4 Effective Meal Planning Ideas for People with Eating Disorders

Originally posted on http://www.news9.com/story/40112783/4-effective-meal-planning-ideas-for-people-with-eating-disorders

Living with an eating disorder is hell on earth. Relationships with friends and family are put on the backburner to avoid mealtime situations.

Perhaps the only relationship that has it worse than the relationship you have with food is the one you have with yourself. Eating disorders are serious business.

ED has one of the highest mortality rates for any mental illness. Don’t let anyone tell you or someone you love that ED is an outlet for personal vanity.

Getting back on track can be hard, but it is possible. Read on to learn 4 meal planning ideas that can help you help your body.

Advances in Recovery Treatment

One of the most successful eating disorder treatments is a treatment known as cognitive behavioral therapy. Enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders is also known as CBT-E for short.

CBT-E methods have been recognized as more effective than psychoanalytic therapy and interpersonal therapy. CBT-E focuses on various treatment components that stress the importance of food journaling, meal planning, and a greater understanding of the medical side effects of ED.

Working with a therapist can help you plan strategies to combat some of the roadblocks to recovery. With a plan in place, you can make your eating disorder a thing of the past.

Meal Planning Ideas: Important Components for Eating Disorder Recovery

If you’re serious about making your progress a priority, you’ll need to know what to avoid while in eating disorder recovery. As a rule of thumb, you’ll want to shoot for 3 meals and 1 to 2 snacks per day.

Planning your meals ahead of time and keeping a food journal are effective methods for staying on track.

Planning your meals ahead of time can help to relieve much of the anxiety normally associated with mealtime. Additionally, it can help prevent recovery setbacks that can occur when there isn’t a plan in place.

Not knowing what to eat or not liking the options available are two examples of scenarios that can get you sidetracked. Having a plan in place can help you avoid binge eating or going too long without eating.

Focusing on the Nutrients

If you or someone you love spent years counting calories, this can be a great way to flip the switch. Focus on vitamin content. Knowing which foods provided the greatest health benefits can be a great place to start.

Instead of focusing on a caloric deficit, try shifting the focus. Set your sights on getting 100% of the vitamins and minerals suggested by the FDA for a balanced diet.

If you spent years in the grips of an eating disorder, your body is starving for repair. Side effects like lower than normal hormonal levels and hair loss are only the beginning. If you spend half the energy that you gave your ED on this, your body will thank you.

Ready for the Next Chapter

If you or someone you love has suffered from an eating disorder, you know first hand how powerful ED can be. Fortunately, with the help of a therapist, personal willingness, and a few good meal planning ideas, you can recover.

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