There’s more to what we eat than nutrients and energy. Beyond food itself, our relationship to it has an even greater impact on our well-being. Food is often a focal point of social connection, from holidays and celebrations to time spent around the table with loved ones or conversations with colleagues over lunch hour. It’s cultural and even spiritual in many cases.
On the other hand, it can also be a source of significant stress, especially for those who have faced food insecurity, struggles with weight or body image, allergies and sensitivities or shame around eating. Because our beliefs and perceptions regarding food tend to impact our eating habits, any negative associations can make meeting nutrition needs incredibly difficult. Disordered eating exists on a spectrum—meaning that even without a formal eating disorder diagnosis, harmful food behaviours can still significantly impact mental and physical health if left unchecked.
What are the signs of an eating disorder?
While there are several clinically recognized eating disorders, the most common include:
- Anorexia nervosa, which is characterized by an irrational fear of weight gain that leads to severe food restriction and obsessive exercising.
- Bulimia nervosa, which includes purging food, particularly after periods of binge eating, again due to fears around weight and body image.
- Binge-eating disorder, which involves frequent overeating to the point of discomfort and distress.
Each of these disorders has distinct characteristics, but they all often involve a heightened preoccupation with food, eating or body image as a way of coping with distress or restoring a sense of safety.
Because eating disorders are complex mental health conditions that can have many concurrent underlying factors, it’s imperative to seek professional diagnosis and support. Even though we may observe ourselves or those close to us out of well-meaning concern, we should avoid self-diagnosis or jumping to conclusions—body image and health are sensitive topics that require thoughtful navigation. With this in mind, here are some recognizable signs to be aware of:
- Behaviour changes. These can be specifically food-related, including strict eating rules or restrictions, skipping meals, hiding food, ignoring hunger or fullness cues and avoiding eating around others, or not—sleeping more, exercising with increased frequency or intensity, losing interest in hobbies or passions and withdrawing socially.
- Self-regulation issues. Think intense emotions, reactions that are out of character or shifts in mood, like sudden depressive symptoms and increased anxiety or irritability.
- Physical signs. Significant weight changes can be an indicator, but should not be the main focus, as we can’t know someone has an eating disorder just by looking at them. Weakness, lethargy and dehydration are commonly caused by a lack of proper nutrition. Frequent restriction, bingeing or laxative misuse can lead to a myriad of digestive issues, while purging can cause dental hygiene problems.
While these particular behaviours or symptoms may not necessarily equate to an eating disorder, they’re still potentially harmful—and increasingly so if not addressed.
What should I do if I’m worried about an eating disorder?
Early intervention is crucial because of the severe health consequences of eating disorders, but those struggling are often unwilling to acknowledge or accept that they’re in need of treatment. As with anyone facing mental health challenges, approaching the subject with respect and understanding is key. Guilt, fear and shame are common, so extra care is necessary to avoid compounding those feelings. The main priority is getting qualified medical guidance, including a potential diagnosis and referral to appropriate treatment.
If you’re recognizing physical or behavioural signs of disordered eating, documenting them to share with your primary care provider is a helpful first step. Preparation can make all the difference when starting the difficult journey of seeking care.
How can EAP counselling and nutritional guidance help?
counselling usually plays a key role in recovery. Our network includes professionals who specialize in a wide range of therapeutic approaches, with many that are recognized for eating disorder treatment—acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and more—all available through Arcora’s EAP counselling. We also offer various types of family counselling, which can be particularly helpful for treating adolescent patients.
In addition to counselling, personalized support from a registered dietitian is often beneficial, and with nutritional guidance, Arcora’s EAP involves just that. Some common focus areas a dietitian can help with include building or rebuilding a positive relationship with food, challenging food rules in a supportive and structured environment and creating healthy, sustainable eating habits through nutrition education.
How can I access support?
If you or a family member are looking to access Arcora’s EAP counselling, nutritional guidance or any other available supports, it’s easy to connect with us by phone or online. Our responsive and empathetic team will listen to your concerns and carefully match you with a suitable professional in our network.
If you’re looking for helpful information or resources around mental health and eating disorders, these organizations are a great place to start:
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