Thirty million Americans will suffer from an eating disorder in their lifetimes. These diseases are indiscriminate and effect all ages, sexes, races, economic classes and ethnicities.  When left untreated, eating disorders take a physical and physiological toll. The combined physical consequences of prolonged malnutrition on the body and high risk of suicide make this mental illness have the highest morality rate of any mental illness. Every sixty-two minutes someone dies as a direct result of an eating disorder.

Common life stressors and normal weight shifts, as a result of puberty, pregnancy or menopause, can provide fertile ground for developing unhealthy ways of trying to control one’s weight or shape.  Food can become divided into two camps, “good foods” and “bad foods”, resulting in a disrupted and unhealthy relationship with food, and an excessive focus on diets and food, body image and weight.

Common food related signs that may highlight a developing eating disorder according to the National Eating Disorder Association are:

• New food practices, diets or food fads that involve cutting out full food groups (e.g., no carbohydrates, no gluten, no sugar, vegetarianism/veganism)
• Frequent diets or sporadic fasting
• Preoccupation on food, weight, fat grams, calories, and dieting
• Developing food rituals (e.g., excessive chewing, cutting, not allowing foods to touch, condiment use, eating foods in a particular order)
• Limited number of preferred foods that become more limited over time
• Extreme focus on body weight and shape and use of the word “fat” to describe self, despite normal or low weight

If you or someone you know has any of these disordered eating or eating disorder warning signs, talk with your primary care doctor, a registered dietitian, and a licensed mental health provider. Your primary care doctor will define the medical appropriateness of diet changes, and determine a healthy body weight based on previous weights and growth charts for children.  A registered dietitian will educate you on the functions of foods, help balance your diet by reintegrating foods, and develop a functional and safe plan for performance and health related goals.  A licensed mental health provider can address underlying co-occurring mental illness, body image, and self-esteem disruptions.

Intervening early is the best way to lower the emotional and physical impact of an eating disorder. For additional available supports, and to learn more about eating disorders, and to understand the warning signs please visit:

• Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders (F.E.A.S.T.) - www.feast-ed.org 
• National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders (ANAD) - www.ANAD.org
• National Eating Disorders Association – https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/support-groups-research-studies
• Binge Eating Disorder Association: http://bedaonline.com
• Academy for Eating Disorders: http://www.aedweb.org
• The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness: http://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com

Darcy Holladay, LPC, RDN

 Darcy earned a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and completed a nutrition internship through the University of Northern Colorado. Additionally, she earned a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Regis University and is two years into a PsyD at the University of Southern California specializing in eating disorders.  Darcy is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with ten years of experience working with adolescents, adults and families in a variety of settings including: day treatment, residential, and outpatient private practice. She has a specialty in eating disorders and uses both her RDN and counseling background as a behavioral health case manager for the last two years at Anthem. Darcy enjoys cooking, refinishing antique furniture with her husband, and runs with her dachshund.