child eating dinner with family

When Should You Reach Out to a Pediatric Dietitian?

Childhood Feeding, Eating Disorders

When most people picture someone with an eating disorder, they imagine a very thin person. Unfortunately, this stereotype has caused countless people to go without the life saving care they need. The truth is that eating disorders do not have a “look”. People in midsize and larger bodies can experience severe food restriction, intense fear of weight gain, overwhelming body image distress, and serious medical complications while being overlooked or even praised for behaviors that are signs of illness. 

“Atypical Anorexia”: A Misleading Name for a Common Eating Disorder

“Atypical Anorexia”: A Misleading Name for a Common Eating Disorder

Body Image, Eating Disorders

When most people picture someone with an eating disorder, they imagine a very thin person. Unfortunately, this stereotype has caused countless people to go without the life saving care they need. The truth is that eating disorders do not have a “look”. People in midsize and larger bodies can experience severe food restriction, intense fear of weight gain, overwhelming body image distress, and serious medical complications while being overlooked or even praised for behaviors that are signs of illness. 

ADHD Eating

Body Checking: What It Is, Why It Happens, and How to Break the Cycle

Childhood Feeding, Eating Disorders

If you’ve ever found yourself repeatedly looking in the mirror, pinching certain parts of your body, measuring body parts, weighing yourself, comparing your appearance to others, or asking for reassurance about how you look, you’re not alone. These behaviors are known as body checking, and they are incredibly common among individuals struggling with body image concerns, disordered eating, and eating disorders.

Group of women in an audience listening to a nutrition presentation.

Co-Occurring Mental Health Diagnoses and Eating Disorders: The Overlap

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are often misunderstood as being solely about food, weight, or body image. In reality, they are complex mental health conditions that frequently exist alongside other emotional and psychological challenges. For many people, an eating disorder develops as an unintended way to cope with overwhelming emotions, anxiety, trauma, stress, or a feeling of lack of control. While disordered eating behaviors may provide temporary relief, they often create additional challenges that impact both physical and mental health.

A teenage girl with died red hair and red and white stripped shirt looks at the camera. There are several other teens behind her.

Eating Disorder Prevention at Home: Practical Tools for Parents and Caregivers

Childhood Feeding, Eating Disorders

This is the third and final article in our series on eating disorder care for adolescents and families. In part 1 and part 2 of this series, we provided an in-depth look at eating disorder treatment for children and teens and what this means for families, parents, and caregivers. This article takes a step back to discuss a slightly different angle: what can parents and caregivers do on a daily basis, whether they’re trying to prevent an eating disorder or support a child already in recovery? Wherever you are in this journey —