Helping Your Teen with Anorexia: A Parent’s Guide

Anorexia is an eating disorder that is characterized by food restriction usually due to an intense fear of gaining weight or the desire to lose weight. It affects all races, gender identities, and body types.

While anorexia can affect people of all ages, it can be quite prevalent among teenagers. As a parent, helping your teen suffering from anorexia can undoubtedly feel overwhelming and confusing, especially, given the complexities of the disorder. The purpose of this article is to provide you with tips to support your teen throughout recovery from anorexia.

Educate Yourself About Anorexia

Anorexia is not merely about food restriction and body image issues. It is important to recognize that anorexia is a mental disease and not a choice. Therefore, it is not a question of a lack of willpower to eat more. It is extremely difficult for your teen to do so given that anorexia goes beyond food restriction and body image issues.

For instance, the root causes can go much deeper and may include:

lack of self-esteem
using restriction as a coping mechanism to deal with anxiet
perfectionism
identity crisis, among many other possibilities.

It is also important to note that weight is not a diagnostic criterion for anorexia. Your teen could be considered to be in the “normal” range for weight and still have some warning signs and symptoms of the eating disorder. To learn more about the signs and symptoms of anorexia, you can head over to this article.

Approach Your Teen with Compassion

If you discover that your teen has been restricting their food intake, the last thing you should do is blame them. Or, pressure them into eating. It can be incredibly easy for the concerns and worries you have to translate poorly. Instead, take a small step back to gather your thoughts and emotions.

Begin by trying to step into their shoes and look at the issue from their perspective. It is far from easy for someone to share such personal and intimate information with another person. This is especially true for teenagers who may not yet know how to process their emotions.

Reacting in a healthy and non-judgemental manner can provide your teen with a boost of hope. At this time, express your concerns while making a point to use “I” statements. For example, “I am worried as I see you struggling with food”, instead of “You are not eating enough and you should force yourself to eat more.”

It is important to acknowledge your feelings while showing your support and understanding. This will help to keep the lines of communication open, which, is an important part of treatment.

Seek Professional Help

Eating disorders like anorexia are considered both mental health disorders and medical illnesses. Thus, treatment should involve both medical and mental health professionals. These professionals should have experience specializing in treating eating disorders.

It is also recommended that an eating disorder nutritionist be involved. With the help of such professionals, your teen can become educated on how to eat better to meet their needs, decrease any fear associated with eating certain foods, understand the impacts of various nutrients on their body and address body image issues.

Through individual counseling, the eating disorder nutritionist can cover:

Thorough nutrition evaluation to assess your teen’s needs, eating habits and behaviours and triggers that maintain the eating disorder
Teaching about nutrition’s role in their health and body
Teaching how anorexia causes nutrition, mental, social and physical issues
Correcting/treating possible health problems created by poor nutrition
Setting regular eating patterns and the steps needed to avoid restricting
Meal planning and working towards weight restoration if needed
Follow-up sessions to go over any questions or concerns

Create a Supportive and Safe Environment at Home

Creating a recovery-positive home is one of the best ways to remain supportive. This can be done in many ways, including:

Encouraging your teen to speak openly about their body image and food struggles
Remaining flexible and compassionate
Avoiding conversations revolving around weight, appearance, size, physical activity, and dieting.
Complimenting non-physical/non-appearance-related qualities (i.e., kindness, humor, etc.)
Avoiding labeling foods as “good” or “bad”, “healthy” or “junk”
Creating a consistent meal schedule with the help of professionals to ensure the meals aren’t triggering or anxiety-inducing
Creating a positive space at mealtime by eating together without pressure or interrogations; striving for a positive family interaction
Being mindful of how you speak about yourself. Teens pick up on certain behaviors and beliefs. If you criticize your own body or eating habits, those thoughts and behaviours could be picked up by your teen.

Be Patient and Consistent

Recovery can be quite long and non-linear. This is why it’s important to normalize and accept the hurdles that come your way. A technique usually applied during meal support (but good to keep in mind at all times), is the 4 C’s.

