Tips & Articles

Welcome to our collection of tips and articles all about recovery.

A new feature, this section will grow over time to feature a range of topics that are designed to offer thought-provoking and helpful information. Whether you have a tonne of questions (that's normal by the way), want to read how someone else tackled a similar issue, or just be reassured and inspired that recovery is possible, you're in the right place. 

Over the coming weeks and months, we hope to feature interviews and discussions with ED experts, both those that have experienced one personally and those who work in the field of recovery. We'll also scour the internet to curate the best resources we can find. 

So grab a cuppa of your favourite and let's dive in.

In Conversation | Five Questions for a Nutritional Therapist
December 2020

Having recovered from Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating Disorder and then Orthorexia, Belinda decided to train as a Nutritional Therapist with a desire to help others going through their own journeys of recovery.

You might know Belinda from our Helplines, but here she uses her nutritional training to explain why even a basic understanding of the effect of nutrients in our food will help support recovery. And as its December, she also offers some of her tried and tested tips for coping at Christmas time.

Q1: How can understanding a little about the nutrients in the food we eat to support a journey of recovery from an eating disorder?

Understanding the nutrients and minerals in food and how they help the body function can be a way of turning food from foe to friend. Instead of seeing the negative aspects of food, it's a way of appreciating it as a vital part of our life.

They say that knowledge is power, and demystifying food is a very empowering aspect on the road to eating disorder recovery. For a good starting point, there’s some helpful information about nutrients on the British Nutrition Foundation’s website.

Q2: If you had to pinpoint the most important nutrients or food groups to eat regularly as part of recovery, what should they be and how do they support our health?

All food groups are important for health. Macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats are what our body needs daily to function at its best:

  • Carbohydrates are essential for energy production, hormone production and the regulation of our sleep-wake cycle.
  • Proteins are crucial to the repairing and rebuilding of our cells, as well as regulating our hormones and immune systems.
  • Fats are vital for our brain health, absorbing vitamins, and minerals, as well as making hormones and storing energy.
  • Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are also essential in preventing disease and promoting health in the body. These are generally found in whole or unprocessed foods but are also found in fortified foods such as some cereals and breads.


Click to Continue reading...

Article | Understanding our Response to Anxiety 
Author: Claire, Helpline team, July 2020

Feeling anxious creates a number of responses within the body at a deep physiological level. By understanding what these responses are it may be possible to take steps to ease the symptoms and in turn, allow you to feel more in control when in the grips of a stressful or anxiety-provoking situation or period of your life. At the time of writing, we are in the process of moving out of lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic and although on the surface the lifting of social restrictions and the re-introduction of so-called normal life may seem nothing but a positive step, for those with vulnerable mental and/or physical health it can also feel overwhelming. 

This article includes information specific to those impacted by eating disorders and is designed to alert the sufferer to how interlinked the mind and body are. We also look at some practical ways to tackle anxiety as a whole.

Physical responses to anxiety

The immediate responses when anxiety arises may differ by person to person, but overall the body can respond with a variety of symptoms:

  • Racing heartbeat & chest pain
  • Fast shallow breathing, shaking or trembling
  • Sweating or cold, clammy hands
  • Stomach ache or diarrhoea
  • Loss of energy
  • Dry mouth
  • Dizziness
  • Muscle tension or pain
  • Restlessness & sleeplessness
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Lack of appetite
  • Urge to binge

Some of these symptoms are interlinked but if we focus on our breathing some can also be eased or avoided.

Continue reading... to find out more.