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Urban Girlz Suffering From Eating Disorders
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In a recent report published by the Office of Women's Health, girls and
teens of color report binging, purging and taking laxatives on a regular
basis to loose weight.  This may sound shocking to you and may even
seem impossible, how is it that girls and teens of color are suffering from
obesity and eating disorders at the same time?

By the time girls of color reach puberty they are heavier than most of
their white counterparts.  There are three main reasons this occurs.  
Girls of color are born with more body mass than other girls, girls of color
are less active than other races of girls and finally girls of color have
poor eating habits.

Because being healthy is a learned behavior, girls of color often don't
even know how to change their eating habits, and usually don't belong to
a gym.  This leads to unhealthy eating patterns including abstaining from
food for a day or maybe even two and then binging for a week.

Girls are more frequently falling victim to meet societal norms of beauty
even if it means doing something not commonly linked to the Black
community.  Talking about it and realizing that you may be suffering is
the first step.  Wanting to be skinny and beautiful is every girls dream,
however, what's most important is not being skinny, but being healthy.  

Eating disorders are very bad for your health and could lead to your
major organs shutting down, you suffering a heart attack or even death.

Are you suffering from an eating disorder?  You are not alone.  There
are thousands of girls of color who are unhappy with the way they look
and are looking for a way out.

Talk to an adult or someone you care about and trust about what's going
on with you.  If you have no one you can trust, talk to your school
counselor, who will have resources to get you some help with your eating
disorder.  Just do something, don't keep hurting yourself, because it's not
about what you look like on the outside but how you feel on the inside.

Here's a link with more information:


Click in and start your journey back to health!
When you have a bing-eating disorder, you regularly eat excessive
amounts of food (binge), sometimes for hours on end.  You may eat
when you're not hungry and continue eating even longer after
you're uncomfortably full.  After a bing, you may try to diet or eat
normal meals, triggering a new round of binging.  You may be a
normal weight, overweight or obese.

Binge Eating Disorder Symptoms
  • Eating to the point of discomfort or pain
  • Eating much more food during a binge episode than during a normal
    meal or snack
  • Eating faster during binging episodes
  • Frequent dieting without weight loss
  • Frequently eating alone
  • Hoarding food
  • Hiding empty food containers
  • Feeling depressed, disgusted or upset over the amount eaten
  • Depression or anxiety

Anorexia Symptoms Include
  • Thin appearance
  • Abnormal blood counts
  • Fatigue
  • Dizziness or fainting
  • Brittle nails
  • Hair that thins, breaks or falls out
  • Menstrual irregularities
  • Constipation
  • Dry Skin
  • Frequently being cold
  • Irregular heart rhythms
  • Low blood pressure
  • Dehydration
  • Bone loss

Red Flags
  • Skipping meals
  • Making excuses for not eating
  • Eating only a few certain "safe" foods, usually those low in fat and
    calories
  • Adopting rigid meal or eating rituals, such as cutting food into tiny
    pieces or spitting food out after chewing
  • Weighing food
  • Cooking elaborate meals for others but refusing to eat them themselves
  • Frequent checking in the mirror for perceived flaws
  • Wearing baggy or layered clothing
  • Complaining about being fat

Treatment

Eating disorder treatment depends on your specific type of eating disorder.  But
in general, it typically includes psychotherapy, nutrition education, and
medication.  If your life is at risk, you may need immediate hospitalization to
stabilize your health.  You may have a treatment team of medical doctors,
mental health providers and dietitians.  Information Taken from an article
Published by the Mayoclinic.
www.mayoclinic.com
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