- Calm: Your teen will pick up on your anxiety or other emotions. While this shows that you are also human, there is a time and place to fully release these emotions. Rather than make your teen feel more anxious, try your best to remain calm. Be sure to take some breaks if you feel you are at a breaking point.
- Consistent: “Consistency is key”. Once healthy changes have been made and rules are set to keep them in place, try to stick to them.
- Confident: Even when you may not feel the most confident, make sure your teen sees that you will not falter. Your confidence will provide your child the reassurance they need to continue fighting for themselves.
- Compassionate: Acknowledge that what your teen is going through is far from easy. As scared as you may feel, it is most likely an even scarier experience for them.

Take Care of Yourself Too

Experiencing caregiver burnout as the parent of a teen with anorexia is more than a fleeting emotion. It takes a toll on you mentally and physically. Combatting this burnout often requires significant changes in behavior, along with implementing self-care practices, and leaning on your support systems.

Support Systems

There are a few non-profit organizations which offer support and guidance for the loved ones of individuals suffering from an eating disorder. For instance, ANEB has offered support to those suffering from eating disorders and their families across Quebec for over 30 years. This includes support groups for families, online chat/text services, and many other free resources.

For more information, you may contact ANEB directly here. Or, feel free to book an appointment with one of our NutriVie Santé eating disorder dietitians to learn more about ways we can help you.

March 4, 2025/by Votre nutritionniste Jaimie Yue

Eating disorders, Healthy eating

5 Steps for Bulimia Recovery

What Is Bulimia Nervosa?

Before we begin, let’s define what exactly is Bulimia Nervosa? Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by episodes of compulsive eating that are followed by compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, excessive exercise, fasting, and/or abuse of laxatives or diuretics.

It can lead to detrimental impacts on physical, mental, and emotional well-being. On the physical side, this may include but is not limited to digestive issues, dental problems, cardiovascular complications, and irregular menstrual cycle (or complete loss of periods).

On the psychological and emotional side, symptoms include intense feelings of guilt and shame after episodes of food compulsions and purging, anxiety around meal times, negative body image issues and increased isolation.

Since the binge-purge cycle can lead to damaging effects on several spheres of your life, it is important to take actionable strategies to break the vicious cycle. Here are 5 ways to break the binge-purge cycle:

1) Stop Restricting Food Intake To Stop The Binges

Often, binge-eating episodes occur when the body is deprived of food throughout the day. As the body doesn’t get enough food to meet its needs, it will give you the urge to eat to compensate.

While it may be very difficult to not skip meals and/or snacks and not eliminate some food groups, it is strongly recommended to eat regularly throughout the day, ensuring that each meal contains carbohydrates and proteins and that the food is satisfying for your taste buds while not being too anxiety-provoking. If you need help with this, one of our eating-disorder nutritionists is here to provide you with guidance.

2) Identify The Triggers For The Binges & The Compensatory Methods

Binge eating and compensatory methods are often used as coping mechanisms to deal with certain emotions and situations. Frequently, these urges arise in a way similar to waves which will reach a peak and the decline.

Identifying the triggers can help devise a plan of action to help you “surf” the waves. Making a list of 5 things you can do instead of engaging in binges and compensatory methods can be an effective exercise.

3) Work On Decreasing The Compensatory Methods

As mentioned above, compensatory methods are damaging to the body. Being aware of those detrimental impacts could be a first step to motivate you to stop those behaviours.

However, since compensatory methods are hard to stop drastically, it is better to attempt to delay them gradually. For example, start by delaying the engagement in the behavior by 5 minutes. From there, gradually work your way up to longer periods of time. Doing so may offer the time needed to formulate a different method of coping with your emotions and give you the opportunity to break the autopilot mode of purging right after eating.

4) Try To Neutralize The Negative Body Image Dialogue

Focusing on weight and meeting unrealistic standards of thinness can lead to restriction which, in turn lead to binges and compensatory methods. When such thoughts and possibly negative self-talk come into the equation, try to change the narrative. The following are a few ways in which this may be accomplished:

Replace Negative Self-Talk

We’re still human; everyone experiences moments of insecurity. However, before these negative thoughts about your body become a loop in your head, try to neutralize the thoughts. For instance, if you have thoughts such as “my legs are fat and I hate them”, you can neutralize that thought by saying “my legs do not define me as a person or does not define my self-worth and value.”

