Self-help For Eating Disorders: Learning Healthy Eating Habits

Learning and establishing healthy eating habits is an essential step in recovery from anorexia and bulimia.

Ø  Stick to a regular eating schedule. You may be used to skipping meals or fasting for long stretches. But when you starve yourself, food becomes all you think about.

To avoid this preoccupation, make sure to eat every three hours. Plan ahead for meals and snacks, and don’t skip!

Ø  Challenge your strict eating rules. Strict rules about food and eating fuel anorexia and bulimia, so it’s important to replace them with healthier ones. For example, if you have a rule forbidding all desserts, change it into a less rigid guideline such as, “I won’t eat dessert every day.” You won’t gain weight by enjoying an occasional ice cream or cookie.

Ø  Don’t diet. Healthy eating not dieting is the key to avoiding weight gain. Instead of focusing on what you shouldn’t eat, focus on nutritious foods that will energize you and make your body strong. Think of food as fuel for your body. Your body knows when the tank is low, so listen to it. Eat when you’re truly hungry, then stop when you’re full.