An eating disorder is when a person begins to develop abnormal attitudes towards food. The disorder creates unhealthy eating habits which can lead to other serious health problems.
People with eating disorders are usually fixated on their body weight and over compensate with a low quality diet. Reducing the amount of food that you eat will deprive the body of essential nutrition and damage the functions of your body.
Bulimia nervosa
Bulimia is an eating disorder which is usually brought on by depression, low self esteem, self-harming or alcohol misuse.
People with bulimia are over critical of the foods that they eat which results in a reduced food intake. They will then undergo periods of binge eating followed by a purging.
A purging is usually the result of vomiting or laxatives. The purge is used as a way to control their weight in response to food intake.
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is a condition which has serious health implications. People with anorexia usually develop a problem with food due to anxiety about their body weight and shape.
Anorexia is most common in girls and women but there are a number of boys who also develop the condition.
People with anorexia restrict how much food that they eat. This is usually maintained alongside excessive exercise and causing themselves to vomit.
Binge eating disorder
Binge eating is the act of consuming an excessive amount of food in a short period. These binges can be planned beforehand and do net necessarily occur when the person is feeling hungry.
Binge eaters often feel guilty or embarrassed about their eating habits. This means that a lot of binge eating is done in private.
People with binge eating disorder are usually alternated between periods of reduced eating habits. This causes the blood sugar levels in the body to rapidly rise and fall. These unnatural levels of sugar in the blood send the wrong information to the brain about how much sugar is required.
Alongside these common eating disorders, there are some young people who show some, but not all, of the signs of these disorders. People who fall into this category can be diagnosed as having an eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS).
Causes of an eating disorder
Although a common factor associated with eating disorders is a desire to be thin, the reasons that someone develops a problem is usually attached to other circumstances.
People with eating disorders may be categorised as including other risk factors including:
- Working in a profession where it is a social norm to be thin such as models, athletes or ballet dancers
- People with low self-esteem, obsessive personalities or anxiety disorders
- A family history of depression, substance misuse or eating disorders
- Problematic relationships between friends or family members
- Traumatic experiences such as a death of someone close or abuse
- Increased stress from work or school
- An exaggerated desire to being thin
- Being criticised by other people about their body shape or weight
- Being criticised about their eating habits
- Noticing the signs of an eating disorder
You may be concerned about someone that you know is developing an eating disorder or you may be worried that you are beginning to show signs of an eating problem.
If recognise two or more of the following symptoms, you should discuss your concerns with your GP.
Is food a dominating factor in your life?
- Do people consider that you are thin but you are convinced that you are overweight?
- Have you recently lost a lot of weight (more than a stone in 3 months)?
- When feeling too full, will you try to make yourself sick?
- Have you got concerns about controlling the amount of food that you eat?
You may notice some of the following traits in someone that you are concerned about:
- A refusal or discomfort when eating in public places
- Leaving meals uneaten
- Cooking extravagant meals for others but not eating much themselves
- Making excuses why they do not need to eat
- Retaining only a low calorie diet when you see them eat
- Regular viewing of “pro-anorexia” websites
- They are unhappy with their weight when you consider them normal or low weight
- An increased obsession with examining themselves in the mirror or checking their weight
People with an eating disorder may become secretive about their problem. This can make it difficult to confront someone that you have concerns about. The NHS have produced information about how to approach someone with an eating disorder.
Nutritionist advice for eating disorders
Educating yourself about healthy food is the first stage in overcoming an eating disorder. A trained nutritionist will work with you to discuss your particular situation.
Experience nutritionists understand that each person requires an individual dietary plan to help them develop a healthy relationship with food. Nutritionists are here to offer positive advice and offer solutions according to your wishes.
Patients diagnosed with an eating disorder will be referred to a care team to help them overcome their problem. This team will include dieticians, psychologists and nurses with specialist knowledge of the condition. The nutritionist works as a complementary addition to the work of the care team.