Focus on Body Functionality

Rather than focusing on the appearance of your body, think about all your body enables you to do. For example, “My legs are strong and help me walk long distances”. Or, “My arms are the reason I can lift heavier objects.”

Curate Social Media Feeds

Social media can definitely be a trigger in reinforcing negative body image issues. If there are accounts that promote unrealistic or unhealthy body standards, unfollow them. Instead, try to find accounts about body neutrality and diversity and even accounts about your hobbies and interests that are non-body related.

5) Seek Professional Help

Help from a psychologist, doctor, and an eating disorder dietitian is highly encouraged for bulimia recovery. Each professional will help cover different components of the eating disorder and offer various treatment methods.

Psychologists

There are a range of psychological treatments available to help treat eating disorders. Some of the most effective therapies for bulimia include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT).

Treatment will vary depending on the patient, therefore speaking to a professional is advised.

Doctor

Having a doctor know the specific details of the case is integral in recovery. Because bulimia could have many detrimental impacts on physical health, a doctor will be able to monitor vital signs, weight changes and specific blood markers to offer the right plan of action on a case-by-case basis.

Bulimia Recovery Dietitian

The help of a licensed eating disorder dietician/nutritionist specialized in bulimia is undeniably important for bulimia recovery. They can help you or your loved one by creating a plan to make sure they eat enough to meet your needs, normalize fear foods by demystifying any belief around food, explain your body’s and metabolism needs and help you eat intuitively on the long term.

To help in your journey to healing your relationship with food, we at NutriVie Sante are here to support you! Contact us today to discover how we can begin the process together.

February 3, 2025/by Votre nutritionniste Jaimie Yue

Eating disorders, Healthy relationship with food, MIndful eating

Nutritional Strategies for Overcoming Binge Eating Disorder

There are many forms of eating disorders. Some of the most well-known are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, Avoidance Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), and Binge Eating Disorder (BED). Generally speaking, BED specifically refers to consuming excessive food in a single sitting.

According to the National Initiative For Eating Disorders, an estimated 2.7 million Canadians are impacted by Binge Eating Disorder and approximately 1.4 million of these are youth. The following article will discuss the symptoms of this disorder, along with the nutritional strategies for overcoming Binge Eating Disorder.

Symptoms and Warning Signs of Binge-Eating Disorder

People with binge eating disorder may display one or several symptoms. This includes but is not limited to:

Feeling out of control during an episode of eating more food than the average person eats in a single sitting
Experiencing these episodes at least once a week for three months or longer

To be officially diagnosed with BED, people must also have a minimum of three of the following symptoms:

Feeling remorse, embarrassment, shame, guilt, or another negative emotion about binge eating
Eating abnormally rapidly or continuing to eat even after feeling full, or, not even realizing how much is being eaten/how it feels
Eating large quantities of food even while not feeling hungry
Eating to the point of discomfort
Eating alone due to the feeling of embarrassment associated with the amount of food being eaten
Planning your day around binge eating sessions
Hoarding/stashing food in hidden locations

Causes

Unfortunately, researchers have not yet pinpointed the exact cause of binge eating disorder. Some studies suggest a correlation between the disorder and a person’s dopamine levels. (Dopamine can interfere with regulating cravings and increasing the level of enjoyment while certain foods are consumed).

Other professionals may focus on genes and family history, mental/emotional health, environment, and culture. Among the environmental and cultural causes, dieting can undoubtedly trigger or exacerbates feelings of deprivation which can in turn lead to binge-eating episodes as a means for the body to compensate for the restriction.

Although there is still much to be learned about BED, one of the most important things to keep in mind is that it is in no way the sufferer’s fault. It is a mental condition and it can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, social status and weight.

Nutritional Strategies for Overcoming BED

There are a few systematic approaches to overcoming binge eating disorder. Some of the most effective nutritional strategies for overcoming BED include the following:

Do Not Skip Meals

If your body is under-nourished during the day, it will often try to compensate by increasing the cravings or urge to eat foods high in fats and sugar in the evening as a means to compensate for the lack of food during the day. Therefore, try to have 3 meals a day along with snacks in between meals as needed. Try to include proteins and carbohydrates in each meal to ensure they are satiating. If you feel you need ideas of meals and snacks that could be appropriate to meet your needs and fit your reality, feel free to reach out to one of our nutritionists!

