you will push your body to its limit and it will never be enough. From personal experience, getting out of this unhealthy relationship with your body and food is a way to live your life to the full capacity and truly enjoy it. The knowledge of the signs of a healthy relationship between your body and food should be addressed to have an idea of where to start.
There are different types of eating disorders that affect millions of people.
The types of eating disorders are:
These can affect any person regardless of weight. Weight is only one aspect of eating disorders. Eating disorders are more of the behaviors than the number on the scale. You can be of a healthy weight range yet struggle with symptoms and behaviors that affect your mental health. Unfortunately, extreme clean eating is disguised as healthy behavior. I am not saying go eat junk food, but moderation is important. The obsession with the nutrient profile and nutrition facts of food as well as obsessing over food quality can be a sign of orthorexia. The signs are symptoms are important to know to seek support for loved ones or even yourself.
The signs and symptoms of eating disorders and disordered eating are divided into physical and emotional health that is in the graphic below.
For more signs and symptoms, check out this link. Some side effects of disordered eating and eating disorders can be resolved through recovery and adopting healthy habits. Gut health issues are common as a result of restriction and overdoing caffeine to suppress your appetite. Restriction can cause an imbalance in the gut bacteria of your microbiome resulting in symptoms like bloating and indigestion. I highly advise anyone struggling with your relationship with food to heal it nutritionally and psychologically. The severity of the symptoms is not based on the physical appearance as you can be physically recovered and weight restored yet emotionally struggling.
If you can relate to some symptoms or a loved one, take the first step in recovery and start your journey. Recovery is not easy, but with the right support team, it will overcome this struggle and get your life back! You deserve recovery! You can live with an eating disorder/disordered eating by symptom management, yet be feel limited by the rules on how you live your life. I remember a period of my life when I was weight restored, but I felt trapped with my rigid beliefs around food and looking after myself. Yes, I struggled emotionally with how much it limited my enjoyment and ability to live in the moment! Life is more than a constant struggle with your relationship with food, your body , and yourself! Recovery is worth it!
Reach out to me if you need any support or have any questions. You can book a free health history consultation through this link.
Resources:
https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/