~ by Sina King-Smith, MS, M.Ed., RDN, LD (she/her/hers) It’s National School Counselor Week and in honor of this week, let’s take a look at how school counselors can support students with eating disorders, common signs and symptoms of disordered eating and eating disorders, as well as resources that may help along the way. Let’s…
Why is Self-Esteem a Protective Factor against Eating Disorder Risk? ~Sina King-Smith, MS, M.Ed., RDN, LD (she/her/hers) We talk a lot about eating disorders, and I recently wrote about different signs and symptoms to look out for. Remember, risk factors associated with eating disorders are complex and layered, involving biological, social, and environmental factors. Body…
You may have found this page because you or someone you know is struggling with a lot of gastrointestinal (GI) issues. These may feel like bloating, excess gas, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal cramping, early fullness, maybe blood in your stool or severe abdominal pain. Gastrointestinal issues can be very distressing – I’ve been there too. They…
Part 3: Evolving Frameworks in the Field In Part 2, we connected the body standards to eating disorders and reviewed the alarming rates of disordered behaviors in military service members in an attempt to meet the set standards. Early on, the research has given us many clues as to why the standards in place might…
Diabetes is a chronic illness that impacts how someone’s body breaks down glucose (carbohydrates). The traditional treatment for diabetes is centered in diet culture and fat phobia, traditionally requesting that folks with this diagnosis lose weight, restrict carbs, and keep their lab values at a perfect level. Due to the hyperfocus on food, food groups,…
Part 2: The Consequences of Body Standards amongst Military Service Members In part 1, we learned about the existence of military body standards and some consequences of not meeting those standards. In part 2, we will review some of the further consequences of these standards–the ones we do not speak about nearly enough. These are…
Part 1: How Does Diet Culture Show Up in the Military? It is no secret that talk about weight, size, and body shape is everywhere we look today. Diet culture is widely defined as a system of beliefs that value the appearance of the body over actual health and well-being. Usually, we consume diet culture…
Alo Nutrition is offering meal support sessions now, and I am so excited to announce our Meal Support Mindfulness group! When thinking about how I wanted to write a blog post about it, it made the most sense to share a process I used in developing the group. I asked myself the following questions: 1….
Meal Support in Eating Disorder Treatment and Recovery Though the spectrum of eating disorders can vary greatly, what all eating disorders have in common is inconsistent eating behaviors and distressing thoughts around food. People with eating disorders tend to avoid or be fearful of eating certain foods. Working with a therapist and registered dietitian trained…
Athletes need more energy intake than the average person. Why? Because you are moving and burning more than the average person. The culture of sports can be detrimental for what we think might make us a better “athlete”, but some individuals don’t talk about or know the importance of proper intake and how this can…