Do Not Follow Fad Weight Loss Diets

Fad diets are known for being restrictive and they also cause people to categorize food as “good food” and “bad food”. As a result, the so-called “bad” foods become the forbidden foods. This makes them even more appealing. Meanwhile, the “good” foods become mandatory, causing them to feel like more of a chore to eat. Instead, be sure to fuel your body with well-balanced meals, including foods that you enjoy in adequate portions throughout the day

Focus On Eating Satisfying Meals

Eating regular balanced meals can undoubtedly make you feel satisfied physically. However, we also have to focus on mental satisfaction, meaning allowing yourself to eat for pleasure. Indeed, if you force yourself to eat a meal that is deemed healthy but which is not satisfying for your taste buds, you might gravitate towards more foods even if you feel physically satiated. That could be a big factor explaining why you still feel hungry after eating.

If you have yet to consult a medical professional, do so and request their aid in helping you create satisfying meals unique to your needs.

Are you an intuitive eater? Find out here!

Practice Mindfulness When Eating

Focus on the food’s taste, smell, and appearance both as you eat and afterward. Additionally, contemplate how the food makes you feel. Do you feel energized, less stressed, and/or satisfied? Or, has the meal made you feel bloated, too full, or anxious? Has it caused you to have acid reflux or heartburn?

Some may opt to take notes of how they felt at this time in some form of food diary. This should only be done if it is advised by a professional as it may replace one issue with another, especially if the individual is very judgemental of their food intake.

Lastly, try to minimize distractions for the duration of the meal and for some time afterward. This will aid in connecting to your body more with every bite you take. Picking up on the feelings you experience during the meals will become easier the more you practice this. You will be increasingly connected to your body while eating.

Seek Professional Help

Binge-eating disorder is a complex mental condition that impacts the physical, psychological, and emotional health of individuals. It is not merely a question of lacking the willpower to simply stop eating. BED sufferers are deserving of the proper care and in the majority of cases, this requires the help of a multi-disciplinary team.

Most importantly, keep in mind that it is a condition that will take those suffering on a journey. It will take time to heal the relationship between food and your body but give yourself self-compassion during this process. Keep reminding yourself that recovery is possible and do not hesitate to contact us if you need help!

December 9, 2024/by Twenty West

Eating disorders

What to Expect in Your First Appointment with an Eating Disorder Nutritionist

Eating disorders are serious mental condition that can cause debilitating physical and mental symptoms which could be life-threatening. Seeking help for recovery is therefore crucial especially as early diagnosis and treatment can improve the recovery outcome. A multidisciplinary team consisting of an eating disorder therapist, a doctor and an eating disorder nutritionist is often needed for the treatment. The latter plays a key role in helping the sufferer heal their relationship with food and their body. To know more about the role of a nutritionist in eating disorder recovery, head over to this article:

Many sufferers can be faced with anxiety in seeking help but doing so is undoubtedly a courageous first step. To help put your concerns to rest, know that we provide a safe space where you can communicate your fears, struggles and your reality. We listen to you with a non-judgemental and empathetic approach and provide you with tailored recommendations to best support you during your recovery. Here is what you can expect in an initial first evaluation with an eating disorder dietitian.

First and foremost, building a relationship based on trust with the client is of utmost importance for our nutritionists in accompanying you in this journey. Therefore, we usually set up a free discovery call with you even before booking a first appointment to discuss briefly about your goals, your needs, struggles, address any insecurities about the treatment and to explain our approach. This way, we make sure you feel comfortable with our approach and confident in booking a first appointment with one of our eating disorder nutritionists.

At that first appointment, a lot of time is spent getting to know you. For instance, the nutritionist will ask questions about your lifestyle: your current living situation, your job/study, relationship with physical activity (whether it’s too rigid/only associated with calorie burning to control the weight or used as a method to compensate for your food intake).

The eating disorder dietitian will also assess your medical condition including any previous medical conditions and treatments done, family history of any medical condition, existing symptoms whether it’s behavioural, physical, mental and social that could be related to the eating disorder and any medications or supplements that you might be taking.

