Spotting Eating Disorders

by Page Love MS, RD, LD; NutriSport Consulting; USHSTCA Advisory Board

Already at epidemic proportions, the disordered eating phenomenon is commonplace in toady's fast-paced society. Young women and men alike have been affected by an onslaught of storytelling in the media as well as the cultural visual acceptance and display of ultra thin body types in both print and on television. The terms "anorexia" and "bulimia" are no longer foreign words. Health classes at the grade school level warn children of the drastic side effects of these diseases. But, yet the statistics keep growing. More and more people are getting caught in the race for thinness- power-happiness. Although concrete statistics are not available because so many who are stricken live in a world of secrets and denial, it is estimated that more than one million Americans struggle with eating disorders and that an additional 5 - 20% will die as a result from medical complications.

The article goes on to discuss various eating disorders, how to spot them and the reasons they occur.