Transcript Recognizing Unhealthy Eating Patterns

Recognizing Unhealthy
Eating Patterns
Healthy Eating Patterns
• Eating patterns include where, when, how, what
and why you choose to eat the foods you do
• Means eating for the purpose of satisfying your
hunger
• A person with a healthy eating pattern will listen
to her/his hunger cues and eat only enough to
feel satisfied
Unhealthy Eating Patterns
• Wide range of unhealthy eating patterns
– Eating too much at once or over a period of time
– Eating too little
– Eating substances that are not considered food
The effect that an unhealthy eating pattern has on a person’s body depends
on the extent to which the person engages in this type of eating and the
rest of the person’s lifestyle
Obesity may lead to health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, high
cholesterol, liver damage, digestive problems
Reasons for unhealthy eating patterns
-boredom
-loneliness
-depression
-stress
Unhealthy eating patterns
• Grazing – constantly snacking on unhealthy foods that are
readily available when you are hungry
• Pica – craving for non-food items, such as clay, dirt, paper, or
glue
– Normally found in pregnant women, people with mental disorders, or
people whose family or ethnic customs include eating certain non-food
substances
– People may also eat these materials because they are lacking in a nutrient
the substance may supply
– Considered harmful because substances can be poisonous and harm the
body
– Can be treated with therapy
Dieting – includes a wide range of behaviours
Yo-yo dieting – or known as weight cycling, refers to a pattern of rapid
weight gain and loss
Dieting
• Can cause health problems- eat to little so in time body becomes deficient in
vitamins and other nutrients the body needs to function
• People who diet are unhappy with their bodies, although they may be at the
ideal weight
• 95% of dieters put the weight back on plus more
• If the body feels like it is being starved, it will slow down how much energy it
uses. During a diet, a person will feel hungry. This may make the person feel
cranky, extremely tired, and even depressed
• Dieting can lead to binging
• Restricting foods can set people up for failure, dieting becomes a problem
and people become obsessed with food and losing weight. This leads to
eating disorders
Eating Disorders
• Eating disorder describes an extreme, unhealthy
behaviour related to food, eating and weight.
• Eating disorders affect all people. Generally occurs
among teens and young adults, higher rate of anorexia
with athletes and models/dancers
• Three common eating disorders
– Anorexia
– Bulimia
– Compulsive eating disorder/binge eating disorder
Reasons for Eating Disorders
• Type of person (indecisive, no structure in life,
frustration, need to please others)
• Low self-esteem
• Wanting to be perfect
• Control
• Fear of growing up
• The family that a person comes from
• The world we live in (media, stress, responsibilities,
traumatic experience, sports)
Anorexia
• Type of eating disorder that involves an
irresistible urge to lose weight through selfstarvation and a refusal to maintain a minimally
normal body weight (dieting out of control)
• Obsessed with gaining weight
• See page 375 for signs and symptoms
Bulimia
• An eating disorder that involves episodes of
binge eating followed by purging- the use of
self-induced vomiting, laxatives, or vigorous
activities to prevent weight gain.
• Bulimics try to get rid of unwanted calories by
fasting, going on a strict diet, or exercising to the
extreme.
• See page 378 for signs and symptoms
Compulsive Eating/Binge Eating
Disorder
• Involves eating huge quantities of food at one
time or bingeing
• Eating usually lasts under 2 hours and often
occurs when a person is emotionally upset or
under severe stress.
• People may binge after being on a diet, to calm
themselves, to distract themselves from
something that is bothering them or in response
to feeling inadequate.
Symptoms and Effects of
CED/BED
• Bingeing is done in private so is difficult to
detect
• Not all binge eaters are trying to stay slim,
become obese to…
• 1/5 of people who are obese binge eat, these
people are very distressed by their bingeing and
feel guilty and embarrassed about their
behaviour.
Help!!!
• It is important to realize that people with eating
disorders have an illness; most can’t stop their
destructive behaviours on their own
• People with the disorder will become defensive and
deny they have a problem
• 1st step is to recognize the disorder – be educated
• 2nd step is to be supportive and understanding
• 3rd step is to be patient – this is not an overnight
success story
Points to consider when helping
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If an emergency, take to hospital/clinic
Do not verbally attack or blame
Expect anger and denial
Do not push, unless emergency
Try to find out underlying problem; must fix that first
Be consistent and set limits; be reasonable
Do not comment on looks – not even a compliment
Focus on abilities and skills not appearance
Do not act like you know all the answers; that is for the
high paid professionals
Types of Help available
• Physiological – help for the body
• Psychological – help for the mind
• Psycho-education – help to understand why the
eating disorder began and the effects
• Cognitive-behavioural therapy – explores the
patient’s beliefs and attitudes
• Psychodynamic therapy – examines the
traumatic experiences the may have contributed
to the eating disorder
Supplements
• Creatine – an amino acid made naturally in the body
from other amino acids; found in raw meat and fish but
most is destroyed in cooking; used to increase
performance but will not build muscle; side effects
include rapid weight gain, diarrhea, stomach cramping
and muscle cramping
• Anabolic steroids – fabricated versions of hormones;
results are increased muscle mass; illegal in Canada; side
effects include risk of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, high
blood pressure, liver disease; see page 388 for physical
effects
Positive body Image
• Set realistic and healthy goals
• Feel good about yourself and help others feel
good about themselves