In addition, the nutritionist will assess your food intake and compare to your needs and also enquire about your relationship with food. For instance, she will dig deeper to identify if there are any restrictions, food rules, rigidity about food and the root causes for an unhealthy relationship with food (ex: body image issues, low self-esteem, coping mechanism to deal with anxiety, identity crisis, etc.)

Along the same line, the eating disorder nutritionist will evaluate any diets history which might still have an impact on some existing food behaviours or beliefs. For example, you have followed a low carb diet or a keto diet, you may still think that carbs are bad for you and restrict yourself as a result. Therefore, if the dietitian identifies those type of cognitive triggers, she will be able to debunk any myth or belief in future follow-ups in an attempt to decrease and eliminate any restrictive behaviours.

And if there are restrictive eating patterns, the nutritionist will enquire about your fear foods. This will help her tailor a structured treatment plan that aims at re-introducing those fear foods gradually in your diet without it being too anxiety-provoking.

As for binge-eating sufferers, the nutritionist will dig deeper with regards to the binge-eating episodes discussing the potential triggers, the context in which they usually arise, the foods you gravitate towards and how you usually feel after physically and mentally and if there are any compensatory methods.

And as an eating disorder often goes hand in hand with an obsession of the weight, the dietitian will assess any thoughts and behaviours that could reinforce a negative body image. For instance, the presence of obsessive body checking behaviours (frequent weigh-ins, body-checking behaviours in the mirror, pinching certain body parts, etc.) will be evaluated. Depending on the client, the weight history might be discussed but if weight is triggering for you, the topic will be avoided.

Once all the information is collected, the nutritionist will educate you on how the unhealthy food and body image thoughts and behaviours could be impacting negatively your well-being (mental, social and physical). She will also do some psycho-education to teach you how an eating disorder works.

Then after the teaching part, we set realistic objectives for the next session with the ultimate goal of helping you heal your relationship with food and your body. Sometimes the objective could be to become more aware of the eating disorder and try to dissociate yourself more from it. Sometimes the recommendations could be about letting go of some body-checking behaviours if they are too prevalent or we can also focus on increasing slowly the food intake or normalizing some foods. Regardless of the objectives we set together, they will definitely be individualized for your needs so that they are achievable. Also, in determining the objectives, we always try to use a collaborative approach to make the changes the least stressful for you. For example, if we decide to increase your food intake, we will agree on which food to start with that is the least anxiety-provoking and the portion you feel comfortable eating.

Throughout that first appointment with your eating disorder nutritionist, you are encouraged to express any concerns, fears, and questions about the treatment plan and the approach. The recommendations will be adapted to you and if they are too anxiety-provoking, they will be adjusted. Also know that all the information that you share with us remain confidential and can only be shared with your consent unless there’s an immediate threat for your health.

Eating disorder recovery is a journey, often filled with its ups and downs and therefore, follow-up sessions are required. For future sessions, the eating disorder dietitian will likely outline a treatment plan to let you know what you can expect to work on at the follow-ups. The goals of the follow-ups are to provide you with ongoing support and through regular communication with your nutritionist, the treatment plan can be adjusted to better meet your changing needs and reality. The frequency of the follow-ups will also be tailored to your needs and can be discussed at the first appointment with your eating disorder nutritionist.

Making a first appointment for eating disorder recovery is undoubtedly hard but reaching out is a courageous first step towards healing and reclaiming your life. Also, we can assure you that we put a lot of effort during the first appointment to build trust so that opening up about your struggles becomes easier for you. So don’t hesitate, give us a call so we can chat and see how our nutritionist can help you with your eating disorder.

October 22, 2024/by Twenty West

Eating disorders, Healthy eating

Debunking Common Myths About Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that could have several detrimental impacts on an individual’s physical, mental and social well-being. In fact, if left untreated, they could be fatal in some cases. For instance, anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric disorders with approximately 5% of sufferers dying within 4 years of diagnosis. Therefore, prompt action is needed to diagnose individuals when warning signs and symptoms start to appear.

However, some common myths about eating disorders make it hard for sufferers to seek help or for their loved ones to recognize the red flags. Hence the importance of debunking those myths.

