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Parent guide to how childhood trauma causes emotional eating

Emotional eating is a way to define a disordered way of eating, and it’s strongly associated with childhood trauma.  That’s what led Brittany to call me about her daughter Candice. “I’m worried that she’s emotional eating,” Brittany said. “Candice has always been anxious, and she’s experienced some serious social and…

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What can parents really do to help kids with ARFID?

Avoidant Restrictive Feeding Intake Disorder, called ARFID, is a type of eating disorder that’s characterized by many of the same symptoms as anorexia, but it differs in that the reason for food restriction is not driven by a desire for weight loss. People with ARFID are unable to meet their…

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How to set boundaries with grandparents about weight and eating habits

Setting boundaries with grandparents who make negative or inappropriate comments about weight and eating habits can be a challenging task. However, it is essential to handle these situations assertively, as they can have a lasting impact on our children’s body image and relationship with food. Katie’s story Katie’s mother-in-law frequently…

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Please don’t say that eating sugar and sweets causes diabetes

3 real-life stories of women whose parents warned them about diabetes (and what to do instead) “If you eat too many cupcakes, you’ll get diabetes.” “Chocolate milk is like drinking a tall glass of diabetes.” “Eating that much sugar will make you diabetic like Grandma.” Some version of this has…

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How to handle mood swings in eating disorder recovery

Melanie feels worn out. Her teenage daughter Kimmy has an eating disorder, but that’s not even the biggest challenge right now. “What we’re really struggling with,” says Melanie, “are the endless mood swings. She’s up and down constantly, either yelling at me and getting in my face or slamming doors…

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How to help your child with an eating disorder stay safe

Nicki reached out to me when her daughter Kiara was scheduled to return from residential treatment for her eating disorder. “My biggest concern is her safety,” said Nicki. “And I mean both physically and emotionally. I’m just so scared that she’ll come home and slip back into the disorder. I…

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How to talk to your child about their eating disorder

Kylie and her daughter Brooke are locking horns. “I just don’t understand why we can’t have a calm, rational discussion about Brooke’s eating disorder,” says Kylie. “Normally we can talk about anything, but when it comes to the eating disorder, Brooke is so reactive and completely closed off to me.…

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How parents can actually make binge eating disorder better

Cyrus is worried about his son Miles, who was recently diagnosed with binge eating disorder. “I honestly don’t understand what is going on, or what we are supposed to be doing at home to help,” says Cyrus. “We’ve got Miles in therapy, but other than that, we’ve received no guidance…

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Helpful ways parents can improve girls’ body image

“My body image has been terrible my whole life, and now I see the same thing happening with my girls,” says Liz. “I want to improve my daughters’ body image, but it feels impossible sometimes.” Liz isn’t alone. Negative body image is a major issue, particularly for girls. One survey…

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Real world stories of hormones and eating disorders

Elizabeth, Mireia, Lisette, Chelsey, and many others believe there is a link between their hormones and eating disorders. With the chemical changes throughout the menstrual cycle and the weight gain that often accompanies puberty and other hormone-related conditions, there’s a lot to unpack when it comes to body image, disordered…

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How to supercharge eating disorder recovery with embodiment

Embodiment is the sensation of being in your own body and trusting the body’s signals, desires, and demands, and it’s very helpful in eating disorder recovery. An embodied person has a respectful, trusting, and kind relationship with their body. For centuries, Western culture has promoted the separation of mind and…

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ARFID: expert advice to help parents support recovery

Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder that features highly selective eating patterns. The major risk for kids with ARFID is not getting enough nutrients and becoming weight suppressed, which can interfere with growth and overall health. Getting expert advice when a child has ARFID can help parents…

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True (and painful) stories of complex trauma and eating disorders

Complex trauma is trauma that happens over a long period of time, often beginning in early childhood, and it’s strongly associated with eating disorders. Traumatic experiences range from physical and verbal abuse to less-obvious but still deeply damaging behavior like criticism, emotional neglect, weight teasing, food insecurity, and food shaming. …

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