An eating disorder can have devastating emotional effects on the sufferer. Eating disorders fall into three categories: anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder (BED) or bulimia nervosa. According to the National Eating Disorders Association,...
Anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating disorder are classified as mental disorders in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Adrienne Ressler, president of the International Association of Eating...
A diet turns into an eating disorder when the circumstances around withholding or indulging in food becomes an obsession. Compulsive and ruminating thoughts can lead to extreme behaviors that result in starvation, purging of food, binge eating or...
Recovering from an eating disorder does not occur quickly, and many people who have one will relapse before they are completely able to look at eating in a normal way. According to HelpGuide.org, recovery includes treatment, support and self-help....
Eating disorders occur because of a skewed body image perception based on emotions, behaviors and attitudes toward food. Long-term eating disorders can become life-threatening without intervention and treatment. If you, or someone you know,...
If you find yourself fixated on food and weight loss, you are not alone. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, Americans spend over $40 billion on diet and weight loss products annually and 40 to 50 percent of American women are...
Binge eating disorder is an illness characterized by binging episodes, or eating excessive amounts of food, during which a person feels a loss of control. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, eating disorders are complex...
The next time you see an advertisement for the latest diet fad, think carefully before you put your health and wallet at risk. Dieting is a profitable business. The National Eating Disorders Association estimates Americans spend $40 billion on...
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, crash dieting and fad dieting, in which dieters cut out specific food groups, drastically reduce food intake or skip meals, are common in the United States. A variety of medical...
Orthorexia nervosa refers to a fixation on righteous, or healthy, eating. This disorder can begin as an effort to eat more healthfully, and then progresses to a fixation on the quality and healthfulness of the food eaten. Often, a person who...
Binge eating disorder is a complex illness characterized by frequent bouts of excessive overeating, during which you feel you have lost control. According to the Weight-control Information Network, binge eating disorder is the most common eating...
Nutritional needs for women can vary at different points during the lifespan, and educating women about these needs can help promote health and reduce the risk of health problems. Nutrition education is helpful, but if you have health problems or...
Days before your birthday, you open your front door to an explosion of confetti, singsong wishes and a table overloaded with decadent food. As you smile and utter "you shouldn't haves," your insides tremble with fear. Or perhaps anxiety sets in...
Adequate nutrition and energy intake play an integral role in athletic performance, complicating weight loss efforts during competition season. Ideally, athletes should work on weight reduction at a slow, healthy rate during the off-season....
The maple syrup diet, also called the lemonade diet or the Master Cleanse, is a highly restrictive liquid diet. The diet allows only lemon juice mixed with pure organic Grade B maple syrup, water and cayenne pepper; water containing sea salt; and...
Anxiety and depression can lead to binge eating episodes. According to Dr. Katherine Halmi, director of the eating disorders treatment program at New York Presbyterian Hospital, people who eat to deal with their anxiety find that it calms them...
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by frequent bingeing -- episodes of eating excessively while feeling lost for control, and attempts to "un-do" ingested calories, such as vomiting, laxative abuse or over-exercise. If you have bulimia...
Extreme diets are diets that promote severe dietary restrictions as weight loss tools. The diets often eliminate entire nutrient groups, such as carbohydrates or fats, or restrict calories to dangerously low levels. These extreme measures pose...
While maintaining a healthy weight can promote emotional well-being, diets pose numerous psychological risks. Americans spend more than $40 billion annually on diets and diet-related products, most of which are unsuccessful, according to the...
Have you ever gone hog wild on a big dinner or junk-food binge, then wondered how to undo the damage? You're not alone. According to the Calorie Control Council, of the 88 million Americans trying to control their weight, 86 percent say they're...
A shrub-like herb produces a type of soluble fiber called psyllium, used commercially as a bulk-forming laxative in a variety of over-the-counter and prescription medications. Fiber helps absorb fluids in the intestine to aid in passing stool....
The root word, "diet," in the term dietetics has acquired a four-letter-word connotation in the United States, and the term "nutritionist" can raise notions of dietary perfection, restriction or bionic willpower. But dietetics, or the science of...
If you are among the 68 percent of overweight Americans, dieting may seem like your gateway to happiness. The media touts headlines about the population's perpetual weight gain and associated risks. Perhaps your doctor gives you knowing looks or a...
Americans have abundant reason to be concerned about weight. According to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data taken in 2007 and 2008, almost 74 percent of U.S. adults over age 20 are overweight or obese. Deliberately deceptive...
Numerous factors can influence your physical appearance, including genetics, your ethnicity, age, gender, your personal style, self-confidence and lifestyle factors. Although particular foods aren't known to significantly alter the way you appear...
Restricting calories can be a healthy way to lose weight and reduce your risk of health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease. Cutting your calories too drastically, however, or going on a starvation diet, can...
Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by extreme fear of gaining weight, distorted body image, calorie restriction and dangerously low body weight. Up to one percent of American women struggle with anorexia, according to the National Eating...
During adolescence, a teenager's body undergoes physical changes and rapid development. While this is often the time when a teen becomes acutely aware of his body image, it's also a time when teens develop eating habits as they make more of their...
Anorexia athletica, also referred to as compulsive or obligatory exercise, is a form of anorexia that involves excessive exercise as a means of extreme weight reduction. It is a serious disorder that may require intensive treatment as a means of...
