nutrition for eating disorders

Extreme Celebrity Diets- by Katie Funk

Extreme Celebrity Diets- by Katie Funk

We see it everyday on TV, in magazines, or on the Internet. Stories of extreme weight loss among celebrities are given major attention in the media. These people are praised and celebrated for their new “healthy” lifestyles and their decreasing dress size, and are presented as role models for our youth. But I can’t help but wonder if these stories are only adding to the unrealistic ideals we hold about weight and body type. Take Jennifer Hudson. She is the spotlight of diet and health in Hollywood right now, and because of her…Read more
A Skeleton With Skin- By Lee Harmon

A Skeleton With Skin- By Lee Harmon

Last week I was doing some research on recent discoveries or studies done on eating disorders. I came across a website that featured a French woman who has since died from complications with anorexia. She was a model, and there were many beautifully taken photos of her; however, her painfully emaciated body was all that I could focus on. She was literally nothing but flesh and bones, her sharp features made even sharper by her nonexistent body fat. She looked like a skeleton with skin. The crazy thing was that I felt two…Read more

How Does a Mother of Three Get High School Skinny? By Lee Harmon

I was driving down the road the other day and I saw something that had me super confused. It was a giant billboard of a beautiful, blonde woman showing off her flat, tanned stomach. On the billboard was the question “How did this mother of three get high school skinny?” And of course there was a business name and a 1-800 number to call. High school skinny? What does that mean? My brain was flooded with all sorts of conflicting emotions. At first I thought the obvious – How DOES a mother of…Read more
Learning to Communicate

Learning to Communicate

Paulson V Veliyannoor, MS Pre-Doctoral Intern/ Clinical Staff Susan B Krevoy Eating Disorder Program Khalil Gibran famously wrote in The Prophet: “In speech, truth is half-murdered.” Well, there is much truth in this statement. Yet the inability to speak may leave the truth fully murdered with its remains leaking through the pores of one’s being. An Eating Disorder is one such leakage which results from, among other things, the difficulty to verbalize one’s needs and feelings. In other words, eating disorder is one form of maladaptive communication. Learning to communicate, then, is one of…Read more
A Cultural Perspective on Gender and Eating Disorders in Group Therapy By: Stephen L Salter, Psy.D

A Cultural Perspective on Gender and Eating Disorders in Group Therapy By: Stephen L Salter, Psy.D

When I began running groups at the SBK Eating Disorders Program, I wasn’t surprised to find I’d be working primarily with women.  I was aware that the epidemic hit women three times harder than men, but I wasn’t sure why.  I knew larger social forces were at play.  After all, The United States fosters more eating disorders than any country in the world.  Many point to the flooding of media images—unrealistic, unhealthy, and grossly underweight ideals of what it mean to be beautiful.  Is it possible to avoid these external influences? Why not…Read more
Non-Hunger Eating and Change

Non-Hunger Eating and Change

Eve Lahijani,, RD Nutritionist for the Susan B. Krevoy Eating Disorder Program Every few months I buy a pot of orchids from Trader Joe’s to decorate my home/office.  However, on this trip to the market, I could not find the exact shade or orchids I usually select.  In turn, I chose a slightly pinker shade of purple. When I brought my orchids home I tuned into my irritation at the fact that the potted flowers did not match the decor on my table – and tuned into my frustration thatthings will not be…Read more
Nutrition Therapy

Nutrition Therapy

By Eve Lahijani, MS, RD Dietician for Krevoy Eating Disorders Program Nutritional status can be impaired for those suffering from an eating disorder. Erratic meal patterns, restriction, inadequate nutritional intake, recurrent binges, vomiting, etc. wreak havoc on one’s metabolism. In addition, these practices can stress the physiologic system, take a toll on one’s psychological well-being and profoundly compromise one’s relationship to food. The goal of nutrition therapy is to re-establish a regular meal pattern, improve nutritional intake, expand food choices, dispel nutritional myths and finally relearn how to use the body’s signal to…Read more
Mindfulness on a Toothpick

Mindfulness on a Toothpick

By Eve Lahijani, R.D. According to a survey by the Promotion Marketing Association, being able to sample food is the most influential factor when customers decide to buy a new product. Furthermore, seven out of 10 shoppers report that they would occasionally or usually buy a product they sampled. Here’s how it works: People want to try something new yet they fear the unknown. A free sample is a safe, low risk way to do that. When they have a taste, they really pay attention to what they like and dislike about what…Read more
Nutrition Nibbles

Nutrition Nibbles

By Eve Lahijani, M.S., R.D. Registered Dietician at the Susan B. Krevoy Eating Disorders Program Do outside food rules keep you from choosing foods you crave or prevent you from eating at certain times? Do other peoples’ restrictive behavior or comments about food, body, etc make you doubt your own wisdom? Are you afraid that if you did listen to your body that it would be out of control and messy? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, it may be time to finally create a plan that can help…Read more