In this issue...
- Message from the Chair
- ‘Healthy eating’ curriculum can do more harm than good
- Food insecurity and eating disorders are linked and rising. Where’s the plan to tackle them?
- Food Insecurity Makes Disordered Eating More Likely
- We Have No Drugs to Treat the Deadliest Eating Disorder
- Upcoming support meetings
In this month's newsletter, we take a look at some of the environmental contributors to eating disorders. First, we look at some of the limitations of nutritional education in schools, and what parents can do about it. This is followed by a deep dive into a topic that is on many people’s minds: the rising cost of living. Rising costs mean that more people in Aotearoa are living in food insecurity, which can increase the risk of developing an eating disorder. New research has demonstrated this link and calls for governments and society to act – find out more below.
Finally, we include a piece on the search for a medication for anorexia nervosa, and what this search has taught us about the brain of someone living with the condition.
Sending you good wishes and hope
Wiebke
‘Healthy eating’ curriculum can do more harm than good
From CNN
Many of us learned about “the food pyramid” at school, right? This piece explores the potentially damaging effect of nutritional education in schools, and some advice for parents with concerns about their child's nutritional education at school.
“The textbook picture of a “healthy” food simply isn’t the same for every child. Neurodivergent kids, those who live in a food-insecure household, and students whose cultural foods don’t resemble the US Department of Agriculture MyPlate image presented in class may find school nutrition lessons unrelatable or even harmful.”
Read the article
Food insecurity and eating disorders are linked and rising. Where’s the plan to tackle them?
From The Guardian
In a time when we are all affected by the rising cost of living, this article looks at the relationship between food insecurity and eating disorders, and calls on governments to act.
“Not having access to consistent, nutritious meals can lead to cognitive, behavioural and emotional changes in the brain. Becoming aware of food as a precarious resource can increase anxiety when consuming it.”
Read the article
Food Insecurity Makes Disordered Eating More Likely
From Psychology Today
The relationship between food insecurity and eating disorders has been demonstrated in recent research. You can find out more about the research in this Psychology Today article, and in the original research paper.
"For years, researchers have been emphasizing that the stereotype of the typical eating disorder patient is inaccurate. Many assume that eating disorders primarily affect thin, white women. But people of all races, genders, and body sizes can wrestle with eating disorders. New research published in the Journal Eating Behaviors challenges another component of the eating disorder stereotype: the assumption that people who engage in disordered eating tend to be wealthy."
Read Article
We Have No Drugs to Treat the Deadliest Eating Disorder
From The Atlantic
Why is there no medication treatment for anorexia? This article explores what has been tried and what we have learnt about why people with anorexia respond so differently to medication.
“Despite nearly half a century of attempts, no pill or shot has been identified to effectively treat anorexia nervosa….The discrepancy is puzzling to anorexia specialists and researchers. “We don’t fully understand why medications work so differently in this group, and boy, do they ever work differently."
Read the article
Upcoming support group meetings
EDANZ believes parents/carers have unique abilities to support one another and we hold regular meetings to which you are warmly invited. Currently, we're joining together around the country once a month thanks to videoconferencing technology.
If you would like to participate in a virtual support group, please RSVP to info@ed.org.nz and we'll send you the link.
We alternate monthly between evening and daytime meetings.
Upcoming meetings:
- November 13, 7-8pm
- December 15, 12-1pm
More information can be found on our website Parent/Carer Support Groups page
Remember: EDANZ helpline is open throughout the year – please don’t hesitate to contact us info@ed.org.nz or leave a message on the phone 0800 2 EDANZ and we will get back to you as soon as we can. If you are concerned about the safety of someone, please ring 111 or go to the Emergency Department of your nearest hospital.
"The ongoing support our family has received from EDANZ has been a vital in the recovery process of our daughter's anorexia. Having a parent who has experienced this journey and has offered stories of recovery has been invaluable to us during difficult times. Resourcing given along with facts and information about the disease has also helped us enormously." – Kate
Did you know, we receive no regular funding?
Many families have told us they consider our support to be essential and life-saving. However, we are a volunteer organisation and rely totally on donations and grants to provide our services – many of which are currently self-funded.
Demand for our services continues to grow to unprecedented levels. With the cost pressures New Zealand is facing, donations are becoming scarce... yet they're needed more than ever before.
If you can, please consider donating to EDANZ
Your donation will enable us to continue our work providing support to families, education to healthcare providers and the community, and advocating for improved access to evidence-based treatment for all affected New Zealanders.
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