WHEN FOOD CONSUMES YOU
TAKING EATING TO EXTREMES
How do you feel after you eat?
Satisfied? Too full? Or maybe
even guilty? Being too focused
on food can sometimes turn
into an eating disorder.
People with eating disorders
have severe, persistent, and
unhealthy thoughts and behaviors
about food. As a result,
they might eat way too little or
way too much.
Eating disorders are not a
lifestyle choice. They are serious
illnesses. They affect your
body’s ability to get proper nutrition.
This can lead to health
issues, such as heart and kidney
problems, or even death.
40 Healthy Living | Fall Issue | 2017
The three most widely recognized
eating disorders are
binge-eating disorder, bulimia
nervosa, and anorexia nervosa.
Binge-eating disorder is the
most common eating disorder
in the United States.
“Binge-eating is not just a
lot of overeating,” explains Dr.
Cynthia Bulik, an expert on eating
disorders at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. “There’s this sense of loss
of control. You start eating and
you feel like you just can’t stop.”
People with binge-eating disorder
eat well beyond being full.
They often eat until they feel
very uncomfortable. Afterward,
they’re usually overcome by feelings
of guilt, shame, and distress.
Eating too much too often can
lead to weight gain and can be
associated with obesity.
When binge-eating is followed
by “purging,” it’s called
bulimia nervosa. People with
bulimia nervosa may follow