The All Too Common Diet Culture to Eating Disorder Pipeline
I am 20-years-old. I haven’t been on a diet, or restricted my food, in over four years. I eat intuitively, honoring my hunger and my cravings. I am free. 14-year-old me would never believe that statement. 14-year-old me had gone on such extreme diets, and restricted myself to so few foods, that I was hardly […]
Nurse and Patient: Living With an Eating Disorder
My history with disordered eating and eating disorders involved dieting, which was sometimes disguised as “lifestyle changes” or “clean eating”. Dieting was and is everywhere and there is always a new way to lose weight or a new food plan or magic pill and I can remember going on my first diet as early as […]
The Consequences of Diet Culture on Weddings
When I told my friends and family that I was dieting for my wedding, no one batted an eye. That statement didn’t seem out of the ordinary. In fact, it felt more like an assumption or expectation. Unfortunately, that’s what diet culture – or the over-glorification of weight loss – is doing. May 6 is […]
Drawing The Line
Studies have shown that individuals with an eating disorder are far more likely to develop or have a coexisting substance use disorder.1,2Sadly, this isn’t a surprising statistic and could have been me at the height of my eating disorder in college. I used food as a coping mechanism, so why not alcohol? I endured years […]
Behind Closed Doors of Recovery
The summer of 2019, was the summer I thought my eighteen year old self was achieving and becoming my best self- three months of ‘working hard’ only turned around to be the most challenging time of actually becoming my best self, full circle. From eighteen to twenty-one, still learning the non-linear battle of recovery, I […]
Coming Clean
The first time I drank, I got black out drunk. At a college Halloween party, I did my best to keep up with my older friends. Shot by shot, I felt more and more accomplished, finally outside my own head. I took selfies with friends and danced unashamedly in only a bodysuit and fishnet. In […]
Ignore and Avoid
That was how I lived. Something upset me? Just forget about it. Afraid of conflict in setting boundaries? Don’t make them. Worried about gaining weight? Don’t eat. My whole existence revolved around those three solutions. When I found myself burnt out and broken starting my last year of college, I stayed true to my system. […]
Celebrating Strength through Community during National Volunteer Week 2023
As we celebrate National Volunteer Week (April 16-22), I want to express my deepest gratitude to the incredible volunteers who have dedicated their time, energy, and expertise to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). Volunteers are the heart of NEDA. Their unwavering passion for wanting to make impactful changes in their communities is unmatched. NEDA volunteers […]
ARFID: Because Middle School Isn’t Hard Enough Already
Everyone knows a picky eater—maybe even an extremely picky eater—but few are familiar with the term ARFID, even as it gains recognition in the medical and psychiatric communities. The picky eater I knew was my own nephew, now a twenty-five-year-old adult. His picky eating had been relatively manageable when he was very young, but after […]
