Forgetting about food

Our relation with food is changing, and not necessarily for the better. In our rich world where we are never short of something to eat, we have become lazy about cooking, lazy with the nutritional advice our ancestors passed on, and even bad at eating itself. Skipping breakfast is one thing, but giving up eating is a serious matter. Our dieting culture is one thing that has exacerbated eating disorder uptake in our society.

We all need to help out

The following symptoms of anorexia and bulimia may not provoke change in the sufferer themselves, so it is up to that person's relatives and friends to be aware and help them make changes to regulate their eating disorder, and improve their diet to counter their eating disorder.

Weight loss

Dramatic weight loss in a relatively short period of time and wearing big or baggy clothes or dressing in layers to hide body shape is one sign of an eating disorder. Another clue might be an obsession with weight and complaining of weight problems. When these are unrealistic and the person is of normal size, then alarm bells should sound and action taken to prevent an eating disorder.

Is it just a diet?

Some symptoms of eating disorders can easily be mistaken for a diet, something condoned among teens these days. Obsession with fat content of foods and with continuous exercise might seem normal but such a diet is possibly adding up to eating disorder status. Make sure that neither are taken to extremes by being open to discussion and participation in the person's activities.

Becoming anorexic

Physical symptoms to look out for when trying to stop the exacerbation of eating disorders include dizziness, headaches and swollen glands, Complaints of often feeling cold, low blood pressure, loss of menstrual cycle, constipation or incontinence, bruised or calluses knuckles; bloodshot or bleeding in the eyes; light bruising under the eyes and on the cheeks. If the suspected sufferer of an eating disorder sees a doctor who reveals these symptoms, you may have passed the eating disorder preventative stage and be onto the slow and rocky path of eating disorder treatment and cure.