Myth: Eating disorders are just about body image and food

An intense fear of gaining weight leading to the need to exert excessive control on food can definitely be a trigger for eating disorders. However, at the core, eating disorders go beyond food and body image. They are complex disorders triggered by multiple factors: psychological, genetic and environmental.

For instance, if someone experiences a lot of anxiety, the eating disorder could be used as a coping mechanism to give them a sense of control or reassurance to deal with their emotions. In other cases, the individual could also suffer from low self-esteem and use food to control their body weight and shape in an attempt to increase their self-worth and value.

Therefore, for the treatment process, it is important to dig deeper to get to the root causes of the eating disorder and address the underlying issues. It certainly is not as simple as the individuals having to force themselves to eat in the case of restrictive eating behaviours or have more willpower to snap out of binge eating episodes.

Myth: Eating disorders affect only women

Eating disorders certainly do not discriminate according to gender. In fact, research has shown that about 25% of people who suffer from anorexia and bulimia are male.

Men are also subject to the societal pressure of conforming to a specific body image standard, namely that of being lean and muscular and could develop eating disorders in an attempt to reach those standards. However, due to the stigma that an eating disorder is a “female” medical condition, boys and men may find it hard to seek help as there is a fear of being perceived as too weak or vulnerable or because they just do meet the diagnostic criteria.

The most common eating disorders among men include: bigorexia (the obsession of gaining muscle mass through excessive exercise, obsessive and restrictive eating behaviours and use of supplements), anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder.

Myth: You have to be underweight to suffer from an eating disorder

While weight could be a common symptom observed in people suffering from eating disorders, it is important to note that it cannot be used as a diagnostic tool as outlined in the DSM-V which is the reference book on mental health and brain-related conditions written by the American Psychiatric Association’s professional.

For instance, some individuals suffering from anorexia could experience weight loss but still be within the “normal” range for BMI. Also, for people suffering from bulimia, they may also appear to be at a “healthy” weight due to compensatory methods. Because of the diverse manifestations of eating disorders surrounding weight, it is important not to focus on the latter as it may lead to under-reporting or misdiagnoses.

Instead, there are other more accurate physical, psychological and behavioural signs and symptoms to watch out for. Here are some examples: fatigue, dizziness, irregular periods or loss of menses, decrease in vital signs (heart rate and blood pressure), anxiety and guilt around food, obsessive thoughts about body image, increased isolation, etc.

Myth: The onset of eating disorders only occurs during adolescence

Although eating disorders often develop during adolescence because it is a vulnerable period riddled with physical, emotional and social changes, people of all ages (children and adults included) can start suffering from an eating disorder at any period of their life. For instance, ARFID commonly develops in childhood.

Also, children as young as 5- or 6-year-old could suffer from anorexia or bulimia. In fact, research has shown that children could become conscious of different body types as young as 3-year-old. Hence, it is strongly advised to be careful when talking about food and body image even when children are young.

On the other hand, the onset of eating disorders could also happen later in life in adults. For instance, life events resulting in body changes such as pregnancy and postpartum or menopause could lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and body.

Myth: Recovery from eating disorders is not possible

Even if the road to recovery can be long and full of challenges, it is definitely possible to recover! To maximize chances of recovery, a multidisciplinary team is recommended. The healthcare professionals on that team should consist of a doctor to monitor vital signs and weight, an eating disorder nutritionist to help the individual meet their nutritional needs and overcome their fear of eating certain foods as well as a psychologist to address underlying issues such as body image, anxiety, low self-esteem, etc.

Early detection and prevention are key. That is why it is important to break all the stigmas about eating disorders and to remember that they can affect individuals of all ages, gender and weight. It is also worthy to keep in mind that eating disorders are not just about food and that you CAN recover!

If you recognize some warning signs and symptoms in yourself or a love one but don’t know where to start to seek help, you can call the NEDIC helpline or the ANEB helpline. These are non-profit organizations providing a free and confidential phone line to offer support and address your struggles with food.

