Are you a Normal Eater?
Normal is such an ambiguous word that I often try to avoid using with my patients. I strive to provide each of my patients with a broad definition that can be individualized for each person. This is key because we all have food preferences and different cultural components that play into what we eat on a daily basis.
So What Is Consider Disordered Eating?
Disordered eating is expansive and I could probably come up with 1,000 different bullet points, so I will save you and just hit the high notes.
- Viewing food as good or bad, healthy or unhealthy
- Thinking about food other than around meal time
- Chronic dieting or "watching your weight"
- Skipping meals
- Feelings of guilt for not exercising
- Restricting whole food groups or certain types of food
- Frequent worry or fear of weight gain
- Rewarding or punishing yourself with food
- Feeling guilty after consumption of certain foods
- Abiding by food rules
- Making food choices based only on health and not preference
- Using food for comfort
- Frequent conversations focused on food, weight, and/or body
- Frequent worry or fear of health consequences
According to a recent study, over 1/2 the females between the ages of 18-25 would prefer to be run over by a truck then be fat, and 2/3 surveyed would rather be mean or stupid.
The diet and diet related industry is a 50 billion dollar a year enterprise and the most common behavior that will lead to an eating disorder is dieting.
So What Is Considered Normal Eating?
It is hard to find a normal eater, or at least by my definition of a normal eater. There are several socially acceptable forms of disordered eating - healthy vs unhealthy, compensating for what you eat with exercise, etc. I bet its hard to even think of someone in your life that is a normal eater. The following are some components to normal eating...
- Thoughts about food only occupy a small amount of your time
- All foods can fit, no foods are considered bad or unhealthy with moderation
- There is no guilt associated with food selections or exercise
- Exercise allows you to feel connected to your body
- Trusting your body to tell you what and how much to eat
- Recognition that all bodies are beautiful
- Society does not influence your feelings towards your body or other body types
- Consumption includes a variety of foods
- Hunger is honored through out the day despite the time of day or how much previously eaten
- A person's weight or body does not determine their worth or value
91% of women surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting. 22% dieted "often" or "always.
A study conducted by Cornell University found that 40% of male football players surveyed engaged in some sort of disordered eating behavior.
If you are interested in freeing yourself from disordered eating and becoming a normal eater please visit my contact page or email me directly at caseyvoorhies@gmail.com. #dallasnutritionalcounseling
How to Determine if you are a normal eater, Registered Dietitian Casey Voorhies of Dallas Nutritional Counseling
Exercise During Eating Disorder Recovery - Movement and exercise, although very important for mental and physical wellbeing, can be a complicated topic while in treatment of an eating disorder. It is important to recognize that the biggest challenge with adding physical activity or movement is receiving the benefits of physical activity without allowing it to trigger relapses during recovery.