Lessons From Books About Eating Disorders

Books about eating disorders can dispel many common myths about having an eating disorder, who eating disorders affect, and the challenges encountered by those who experience disordered eating. An eating disorder book can also show how factors such as sexism, racism, poverty, and trauma can affect a person’s body image. Read on to learn about some messages and lessons derived from books about eating disorders. 

Literature about eating disorders 

There is plenty of literature that conveys the complexities of eating disorders, showing how multiple factors can influence people’s relationship to their bodies and food. For example, say “some works depict a possible eating disorder. These works may allow people to recognize signs of an eating disorder in themselves or others so that they can seek timely help. 

Some books about eating disorders

The eating disorder book titled A Hunger So Wide and So Deep: A Multiracial View of Women's Eating Problems conveys how race, class, sexuality, and other factors can shape women's eating problems. This book by Becky W. Thompson widens the perspective of eating disorders by drawing on interviews from American women from diverse backgrounds, challenging the notion that eating problems occur only with White, well-to-do, heterosexual women. 

Goodbye Ed: Hello Me: Recover from Your Eating Disorder and Fall in Love with Life, by Jenni Shaefer, takes the angle of treating an eating disorder as a relationship rather than a disabling condition. Instead of viewing it as a matter of just avoiding destructive behaviors, the book encourages a move toward a healthy relationship with food and one's body while learning to find joy in life.  

Life without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too, also written by Jenni Shaefer, depicts the transformative journey of how one woman came to view her eating disorder ("Ed") as an unhealthy relationship—an Ed that distorted her self-image and self-respect—while undergoing therapy. The book delves into her insights and experiences, as well as a therapist's suggestions for leading a more fulfilling, healthy life. 

Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture seeks to empower parents to tackle fat phobia and body biases by examining the culture around dieting, promoting a more accepting and inclusive view around bodies and weight. 

Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia traces the roots of cultural fear of fatness to the racialized bodies of Black women. The book by Sabrina Springs delves into associations made of robust bodies as coinciding with the interests of society at particular times in history. 

Starving for Survival by Jason Wood portrays how a man can experience challenges with body image and dieting through a preoccupation with healthy eating (orthorexia), which can impact mental health and the stigma around it.

Understanding anorexia nervosa 

Anorexia nervosa is a serious disorder in which people avoid and severely restrict food in an attempt to control their weight. Individuals with anorexia may feel a need to exercise excessively and continually monitor their weight. As a complex and multifaceted disorder, anorexia can affect people of all genders, backgrounds, and body weights. Both children and adults can develop it. 

Books about anorexia nervosa

Misconceptions about anorexia often involve the belief that it only affects young affluent women who strive to be thin. However, anorexia can impact individuals of any background and is a complex mental disorder with biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. Some acclaimed books with insights about anorexia nervosa include: 

• Fasting Girls: The History of Anorexia Nervosa by Joan Jacobs Brumberg  
• How to (Un)cage a Girl by Francesca Lia Bloch
• Lighter Than My Shadow by Katie Green

Cultural factors and anorexia

Cultural factors can influence anorexia nervosa. These factors include media portrayals of homogeneous ideals of beauty and societal pressure to maintain a specific body shape. Such factors, when unchecked, can contribute to the development of anorexia by influencing an individual's body image.

Other factors that may contribute to anorexia

While there may be no single cause of anorexia, many factors can influence an individual's propensity toward developing anorexia. These influencing factors include:

• Low self-esteem
• Experiences of trauma or abuse
• Co-existing mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression
• Family dynamics
• Genetics
• Developmental challenges
• Social attitudes
• Emphasis on body shape in one’s group or subculture

Signs of an eating disorder

Recognizing signs of an eating disorder may be seen as the first step to addressing it and begin one's healing journey.  can include:

• Denial of hunger
• Intense fear of gaining weight
• Belief that one is overweight when one is not
• Preoccupation with food and dieting
• Restricted eating
• Changes in mood
• Avoidance of social events involving food
• Induced vomiting or use of laxatives after eating
• A tendency to feel cold, dizzy, or tired
• Tingling or numbness in arms or legs
• Absence of menstruation on a given month
• Challenges with digestion
• Weight changes
• Brittle nails

Eating disorder misconceptions

There are many common misconceptions about people who experience an eating disorder. These misconceptions about eating disorders can lead to stigmatization and prevent people from seeking help. 

Common misconceptions about having an eating disorder

The following are some common misconceptions about eating disorders:

• The myth that an eating disorder is a lifestyle choice
• The belief that an eating disorder is centered on vanity
• The assumption that eating disorders only affect young White women—not men or women of color
• The belief that an eating disorder is solely about food and weight
• The belief that one can tell that someone has an eating disorder based on appearance
• The belief that the healing journey is straightforward

Lessons about having an eating disorder

By seeking knowledge through books, articles, peer support, and treatment options, one may gain a better understanding of how disordered eating can impact one's life.

Moreover, these books can make one feel less alone by showing how many people are affected by societal pressures that may contribute to disordered eating.

Treatment for eating disorders

Generally, treatment options for eating disorders may involve psychotherapy (talk therapy), nutritional counseling, and medical care. In more severe cases, hospitalization may be needed for complications arising from nutritional deficiencies. Therapies may include: 

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy and enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E): Cognitive-behavioral therapy is one treatment approach that is used to help individuals change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which may be contributing to their relationship to their bodies and food. Research indicates that CBT-E is associated with alleviating symptoms of eating disorders.
• Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT): Primarily used for bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, this form of therapy typically aims to relieve symptoms and improve a person’s way of relating to others. 
• Family-based therapy: Primarily used for adolescents with eating disorders, family-based therapy is an approach in which therapists guide the family through the different phases of the healing process.

Holistic approaches that support mental health

Holistic approaches to wellness may also be beneficial to support a person’s wellness journey. Ways to foster mental health may include:

• Doing yoga 
• Practicing mindfulness 
• Going out in nature
• Doing hobbies you enjoy
• Making art
• Listening to music 
• Journaling

Considering therapy for mental health and well-being

Many people experience challenges with their relationship with food and self-image. Therapy may allow you to reexamine underlying concerns that influence this relationship, promoting a healthier perspective. However, if you find that in-person therapy is not convenient, online therapy may be an option for you, as it allows you to have sessions with a licensed therapist from the comfort of your own home or anywhere with an internet connection. You can speak to a therapist by phone, video, or live chat at a time that suits your schedule. Also, you can contact your therapist at any time through in-app messaging, and they’ll respond as soon as they can, which can be helpful when you're experiencing difficulty with habits you would like to break. 

Many therapists can employ enhanced cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT-E), an approach that may help you reframe longstanding patterns of thinking and behaving. Several studies support the use of CBT delivered online. One study evaluated the efficacy of guided, self-help CBT-E delivered online to address binge eating, showing that treatment either reduced or led to full recovery from binge eating. This led the researchers to conclude that guided CBT-E "appeared to be an efficacious treatment."