Background: Food is the foundational substrate of the human body and serves as the primary method of communication for emotional distress among individuals with Eating Disorders. This session will examine essential nutritional truths that enhance physiological and emotional restoration, while offering practical tools to break the dysfunctional attachment to food.
A. Function of food
a. Define calorie and measure of assessment of carbon capacity through bomb calorimeter
i. Historical origins
ii. Philosophical belief about energetics
b. Role of nutrients
c. Systemic homeostasis
B. Biological basis of perception
a. Brain regions
b. Digestive assimilation of substrates
c. Clinical signs of distorted reality
C. Current role of food in Eating Disorder treatment
a. Fear vs. boundaries
b. Implications on self-efficacy
D. Conscious eating
a. Ownership and agency
b. Impact on desire for dissociation
c. Tactics for continued recovery
The statement, “Eating Disorders are not about the food,” is a common phrase used in many treatment arenas. An individuals’ maladaptive relationship with obtaining essential nourishment for physiological wellness and proper development is a core psychological distortion that must be resolved. The clinical manifestation of malnutrition must also be addressed and corrected before any permanent change is possible. Thus, the treatment of Eating Disorders is really all about the food. It is essential for any practitioner to understand the fundamentals of nutritional biochemistry. Additionally, the culinary translation of these principles into tangible messages that create agency and security that food is safe and essential for life is vital for full recovery.
April Winslow (@AprilWinslow) is the founder of Choose to Change Nutrition Services. Her nutrition therapy practice aims to promote self-efficacy and agency to use food to explore the world. April speaks internationally on clinical signs of malnutrition in Psychiatric conditions and believes in educating professionals to recognize food as a powerful non-verbal communication tool and symbol of emotional attachment. She currently is a Pre-doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. She also supervises Nutrition professionals/students and is active in both the state and national Public Policy arenas.
