March is National Nutrition Month! National Nutrition Month (NNM) is a campaign that invites everyone to develop healthy eating habits. But, what does “healthy” mean? This word can be a trigger to some who struggle with an eating disorder. It can also mean so many different things to different people. In the eating disorder recovery community, “healthy” means “balanced”.
As the new year approaches, it’s always easy to get sucked-in to the newest fad diet claims. The diet industry ramps up this time of year knowing many people gained some weight over the holidays and will be setting new year’s resolutions to lose it. It’s not surprising that weight loss becomes a focus, as our society is very focused on body image and the numbers on a scale.
“I had no idea she was struggling with her body image and weight as much as she was…”
“He told me he wanted to start getting fit for the new sport season, so I just thought he was eating healthier….”
“She had never really been a picky eater and really enjoyed food until 8th grade and then something changed. It was like she was becoming a different kid when it came to food…”
These are all comments that I often hear from parents when their child comes in for their first eating disorder nutrition assessment.
