Eat or not to eat? Let’s find out

Hi ppl, I hope all my readers are in good health. And for all headache patients, hope my tips worked for you. Well, this time I am here with a very interesting and indeed a very common disorder, especially amongst girls; eating disorder. 5 to 10 million adolescent girls and women have an eating disorder.

And about 1 million males also suffer the same. The 3 most common eating disorders are- anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. These result in an obsession with food and/or weight; anxiety around eating; guilt and severe and adverse effects on physical and psychological health. These disorders are not light ones; they should be taken seriously.

No specific cause has been found for these disorders. However, there are many risk factors which include- possible biological or genetic links; pressure from society to be thin; personal and family pressures; a history of sexual, physical or psychological abuse; fear of entering puberty or of sexual relations; pressure for athletes to lose weight or to be thin for competitive sports and chronic dieting.

Now, lets have a look at the symptoms. For anorexia nervosa, these are- loss of significant amount of weight in a short period; obsession with fat, calories and weight; the person feels or sees himself as fat when below normal weight for his height or age; a need to be perfect or in control in one area of life.

Loss of hair; slowed heart rate; low blood pressure; feeling cold due to decrease in body temperature and absence of menstrual periods in females. For bulimia nervosa- repeated acts of binge eating and purging. Purging can be through vomiting, taking pills, fasting and exercising excessively; excessive concern about body weight; frequent dieting; dental problems, mouth sores and chronic sore throat and frequent time spent in bathrooms. For binge eating disorder- periods of continuous and sporadic eating that are unrelated to hunger; impulsive binging on food without purging; repeated use of diets of sporadic fasts and fluctuation of weight.

I’ll again say, do not take these lightly, these have long lasting effects. Treatment for eating varies with the disorder and its severity. The earlier the condition is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome. Counseling can be helpful; this can be in individual, family, group or behavioural therapy. Other treatments are- support groups; anti depressant medication; nutrition therapy and outpatient treatment programs or hospitalization, if the condition is severe enough.

Self care tips-
• Accept yourself and your body. You don’t need to be or look like someone else. Spend time with people who accept you as you are, not people who focus on thinness.
• Eat at regular times during the day. Don’t skip meals; if you do, you are more likely to binge.
• Remember that all foods are okay to eat.
• Get regular but moderate exercise 3 to 4 times a week.
• Find success in your work, hobbies and volunteer activities.

If you have an eating disorder- follow your health care provider’s treatment plan; attend counseling sessions as scheduled; identify feelings before, during and after you overeat, binge, purge or restrict food intake; talk to someone instead of turning to food and most importantly do not let scale run your life. Better yet, throw out the scale!

See you next week and don’t forget to send your queries at health@livepunjab.com