And of course, you can reach out to one of our eating disorder dietitians. In our one-on-one consultations, you can share your struggles related to food and your body in a safe and non-judgemental space. We will provide you with individualized recommendations to help you heal your relationship with food using a step-by-step approach as we are aware that it can be quite anxiety-provoking to let go of the control on food. And if you want to reach out for a discovery call before booking an appointment, feel free to do so and we will gladly take some time with you to discuss your needs, explain our approach and make sure our eating disorder therapists is the right fit for you. We are here to help, so don’t hesitate to contact us!

July 22, 2024/by Votre nutritionniste Jaimie Yue

Eating disorders

How to tell if someone has an eating disorder

Eating disorders are life-threatening mental conditions which are typically characterized by an excessive preoccupation with body image and food. Here are the most common types of eating disorders:

Anorexia Nervosa: Typically characterized by under-eating often out of fear of gaining weight
Binge-eating disorder: Usually characterized by episodes of binge eating without use of compensatory methods (such as in bulimia)
Bulimia Nervosa: Typically characterized by repeated episodes of losing control with food and then accompanied by methods to compensate for the binges such as use of laxatives, purging or excessive exercise

Each eating disorder comes with its own challenges and are quite complex but ultimately, all of them could lead to detrimental impacts on an individual’s physical, psychological and social well-being.

However, the earlier the detection is made, the better the outcomes of the treatment for recovery. Hence, it is important to be able to recognize the warning signs of an eating disorder in order to seek professional help.

Physical signs and symptoms

Fatigue, weakness and feeling dizzy especially when getting up or moving around
Slowdown or irregularity of heartrate, respiratory rate and of blood pressure
Sleep disturbance or insomnia
Gastrointestinal symptoms such as feeling distended in the stomach region (especially after eating), abdominal cramps and constipation
Irregular periods or absence of periods
Decrease in body temperature resulting in feeling cold often and as a result the individual could develop lanugo which is sudden hair growth on the body (arms, face and back)
Swelling of the parotid glands (which is the area located just below and in front of each ear) if purging is done repeatedly
Dental issues such as cavities, erosion of the enamel if the individual resorts to vomiting
There could be sudden variations in the weight but it is important to note that the weight is no longer a diagnostic criterion for eating disorders and relying on weight to diagnose someone could lead to under-reporting.

Psychological signs and symptoms

Mood swings, irritability, lack of concentration, increased withdrawal
Increased obsessive thoughts about food choices, calories, portions leading to anxiety and guilt around food)
Intense preoccupation of gaining weight
Body dysmorphia: perceiving oneself as being overweight/fat even if they are not or if they are even underweight

Behavioral signs and symptoms

Always checking the nutritional values of food obsessively on the labels or on the internet.
Tracking calories and portions obsessively
Episodes of binge-eating
Frequent body-checking behaviors in the mirror, weighing oneself obsessively, or pinching certain body parts
Hiding to eat, wanting to eat more by oneself instead of with others
More food rituals such as cutting food in small pieces, chewing excessively and eating foods in a specific order: for example, vegetables can always be eaten first
Always going to the bathroom after meals
Exercising excessively and being very rigid with the frequency, duration, intensity and calories burnt during physical activity

It is important to note that not all people with an eating disorder will experience the above symptoms and the latter are not diagnostic criteria for eating disorders. However, they can definitely be red flags to seek professional help.

It might undoubtedly be a delicate topic to engage in but if you see signs of an eating disorder in a family member or friend, start the conversation by expressing your concern. Use “I” instead of “you” to avoid any accusatory tone. The eating disorder voice is already present constantly in the sufferer’s head and they certainly do not need to feel blamed or criticized as this might make them more on the defensive. For example, instead of saying: “You need to eat more”, try saying “I’m scared to see you skip meals so often.”

Your concerns might be met with denial or a refusal to seek help for their eating disorder. However, try to remain calm, empathetic and continue listening to the individual without judgement. Sometimes, the person might just be afraid to seek help or does not know where to get help. A good starting point for resources could be free helplines offered by some organizations such as Nedic or Aneb where the individual can open about their struggles over the phone, text or by email.

And if you or your loved one is ready to make the first step in seeking help from an eating disorder therapist, we are here to accompany you. Please contact us to see how we can help!

June 6, 2024/by Votre nutritionniste Jaimie Yue