Sarah's Closet

It is Eating disorder awareness week in the US this week (Canada's was Feb 6-12) and as it's an important cause, I will be blogging about it all week. This is an important cause and I hope everyone takes the time to share this information

It’s Time to Talk about It

This year the National Eating Disorders Association is stressing that it’s time to talk about eating disorders. We live in a culture saturated with unrealistic body-image messages and almost all of us know somebody struggling with an eating disorder. Because this is true, we urge you to talk about it......and do just one thing during NEDAwareness Week to 1) raise awareness that eating disorders are serious illnesses, not lifestyle choices; 2) provide accurate information to medical, educational and/or business communities, and 3) direct people to information and resources about eating disorders.

Join us, and do “Just One Thing”
You don’t need to have a lot of time, money or other resources to make a difference. Simply choose one thing you will do to help. Here are a few examples:
• Bring a NEDAwareness Week Volunteer Speaker to your school, work, or social group.
• Download and print a free copy of NEDA’s Educator Toolkit, Parent Toolkit and Coach & Athletic Trainer Toolkit to give to your local schools.
• Provide accurate information: Put NEDAwareness Week posters, pamphlets and handouts in your schools, community centers, medical offices or workplaces.
• Maximize the power of your social networking: Re-tweet a fact about eating disorders, post signs and symptoms of an eating disorder, put up a link to the NEDA website and Helpline, encourage your contacts to learn more about eating disorders and join you in doing just one thing.

1. Eating disorders are serious illnesses, not lifestyle choices
Eating disorders are complex conditions that arise from a combination of long-standing behavioral, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, biological and social factors. As our natural body size and shape is largely determined by genetics, fighting our natural size and shape can lead to unhealthy dieting practices, poor body image and decreased self-esteem.
While eating disorders may begin with preoccupations with food and weight, they are about much more than food. Recent research has shown that genetic factors create vulnerabilities that place individuals at risk for acting on cultural pressures and messages and triggering behaviors such as dieting or obsessive exercise.
In the United States, as many as 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Approximately 15 million more are struggling with binge eating disorder.

2. Education, early intervention, and access to care are critical
There has been a rise in incidence of anorexia in young women 15-19 years old in each decade since 1930; over one person’s lifetime, at least 50,000 individuals will die as a direct result of an eating disorder. In the United States, we are inundated with messages telling us that thinner is better, and when we “fit” our culture’s impossible beauty standards, we will be happy.
Did you know that 80% of all ten year olds are afraid of being fat? As a culture, it is time for all communities to talk about eating disorders, address their contributing factors, advocate for access to treatment and take action for early intervention. You can make a difference: do just one thing to initiate awareness, education and discussion about eating disorders in you community. If we all do something, we’ll have a tremendous impact!

3. Help is available, and recovery is possible
While eating disorders are serious, potentially life-threatening illnesses, there is help available and recovery really is possible. It is important for those affected to remember that they are not alone in their struggle; others have recovered and are now living healthy fulfilling lives. Let the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) be a part of your network of support.

National Eating Disorder Association (US)-NEDA supports individuals and families affected by eating disorders, and serves as a catalyst for prevention, cures and access to quality care.
                    NEDA Helpline: 1-800-931-2237
                    NEDAwareness Week - official page
                    Facebook
                    Twitter - Tweeting about NEDAwareness Week? Use this hash tag #NEDAwareness

National Eating Disorder Information Center (Canada)-NEDIC promotes healthy lifestyles, including both healthy eating and appropriate, enjoyable exercise. Being client-centred means that our staff try to give people information and guidance about every option so that our clients can make informed choices for themselves.
                NEDIC Helpline: 1-866-NEDIC-20 (1-866-633-4220)
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xoxo -S