Eating disorders: "simple" solution, complex issue

Eating disorders can be hard to understand. What seems like a straight forward “skewed vision of one's body” is rarely this simple.

Providing a fridge full of good food or begging people with an eating disorder to "just eat!" very rarely works. No matter how minor the problem seems to be (and it is common to scoff it off as not serious enough for therapy) professional help is needed to recover. One problem that tends to be underestimated is binge eating disorder. Unfortunately, many people who suffer from BED have the same body image problems as people with anorexia or bulimia.

Why professional help? Because they help the sufferer deal with all the major complexities of an eating disorder. Believing yourself to be “fat” when you are thin (or a normal weight) is only one of the symptoms of an eating disorder. A major component that goes one step deeper is the fact that self-worth is based on weight. The higher the weight, the lower the self-worth. Rather than looking at all aspects of life that make up an evaluation of one’s self, like being a nice person, a good student, a kind daughter/son, punctual, reliable, etc-  weight is the most important aspect.

This is why exploring more than just body weight is needed for recovery. Specialized psychologists and dietitians can help with all behaviors of an eating disorder to help increase other aspects of life that make up self-worth.

When weight loss is the goal, no amount of weight lost is enough. Food becomes feared since it brings the person farther away from their goal of weighing less. This fear can be compared to a fear of dogs. If someone has an intense fear of dogs, they will likely do anything they can to get away from one or avoid being close to one. This intense fear can lead them to do things that puts their life in danger. Imagine running into traffic after being scared by a dog on the street or being confining to the house since there may be a dog outside. Neither of these behaviors are healthy but they are done to avoid the dog. Similarly, if someone is scared of food, they may avoid social situations where food is the main event, live with a dangerously low body weight or even sacrifice their teeth to get rid of any food eaten.

So, would offering food to someone who is scared help to decrease this fear? Well, in the short run, no. It is a process that takes time. Small exposures to the thing that is feared (whether it be dogs or food) and working up to the equivalent to petting a dog works best. Although someone who is underweight would benefit from eating high calorie foods, it takes time to work up to being able to do it. This process is best done with the help of a professional to help guide and provide support. Usually it starts by adding “safe” foods to a routine and progress to more “scary” foods.

One thing that has been proven time and time again, is that returning to a healthy weight by eating the foods your body needs is the most effective treatment for an eating disorder. 

So called "healthy" habits

Nothing gets my goat like pseudo nutrition advice - and unfortunately the most damage is caused by people who are believed to be "experts" with no actual knowledge. Case in point: bodybuilding and workout "gurus".

In the past, I have been involved in the "workout" or "bodybuilding" world. I have since decided to focus on other domains of nutrition partly because somethings just never sat right for me with this area of "nutrition". 

Firstly, there is not much of an opening for dietitians. Too many trainers take over the role of dietitians, psychologist and even doctors. Unfortunately, they do not have actual knowledge to back up their advice. And no, anecdotal or single case studies do not count as science based facts. Because dietitians believe in balanced meals, the consumption of all 3 macronutrients and that all foods can fit into a healthy diet- we are less dazzling. We are less "interesting" than people who taut amazing, too good to be true, miracle, quick results and this is because dietitians are regulated by an Order that helps to ensure that we are qualified to give nutrition advice and that our knowledge is based on science. 

Secondly, for people who claim to love their bodies and want to be super healthy, its a mystery to me why they rely on so many powders (i.e. protein powders and so called "vegetable" greens), processed foods (meal replacement bars, protein bars, fibre bars), and unnatural "natural" supplements (garlic capsules and plant enzymes). Of course, not all weightlifters or bodybuilders use these products but many do and many more are being encouraged/pressured everyday. The money spent on these products is unbelievable. The worst part is, they are not regulated and often come with a bunch of untested health claims. It's beyond my comprehension why dietitian's suggestions to eat high fibre foods, add real garlic and food fats to recipes and to include lean protein rich foods daily is not taken more often. I can tell you that a glass of chocolate milk tastes better and is much cheaper than a protein powder drink.

Lastly, the lack of variety of the types of foods eaten continues to astonish me. Every book or diet warns of a different "bad" food and promises the superpowers of a different food. None of the diets admit to how crazy their recommendations really are and they all apparently have "proof" of how and why they "work". I compare this lack of insight to someone who believes in fairies finding the idea that Santa Claus exists ridiculous. In other words, with these diets you are merely trading one food myth/misconception for another. From a dietitians point of view, a healthy diet includes a variety of food from all the food groups. Boiled chicken, eggs, sweet potatoes and oatmeal are only a few of the many healthy choices. Anything otherwise is just untrue.