What is an eating disorder?
An eating disorder is a complex mental and physical illness that is influenced by biological, psychological and social factors. Eating disorders affect individuals of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds, not to mention all shapes and sizes. For someone with an eating disorder, there can be an intense preoccupation with weight, body image, food, calories and/or exercise. They may experience strong fear about food, eat secretively, and develop unusual food behaviors or rituals. They can experience obsessive thoughts about food and weight which may interfere with their daily life. Some examples of eating disorders include Anorexia Nervosa, Atypical Anorexia, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders.
Orthorexia
Orthorexia nervosa is a mental illness where the sufferer is obsessed with eating “healthy.” A person with orthorexia typically obsesses about avoiding foods that are thought to be harmful or "bad." There’s no official diagnosis in the mental health textbooks, but it has been proposed as an eating disorder in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V).
A person with orthorexia might obsessively avoid eating out, worry about the quality of food or its “cleanliness,” or become consumed with avoiding whole groups of food because they’re “unhealthy.” Orthorexia can cause malnutrition, osteoporosis, muscle loss, fatigue and depression, severe weight loss, and more.
How can a dietitian help you?
If you’re struggling with an eating disorder, a dietitian will provide you with reliable nutrition education as well as support and accountability. The ultimate goal is to help you repair your relationship with food, exercise and body image. Your dietitian will assist you with nutritional rehabilitation, introduce opportunities for food exposures and dispel myths about food and weight influenced by diet culture. Above all else, your dietitian will be your advocate for recovery when the eating disorder voice is unrelenting.
What does your meal plan look like?
When you work with the Alo Nutrition team, we’ll incorporate various meal plan strategies to help you in nutrition recovery. Each meal plan is customized to meet your individual goals. Our long-term goal is to help you adopt an Intuitive Eating approach, but we may be more structured at first. We may initially use a discharge meal plan from a treatment facility as you navigate the transition to the outpatient setting. Throughout our work, we will guide you to incorporate foods you enjoy in a way that fits your lifestyle and needs. We’ll ultimately meet you where you are in your journey.
Can intuitive eating be incorporated in treatment?
Yes! One of the most significant contributors to the development of an eating disorder is dieting. Intuitive Eating principles are about trusting your body’s wisdom and rejecting diet culture.
You are born with innate cues to meet your body’s energy needs, however over time those cues can be overridden as negative messages about food and body test your body trust. Learning to reconnect to your internal cues and accept your body will allow you to feel satisfied with your food choices and confident in your ability to nourish your body.
Why should you work with Alo Nutrition?
We have an incredible team of talented dietitians, many of whom have years of experience treating eating disorders. Rest assured that you’ll be paired with an expert who can help you restore the balance in your life.