"Eating disorders" is a phrase with which most people are familiar. We know about anorexia and bulimia, and the dangers they pose. But a person's eating habits can put her at risk long before she develops an eating disorder:

• According to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), disordered eating is a catchall phrase that describes a person who exhibits negative attitudes about body size, weight, and food that lead to obsessively rigid eating and exercise routines.
• The attitudes and behaviors are so practiced, the persons health and well-being can be significantly compromised.
• A person who obsessively counts calories or weighs herself, regularly skips meals, abuses laxatives or diuretics, or feels guilty or ashamed after she eats may be developing disordered eating habits.

Habits that lead to disordered eating can be just as dangerous as a diagnosed eating disorder, and anyone who struggles with this problem should seek help right away.

Labels: causes of eating disorders, eating_habits

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Researchers at Saint John's University in Minnesota have found that teenagers may use vegetarianism as a cover for eating disorders. The study appears in the latest edition of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

In a research venture called Project EAT-II: Eating Among Teens, [nutritionist Ramona] Robinson-O'Brien and her team surveyed 2,516 young Minnesotans, ages 15 to 23. ... Approximately 20 percent of the vegetarians turned out to be binge eaters, compared with only five percent of those who had always eaten meat.

The survey also found that 25 percent of the vegetarians admitted to engaging in extreme weight-control measures like taking diet pills or forcing themselves to vomit. Though some teenagers do become vegetarians in an effort to eat better or to protect animals, parents should be attentive to symptoms that may indicate an eating disorder.

Source: Dallas Morning News

Labels: teenagers, causes of eating disorders, teens, eating_habits, eating_problems, vegetarians

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Often, eating disorders are only diagnosed after a person is very thin and very sick. Assessing your eating habits, or the habits of someone you love, early can encourage early intervention.

"People with eating disorders need to seek professional help. Early diagnosis and intervention significantly improves the chance of recovery. If not identified or treated in the early stages, eating disorders can become chronic, debilitating and even life-threatening conditions."

Ask yourself these questions: Do you wish parts of your body looked different? Are you unhappy with your reflection in the mirror? Do you skip meals or obsess about counting calories? Do you exercise to the point of fatigue or injury? If you or someone you know can answer "yes" to these questions, seek help. Source: Akron (OH) Beacon Journal

Labels: causes of eating disorders, risks, eating_habits

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A recent study conducted by SELF magazine, in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has found that 65% of American women between the ages of 25 and 45 have disordered eating behaviors. An additional 10% of women admitted to behaviors consistent with eating disorders.

"'What we found most surprising was the unexpectedly high number of women who engage in unhealthy purging activities,' said [Cynthia R.] Bulik, who is also a nutrition professor in the [UNC] School of Public Health. 'More than 31 percent of women in the survey reported that in an attempt to lose weight they had induced vomiting or had taken laxatives, diuretics or diet pills at some point in their life."

SELF magazine's editor-in-chief Lucy Danziger said she hopes this information will help the magazine's readers determine whether their eating habits are healthy or not, and take action if necessary. Source: Newsmax

Learn about healthy weight loss strategies at WeightLossCentral.org.

Labels: media_influences, eating_habits, healthy_eating

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