Today on the radio I listened about a new drug developed in Australia that mimicks the responses of diet and exercise in the brain. This drug has the capacity to cut approximately 1/3 of the caloric intake for a day. Needless to say I had two major reactions....the first was, "Oh my gosh, this is so dangerous, yes some people should probably eat less calories but relying on drugs is not a healthy lifestyle..." (followed by thoughts about how, no we're not going to be living until we're 150 years of age thanks to this drug so on and so forth). The second reaction was, "Gee I wonder if I could get my hands on that!" Where is that second comment coming from, well an eating disordered perspective I believe. I don't think I have a severe eating disorder at this point in time. I think it is what it is and I don't really see it changing for a whole series of reasons. It doesn't overly impact my day to day living, it doesn't torture my mind as much as it once did (although I still have bad days) and my general pattern of engagement with food remains constant in general.
However, what I'd like to talk about is this preconception that people with eating disorders only ever eat healthy. It doesn't work like that! I tend to eat fairly healthy because my body simply is intolerant or allergic to a bazillion different foods (plus the gastroperesis creates issues if I eat too much at one time)...but I still love ice cream (although my body doesn't), same with hot chips, pasta, bread etc...all these things that *I* enjoy but my body doesn't. And the eating disorder side of things DOES place restrictions on these things at times but not always. I tend to eat a healthy very wide variety of food from a wide range of cultures. However, guess what the food was that helped me increase my weight during both major relapse/breakdown periods? ICE CREAM! Yep, not so much a healthy food. I'm not able to binge very easily, but I'd compulsively sit down to a huge tub of ice cream, semi-melted (I liked it like that) and off I'd go.
I know other people who work on calories alone and not so much the nutrition and they will do similar things, eating chocolate, chips, ice cream, sweet foods much more readily and easily then making a formal nutritionally balanced meal or snack. Is that necessarily bad? I don't think so, but I do think it blows the myth out of the water that those people with eating disorders only eat healthy, they might (especially if they have a form of orthorexia) but not necessarily.
Another case in point is inpatient eating disorder programs (and some outpatient programs). Often the meals are provided on a range of foods and then snacks include a range of foods in moderation ranging from things like fruit to things like cakes and biscuits. They are desperately trying to teach "normality" in eating to the patients. Now that isn't going to work well for all patients because not every person is alike but the concept is a good one nevertheless.
As I get so sick from food, I really have learnt to have all things in moderation. I think that is what people with eating disorders should strive for as best as possible, but just next time someone you know with an eating disorder decides to order a piece of cake, or has three sushi rolls instead of two, don't comment on it other than maybe how nice (or not nice) it tastes but don't be surprised or shocked. People with eating disorders still have taste buds, they might be a bit flattened but they're still there, they will still want all sorts of food but drawing attention to that, its just not helpful at all. It's typically hard enough to eat the stuff, let alone while catching up with a friend or worker etc.
So just remember, there is no "set" description of what someone with an eating disorder is going to eat or not eat, each person will have their own set of eating disordered rules that they're desperately trying to follow. Those rules are best left to professionals to work through and sort out, but as people, be it in a professional role or even more so as friends and families, we need to nto be shocked and be open to alternatives and differences in the food choices made by people with an eating disorder :).
Thanks for listening!
PS. If you're struggling with an eating disorder and unable to get help, you can contact the Kids Helpline, Lifeline, Eating Disorders Victoria or the Butterfly foundation for assistance in Australia (These details should be on the referral information page). If you require help from outside of Australia, please do not hesitate to email me and I will provide you with the right numbers to call.
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