We know that diet culture and eating disorders are connected. But let’s talk about how you can minimize the impact to avoid the associated mental health challenges.

When eating disorder thoughts occupy our brain, we have less space in our minds for things that truly matter, such as our family, friends, school, work, and other activities and meaningful interests. But, as Eve Yang now knows, there is life after an eating disorder.

Find the BIPOC mental health support you need to feel understood, facilitate healing, or simply connect with like-minded folks.

For as long as any group of people is subjugated, Scout Silverstein doesn’t believe we can genuinely celebrate Pride. In their blog, Scout dives into gender identity, rainbow capitalism, body liberation, and queer liberation.

People with Binge Eating Disorder might be used to hearing that binges — a symptom of their eating disorder — are the result of a lack of willpower. Not only is BED not an issue of willpower, but it’s a complex neurobiological mental illness, just like all eating disorders. The physiological, psychological, and emotional components of the disease are powerful and can’t be overlooked. Here’s what everyone should know about binge eating disorder.

Priscilla María Gutiérrez didn’t see herself in the tenth grade health class video that introduced her to eating disorders, or in the treatment center years later after she’d developed one. Today, she has become the advocate that a younger version of herself needed to see in the media.

Body neutrality affirmations help you continually shift your inner dialogue and language while you work through healing. Here are some affirmations to start with.

After struggling with anorexia and experiencing amenorrhea, Dr. Nicole’ Felton was thrilled when she learned that she was pregnant with triplets. But excitement turned to heartbreak when Dr. Nicole’ and her husband lost a triplet in utero and then watched their two remaining triplets, micro preemies born at 26 weeks, struggle to process and break down food.

For so long, Lily Pierce’s life revolved solely around her eating disorder. But, eventually, people in her life intervened. Now, Lily is an artist; she is not her eating disorder.

While in treatment, Victoria Almazán gathered the importance of things such as eating three meals a day and challenging disordered thoughts. But, she did not fully embrace recovery until she viewed treatment through an intersectional lens and reclaimed her Latinidad.

Eating disorders and trauma are closely related—one often follows the other as humans work to cope with pain. Here’s what you need to know about the two and how they function together.

Hannah Lazerowitz realized that often her relationships with food and romance were entangled. Because she couldn’t control how men felt about her, she’d again start to regulate her food intake when feelings of inadequacy arose. But just as she’d needed to learn how to heal from anorexia, she now needed to learn how to heal from heartbreak.

From accepting that she needed treatment for her eating disorder to taking a bite of her meal, Catherine Comes has used the idea of doing the next right thing to make both big and small decisions.

Body checking is more than just a buzzy phrase—it’s a dangerous habit that you may not even realize you’re doing. Find out what it is and how to ditch it.

One of River Chew’s core beliefs about recovery is that healing happens in relationships. By connecting with others and building relationships, River believes we start to gather evidence that it can be safe to trust others. Slowly but surely, we can forge a sense of safety in our lives, so that we no longer need to use food, eating, and exercise to try and feel safe or in control.

It can be hard to know the differences that dictate disordered eating vs eating disorder. While there are some similarities, the two have clear differences that are important to understand.

After many years lost to a disordered relationship with exercise, Ally Rae Pesta found peace on a yoga mat. Now, a yoga teacher, run coach, and recovery coach, Ally helps others ground themselves in five key principles to reclaim their relationship with movement.

When this week’s blog author was struggling with an eating disorder, they didn’t see themself depicted in news stories and movies about other people who were similarly struggling. But as they realize now, their identities don’t fall within the (harmful) SWAG stereotype — skinny, white, affluent girl — that dominates the narrative.

If you’re looking to add some eating disorder books to your queue, here are the ones that came highly recommended by your peers.

As Lexie Manion knows well, you can’t self-love your way out of childhood trauma and its lasting effects (like eating disorders). Physical and emotional safety must come first.