Some Signs of Eating Disorders

I hope you are all following the hashtag NEDAwareness because you will find the stories of so many inspirational patients who have suffered through or are suffering from eating disorders.

These illnesses are near and dear to my heart as I have seen friends suffer through it and even die from it.

Now that you are hopefully familiar with the most common types of eating disorders. (If not click here)....let's discuss some of the signs of eating disorders. 

Its important to realize that most people with eating disorders may not exhibit the classical symptoms that I have described below. What makes it even more difficult - is most patients will deny their symptoms and often do things in hiding. This group of disorders is often the hardest to diagnose.

Symptoms of eating disorders vary between individuals and in severity.

The common signs of Anorexia Nervosa (AN) include:

• Significant weight loss 
• Don't forget that there are different severities to AN, and not every person is underweight

• A preoccupation with food 
• Some patients with AN love talking about food and taking pictures of food. I had one patient who loved cooking a great deal of food for others but never eating it herself

• Never feeling hungry

• Scheduling social events that are not related to food
• I had one friend who would never be present for the dinner part of a dinner party, but would always appear afterwards for drinks or dancing. Every time we would invite her for dinner, she would never be present and the times that she was - she would say he had eaten already.

• Avoiding mealtime

• Dissatisfaction with their body at all times
• Even if they appear thin to the world, in the their mind they are overweight. They often will call themselves "fat" when they clearly are the opposite.

• Depressed mood +/- suicidal intent
• There is a strong association between all eating disorders and suicide attempts and self-mutilation (i.e. cutting one's wrists, etc.) 

The common signs of Bulimia include:

• Frequent trips to the bathroom after meals

• Evidence that someone is vomiting often (the smell of vomit or presence of vomit in different areas)
• I had a patient who would store her vomit in a cup or tupperware when she had no access to a toilet. Its really amazing the lengths that people will go through to purge.

• Presence of empty packages of diuretics or laxatives
• If you do not have a medical condition that calls for either of these, there is no reason that they should be in one's home really.

• Frequent sore throats

• Bad acid reflux
• Often these patients will have bad stomach complaints

• Tooth Decay
• Due to constant exposure of stomach acid from one's vomit in their mouth

• Preoccupation with one's body weight and fear of weight gain

• Depressed mood +/- suicidal intent

The common signs of Binge Eating Disorder (BED) include:

• Eating until uncomfortably full often (not just on holidays or events)

• Eating large amounts of food even when not feeling hungry

• Lack of control over one's eating, and eating a large amount of food at a single sitting

• Large amounts of foods/snacks missing from around the house in a short period of time
• I had one patient's husband tell me that he found bags of empty and unopened potato chips, cookies, and candy shoved into a shoe closet

• Feeling guilty after eating and lying over consumption

Are you worried you have an eating disorder? If yes, take this quiz here:

http://screening.mentalhealthscreening.org/NEDA

In the next blog I will discuss some of the long term consequences of each of these eating disorders, which can be fatal in many cases.

Please feel free to ask any questions ask/follow me on Twitter @Doctor_Deena or Instagram at live.laugh.love.be_healthy!

**PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND/OR BEFORE STARTING OR STOPPING ANY TREATMENT OR ACTING UPON INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE, YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR OWN PHYSICIAN OR HEALTH-CARE PROVIDER*

What are the most common eating disorders?

With the social media boom, you don't have to be an actress or celebrity to gain fame. You can be an adorable dog or a bikini obsessed babe who loves to bare all. 

We are living in an era where anyone can gain fame & popularity based on their looks-- thus cultivating a continued body obsessed society.

This body obsession is one of the major contributors to eating disorders. We need to stay extra thin (or try to get there), to stay beautiful so ones followers never lose interest.

Its National Eating Disorder Awareness week and its important to be aware of the different types of eating disorders out there.

Eating disorders are difficult to diagnose because many patients lack insight into their condition or try to hide it from loved ones.

It is quite common among adolescents who battle with developing their own self identity.

The most common eating disorders include:

1. Anorexia Nervosa

This life threatening illness is characterized by self starvation and excessive weight loss. Those with anorexia avoid food and deny hunger for fear of weight gain. Anorexia Nervosa patients often appear very thin and frail. However, there is a variant of Anorexia Nervosa called Atypical Anorexia Nervosa where the patient has the above mentality but is not underweight.

2. Bulimia

This is an eating disorder characterized by binging (overeating) and purging  to avoid weight gain. Purging can include vomiting or using laxatives and/or enemas (to induce diarrhea). This condition is tough to diagnose because patients can be of any size - skinny, normal weight, overweight or obese!

3. Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

This disorder is characterized by loss of control in eating. Patients consume unusually large amounts of food and feel that they are unable to stop eating. They continue to eat despite feeling full. Many of us overeat on holidays, but for those with BED, overeating is a regular occurrence. Unlike a person with bulimia, there is no purging after a binging episode. Like bulimia, these patients can be of any size. Binge-eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the U.S.

Are you worried you have an eating disorder? If yes, take this quiz here:

http://screening.mentalhealthscreening.org/NEDA

In the next blog I will discuss some of the common symptoms of each of these eating disorders, so that you can recognize patterns of family and friends!

Please feel free to ask any questions ask/follow me on Twitter @Doctor_Deena or Instagram at live.laugh.love.be_healthy!

**PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND/OR BEFORE STARTING OR STOPPING ANY TREATMENT OR ACTING UPON INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE, YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR OWN PHYSICIAN OR HEALTH-CARE PROVIDER*

Legumes -- so tiny, but filled with proteins and nutrients!

Americans tend to get most of their protein from eating meat and less from legumes. Legumes refer to the seeds inside the pods of certain plants that belong to the legume family.

Legumes are a great source of protein and are much cheaper and easier to prepare than meat sometimes - which is why I would highly recommend including them in your diet.

Here's some data to show that Americans are below the recommended goals of legume intake across all ages and genders. Where are you in these graphs?

There are many types of legumes such as:

• lentils
• kidney beans
• black beans
• pinto beans
• white beans
• canelli beans
• chickpeas
• lima beans
• soy beans

You might think of string beans as a legume, but it's actually a vegetable because of its structure and composition. Legumes are high in protein, which is important for those who don't eat meat.

Legumes are also a great source of vitamins (folate, thiamine and niacin) and minerals (iron, potassium and manganese).

I encourage my patients who have constipation to eat more legumes since they are high in fiber, and along with water, can allow one to have more normal bowel movements.

The recommended daily amount of legumes varies by age, but after age 14 - the goal should be at least 1.5 cups daily.

Here are some tips to increase consumption of legumes in your diet:

-Add them to a salad
All types of legumes work well in a salad and allow you to get your fix of vegetables & protein. You can even make a salad with beans or lentils alone

-Make interesting spreads with legumes using any spice or flavors you enjoy
These spreads can be eaten alone, with crackers or low fat vegetables. Hummus (a Middle Eastern spread made from chickpeas) is the best example of this type of spread. Hummus is so easy to make & so much healthier then buying it in the store (think no preservatives). I even make an edamame hummus and I'll share that recipe soon!

-Make a legume puree and serve it up with meat

I often see this done as the sauce accompanying chicken and/or fish, usually made with white beans

-Roast or bake legumes with different spices
I love doing this with chickpeas and chana dal. It makes for an excellent healthy snack & a great substitution for croutons on a salad.

-Make legumes the star of your entree
Many recipes center around legumes. Have fun with spices and flavors. Look at Indian recipes for entree ideas - like chana masala. Check out vegetarian Mexican recipes where beans are substituted for meat.

-Make soups and stews with a variety of legumes
Legumes can be part of the medley of vegetables added to a soup/stew (i.e. minestrone soup) OR it can be pureed as the base for the stew (i.e. black bean soup or lentil soup)

-Add legumes to your pasta dish

-Craving a good dessert? Make something sweet and unique with legumes
There are hundreds of vegan and gluten free recipes out there with the base of cookies, brownies, etc. made from legumes. Many Asian desserts are made with a legume base - especially red bean. This can satisfy your sweet tooth and is higher in protein & nutrition than other desserts. Red bean ice pops are my personal fave!

-Make bean smoothies
Beans can be added to any smoothie for some texture, and as a substitute for protein powder.

-Make burgers with bean patties, instead of meat sometimes..
I know my burger lovers are shaking their heads at this one....but bean burgers (like black bean burgers) can be quite delicious with less fat, cholesterol, and calories than burgers made with red meat. These should be considered some times at a BBQ, especially for those with heart disease and high cholesterol. 

-Sprout legumes - since a legume is a seed, it can actually sprout roots

My mother-in-law introduced me to sprouting lentils, and its a fun way to enjoy legumes. I eat the sprouts alone in a salad with seasoning and have even made entrees with sprouts mixed with other vegetables. 

Hope these tips help you love legumes as much as I do! For some ideas on how to prepare legumes follow me on Instagram at live.laugh.love.be_healthy

Please feel free to ask any questions and email me at DoctorDeenaMD@gmail.com or ask/follow me on Twitter @Doctor_Deena 

**PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND/OR BEFORE STARTING OR STOPPING ANY TREATMENT OR ACTING UPON INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE, YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR OWN PHYSICIAN OR HEALTH-CARE PROVIDER*