Supporting Someone With An Eating Disorder - Beat

Mealtimes can be really difficult for both those suffering with an eating disorder and those supporting them. But there are things that you can do to help things go more smoothly and feel more comfortable for your loved one.

• Ensure you have everything you need for the planned meal to avoid last-minute changes that could increase anxiety.
• If you are eating together, plan with your loved one what you will be eating, at what time, who else will be there, and think about portion sizes.
• If your loved one is struggling to food shop due to anxiety about things such as nutritional labels, either offer to do the shopping for them or go together to help support them.
• Some people who binge eat may have difficulty with the abundance of food in supermarkets; therefore writing a list and shopping together for this can be helpful. Food shopping via the internet can also be helpful for some people.
• Often during treatment, avoided foods will need to be reintroduced. Planning the day and time that this will be along with the treatment team, and shopping for it together, can help this process feel more in your loved one’s control.
• When shopping, multipacks of avoided or fear foods can seem overwhelming, particularly if it is a food that the person tends to restrict or binge on. Buying the food as a single item rather than part of a multipack could be more manageable for your loved one.
• Ask your loved one what would be most helpful during the mealtime. Some examples of things that have helped other people are having the television or radio on, colouring tablecloths, doing a puzzle or being involved in conversation. Come up with a list of distraction techniques with them for them to use when they are struggling – this could be helpful outside mealtimes too.
• Keep conversation neutral at mealtimes, so avoid discussing topics such as diets, exercise or how treatment is going.
• In people with restrictive eating disorders, eating regularly again can bring about physical discomfort such as stomach pain and feeling full very quickly – it is important to follow the advice of your loved one’s treatment team in response to this. This may require supporting your loved one with pushing through this discomfort and continuing to eat regularly.
• Evening times are often the most vulnerable time for people who binge eat – ask your loved one what you can do to help with this, or at other times that they may find difficult.