Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that have the potential to critically harm those who are unable to get out of their grip.
People who have eating disorders will experience body shape issues and have distorted views of their appearance. They will also avoid certain foods, take to hiding food they haven’t eaten from others, as well as potentially skipping meals.
There are different types of eating disorders ranging from binge eating disorder to anorexia nervosa.
Each one can be devastating and cause lasting effects not just on the body but on the mind as well.
In today’s article, we will discuss the early warning signs of an eating disorder and what that can potentially mean for the future.
Getting Help
If you or someone you know has an eating disorder or you suspect that you/they may do, then it is important that help is accessed to stop the issue from escalating further.
They are numerous helplines (National Eating Disorders Association) and online support for those who are experiencing physical warning signs as well as mental signs of disordered eating.
It is important to reach out and be encouraged to seek professional help with bad eating habits so that you are able to live a healthy and proactive life.
If you would like to know how specific eating disorders can affect people, then it is important to do your research and speak to someone about what you are worried about.
How do Eating Disorders Develop?
Before we go into the warning signs of an eating disorder, it is important to know how they can develop and who is most at risk of having an issue with their food intake.
In quite a few cases, an eating disorder can present itself in adolescents, more specifically, females who are seen as high risk.
Men can still be affected as well as older people, but young females seem to be the target in a lot of ways.
There is no particular cause of eating disorders, and as research has shown, genetic, biological, social, psychological, and behavioral factors can all increase the risk of someone developing an eating disorder.
Those that do develop an eating disorder will become obsessed to dangerous levels and will become incredibly controlling with their lives which can escalate the issue even further resulting in potentially more restrictions, as well as more problems with eating food, which can then end up in death if they take it too far with no intervention.
What Are The Early Signs of an Eating Disorder?
Spotting the early physical signs of an eating disorder as well as behavioral signs can be hard, especially if you are not sure what to look out for initially.
Below we are going to put down some of these signs so that you can see if someone is presenting themselves in this way, e.g. caring too much about weight loss, doing excessive exercise, showing purging behaviors, and so on.
Oral Health Problems
Constand oral health problems serve as an indicator of potential eating disorders. Keep an eye out for red flags such as frequent cavities, erosion of tooth enamel, and other dental issues that might arise due to behaviors like excessive purging or acid reflux.
These practices can introduce stomach acids to the mouth, leading to enamel erosion and heightened tooth sensitivity. Individuals with eating disorders might also exhibit signs of needing lincoln dental restorations or similar dental treatments more frequently than usual, as their oral health becomes compromised.
If you notice these signs, it’s not only essential to address the dental concerns but also to approach the individual with sensitivity and offer support for the underlying issues they may be facing. When ignored, these issues could eventually result in you losing your teeth altogether. While this may not be the end of the world, as you can still go to a dental clinic that offers dentures in mountain view (or wherever you live), the only way to really curb the problem is to seek help for your eating disorder.
Changing Their Eating Habits
If they used to be someone who would just put food on their plate and get on with eating without giving it a second thought, but then they start being more careful and obsessed, this would be considered a red flag.
You notice that they have to eat at a certain time of the day, or with certain cutlery, maybe you have observed that they eat in a specific order or they have reduced their food groups significantly.
They might start to get anxious when it gets to meal times and will actively find ways to avoid it or insist they put the food on the plate themselves.
They may only eat specific foods and refuse to open themselves up to others, or you see that they check the back of packets more and take longer to decide what to eat.
Become Increasingly Interested in Food
One of the early warning signs with an eating disorder is that they will start to take even more of an interest in food and will want to know exactly what is in meals and how much of each nutrient is in their food- fat, protein, sugar, salt, etc.
They may start talking about different diets that they have seen or heard about to lose weight as well as talk about how they look interesting and that they might give it a go.
You could also see them downloading different recipes or watching food channels attentively and making notes. This can be even more alarming if they never cared before.
Good nutrition is important, but they may not be getting that if they are so laser-focused on one type of food and are not looking anywhere else.
Start to do Specific Food Preparation
When someone with an eating disorder is obsessed with their body weight and has a distorted body image, they will take to being very controlling of what they eat and when they eat it.
They may start to do food prep, which is normal for people to do, but they take it even more seriously than they used to.
You may see them plan out each meal and snack as well as the times they need to have them.
On the food containers, they could be putting the exact calories so they know what they are eating as some people with eating disorders are terrified of gaining weight and don’t want to chance it with even a slight deviation in their routine.
If they have certain food rituals that you never noticed before, e.g. only eating their food on one side of the plate, eating particular food groups, or chewing a number of times before swallowing, then this can indicate an eating disorder.
They Start Food Hoarding
They may feel nervous about eating in front of you, you might have seen that they don’t eat as they used to with you before, or they claim that they are not hungry despite the fact that you have been with them the whole day and they haven’t eaten.
If they are doing this, then they could be hoarding their food to eat by themselves and then dispose of it without you noticing.
Binge eaters can do this as they feel ashamed to eat so they will eat everything in private and then get rid of it so that no one can see what they are eating.
If you see a lot of food wrappers in the trash that looks to have been dumped at the same time, then that could be them eating in secret.
Their Moods Change A lot
It is perfectly normal for people to have different moods throughout the day, especially if a lot is going on, however, if you are more aware that they swing in between moods pretty quickly with no obvious reasons why, then this could indicate an eating disorder.
When it gets to meal times or any time where food could be involved and you start to see their moods changing again, then this could be to do with an eating issue.
How Can You Help Someone With an Eating Disorder?
It is not an easy subject to get on to when someone has an eating disorder, and if you have confronted them or they have confided in you, then now is the time to find ways that you can help them through this next step in their life.
Get Them to See a Therapist
It won’t be easy at first as they might be reluctant. They are set in their ways and it can be terrifying to get out of that pattern of behavior.
Just talk them through it, let them know that this can help, or at least get them to open up more so they can feel like they are not alone and there is support out there for them.
Get Them to Ring a Helpline
If they are not ready to speak to someone face to face, there are helplines that they can call or text, whatever makes them feel comfortable, so they can talk to experts and get their help on what they should do.
It is less imposing on them and they don’t have to leave their house if they are not ready to go out there and be fully open to others.
Just Be There For Them
It is pretty simple but it is one of the best things you can do for someone who is going through this serious stage in their life.
Being their friend and showing them that you are going to support them and love them can help with facing their problem.
Don’t be judgemental or push them into doing something as that may make them retreat. Just let them know that you are not going anywhere and you are here to listen to what they have to say.
It’s hard to see a friend or family member go through something like this, but imagine how they are feeling, none of it is okay, but you need to be the strong one.
