By Katie Gaffney, R.D.
Making wise food choices and eating the correct portions are key to maintaining good health.
But when your eating behaviors and relationship with food interfere with life and normal functioning, it could be a sign of disordered eating or a more dangerous condition – an eating disorder.
The Princeton Center for Eating Disorders at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center provides a range of programs for adults, adolescents and children as young as eight who are suffering from anorexia, bulimia or other eating disorders.
Is it Disordered Eating or an Eating Disorder?
Along with regular exercise, a healthy approach to good nutrition is to learn the components of a balanced diet.
However, fad diets and obsessive exercise can lead to unhealthy — and sometimes dangerous — behaviors.
There are distinct differences between disordered eating and an eating disorder.
Disordered eating often involves jumping into different diets, experiencing weight fluctuations as a result of those fads, and being overly strict about what you eat and when and how you exercise.
An eating disorder is a serious condition typically characterized by specific eating-related behaviors, such as an intense focus on weight, body shape and size, and caloric intake that can interfere with a person’s ability to function.
The most commonly diagnosed eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.
- Anorexia nervosa. People with anorexia nervosa reduce their food intake significantly over time. The result is usually low or extremely low body weight.
- Bulimia nervosa. People with bulimia nervosa commonly binge on large amounts of food over a short period of time and then compensate with purging behaviors such as vomiting, use of laxatives, fasting or exercising to excess.
- Binge eating disorder. People with binge eating disorder will feel a loss of control that results in eating to excess. Unlike with bulimia nervosa, these binge eating episodes are not followed by purging behaviors.
Research shows that eating disorders are caused by a combination of genetic, biological, behavioral, psychological and social factors. While they are most common among teens and young adults, eating disorders can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender or socioeconomic status.
An estimated 20 million women and 10 million men in the United States will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lives, according to the National Eating Disorders Association.
Watch for These Signs
Eating disorders that go untreated can lead to long-term health issues such as heart problems, peptic ulcers, osteopenia or osteoporosis and even death, depending on the nature of the disorder.
Be alert for eating patterns and red flags that may indicate a problem, including:
- Skipping meals or making excuses for not eating
- Excessive focus on healthy eating
- Making an individual meal rather than eating what the family eats
- Withdrawing from normal social activities
- Persistent worry or complaining about being fat and talk of losing weight
- Frequent checking in the mirror for perceived flaws
- Repeatedly eating large amounts of sweets or high-fat foods
- Use of dietary supplements, laxatives or herbal products for weight loss
- Excessive exercise
- Problems with loss of tooth enamel that may be a sign of repeated vomiting
- Leaving during meals to use the toilet
- Repeated instances of food missing from the kitchen
- Expressing depression, disgust, shame or guilt about eating habits
- Eating in secret
It is important to recognize the signs of disordered eating and seek help before the problem gets worse. A mental health professional can help determine whether you might be at risk for developing an eating disorder.
If you believe you or a loved one may have an eating disorder, it’s important to seek medical treatment. Although taking that first step to get help is difficult, people dealing with eating disorders should know that they are not alone.
Treatment Options
To foster meaningful and lasting change, treatment for eating disorders should combine psychosocial and nutritional support, family involvement and the latest advances in clinical care, together with an atmosphere of understanding, safety, respect and support throughout the recovery process.
Care in Princeton Center for Eating Disorders’ inpatient program begins with the development of an individualized treatment plan by a multidisciplinary team that includes a physician, a therapist, a registered dietitian, and a nurse. From there, a well-structured, daily inpatient program reinforces treatment goals while taking into account each patient’s age and developmental level.
Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health also offers outpatient treatment through its Emotional Eating Track, geared toward individuals who are having difficulty managing the symptoms of a mood disorder and use food as a way to regulate emotions.
For more information about the Princeton Center for Eating Disorders and Princeton House Behavioral Health, call 888.437.1610 or visit princetonhcs.org/eatingdisorders.
Katie Gaffney, R.D., is a registered dietitian with Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health.
