The Danger of Eating Too Much Red Meat

The next time you’re trying to decide between a burger and a chicken club, you might want to keep this in mind: Eating too much red meat might boost your risk for type-2 diabetes, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed three studies that included food frequency questionnaires and health data from more than 149,000 men and women in the U.S.  Compared with a control group that didn’t change their red meat intake at all, participants who increased their red meat consumption by more than half an additional serving per day had an increased risk of developing Type-2 diabetes by 48 percent over four years. On the other hand, those who cut back on red meat by at least half a serving per day had a decreased risk of 14 percent.

Since this was an observational study, the authors didn’t examine why the link may exist, says William Evans, PhD, head of the Muscle Metabolism Unit at GlaxoSmithKline and author of the commentary that accompanied the study. One possible explanation: Since some cuts of red meat are high in saturated fat—which previous studies have linked to heart disease and increased insulin resistance—eating more of it could be to blame, says Evans.

As a good rule of thumb, less than 10 percent of your daily calorie intake should come from saturated fat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other foods that contain the harmful fat include whole milk, high-fat cheeses, and anything loaded with butter, says Evans.

If you’re feeling majorly bummed right about now, there is some good news: You don’t have to give up red meat altogether. Leaner portions of it, like sirloin or round cuts, contain less saturated fat. So when you’re in the mood for something other than chicken and fish, you’re better off sticking with one of those—at least most of the time.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

More from Women’s Health:
6 Reasons to Eat Less Meat
Assess Your Diabetes Risk in Five Minutes
The Healthiest Meats & Seafood

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Are You Eating Enough of THIS Veggie?

Spuds don’t generally get a ton of love in the vegetable department, but researchers in nutrition science want you to know that you definitely shouldn’t avoid them. In fact, eating potatoes is just as important as filling up on the other, more colorful veggies, according to a new supplement published in the journal Advances in Nutrition.

Researchers gathered at Purdue University to bust the myth that white veggies—potatoes in particular—aren’t as nutritious as colored ones. While potatoes get a bad rap for being starchy, they’re also filled with vital nutrients, says supplement coauthor Connie Weaver, PhD, head of the department of nutrition science at Purdue University. One medium baked potato provides 11 percent of your recommended daily fiber intake and 12 percent of your recommended daily magnesium intake. What’s more, spuds are the highest dietary source of potassium (take that, bananas!).

It’s not that you have to replace other vegetables with potatoes, says Weaver. But since people in the U.S. generally don’t get enough fiber, potassium, and magnesium, according to the National Institutes of Health, you don’t want to nix them from your diet, either.

The bottom line: when it comes to which veggies you eat, it’s not one versus the other, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN, author of Read It Before You Eat It and nutrition expert in New York.

“The important thing to emphasize is variety,” she says. “One fruit or vegetable doesn’t give us everything that we need—it’s the blend of colors that count, and that includes potatoes.”

For some healthy ways to incorporate potatoes into your diet, try these tasty recipes:

Skinny Scalloped Potatoes

Photo: Mitch Mandel

Twice-Baked Potatoes

Photo: Jonathan Kantor

Chili-Dusted Avocado Potatoes

Photo: Con Poulos

Spinach and Goat Cheese-Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Photo: Kurt Wilson

Potato-Cauliflower Casserole

Photo: Mitch Mandel
Photo (top): iStockphoto/Thinkstock

More from WH:
4 Ways to Get More Potassium
The 18 Best Supplements for Women
The Best New Superfoods

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Eating Peppers Might Help Prevent Parkinson’s

What if keeping your nervous system healthy—and functioning properly—was as easy as tweaking your lunch? A new study suggests that this might be the case: Eating more peppers may lower your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study published in the journal Annals of Neurology.

Parkinson’s disease, which affects as many as one million people in the U.S., is a movement disorder that is often hard to diagnose and gets worse over time. The actual cause is unknown, but Parkinson’s develops when neurons in your brain that are responsible for producing dopamine, a hormone that helps regulate movement in your body, malfunction and die. Symptoms include tremors, slowed movement, stiffness, and instability. Pretty scary stuff—especially since there’s no known cure.

Researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle asked 490 newly-diagnosed participants and 644 participants without the disease (who were used as controls) to share their dietary habits and tobacco use. The more participants filled up on foods from the Solanaceae plant family—which includes peppers, tomatoes, tomato juice, and potatoes—the lower their risk for Parkinson’s. Peppers in particular seemed to be the most effective: Eating them two to four times or more per week was associated with about a 30 percent reduced risk of developing the disease.

So why the focus on this particular plant? Past research suggests that the nicotine in cigarettes—which is derived from the same plant family that produces peppers—can help reduce your risk of Parkinson’s. The obvious problem with that is the host of other health issues that cigarette smoking can cause. Luckily, edible nicotine seems to thwart the disease—without compromising your health in other ways. It’s also worth noting that, in this study, the reduced risk associated with eating these foods occurred mostly in men and women who reported never having smoked tobacco or only did so for a short period of time.

For a delicious way to pump up your pepper intake, whip up these recipes.

Red Pepper and Feta Turkey Burger

Photo: Levi Brown

 Roasted Pepper-Corn Pasta Salad

Photo: Con Poulos

Lemon Shrimp with Roasted Peppers

Photo: Con Poulos

Rip-Roarin’ Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Stuffed Piquillo Peppers

Photo: Kenji Toa

Pepper Steak Soup

Photo: Mitch Mandel

Balsamic Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Salad

Photo: Kurt Wilson
Photo (top): iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More from WH:

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Mika Brzezinski Opens Up About Disordered Eating

Mika Brzezinski, co-host of the weekday morning talk show Morning Joe, may look like one of the last people you’d ever expect to stuff her face with Big Macs (yes, plural) or eat an entire large pizza in one sitting. But as it turns out, Brzezinski has suffered from disordered eating—bingeing, then running excessively to burn off the calories—for decades. In her her new book, Obsessed: America’s Food Addiction—and My Own, Brzezinski confronts her eating issues, as well as the obesity epidemic facing the entire country.

“I have literally spent years of my life obsessing over food, chasing after food, gobbling down food—and then punishing myself for eating too much and trying to erase the effects,” she writes in the introduction. The issue only got worse when Brzezinski was told she’d have to lose weight to get a new job that she was eventually passed over for.

Brzezinski spoke with Women’s Health about her struggles with food, along with why she chose to speak publicly about them after all these years. The following is an edited version of a longer conversation:

Why did you decide to write this book?

It’s something I’ve been sort of hiding from myself to an extent—and definitely from others—for a long time, just sort of the inner struggle to find that right balance in that relationship with food. And I also then was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend named Diane who was suffering from obesity. I was stunned at how long it had taken for she and I to have this conversation about our relationships with food and our body image since we had shared just about everything two friends could share. I thought it was fascinating that this conversation was so different, and it was really the clincher to take a leap and bare all.

When you say you’d been hiding your food issues from yourself, what do you mean by that exactly?

I think we’re all a little—especially people who believe they have food issues—we’re all a little dishonest with ourselves about exactly what it is wer’e eating, when we’re eating it, how much we’re eating. And I think the reality can become really skewed when you let the external pressures in society and in life get in your head, as well. It can become a jumbled mess, as I was, and I have to tell you that writing the book has been extremely therapeutic because I sort of called myself out and said, “Stop it—enough!” And I finally think I’ve kind of passed through a barrier in my life that I’ve never been able to overcome. And that’s sort of just relaxing and understanding what I need to eat, when I need to eat it, and understanding that if you veer off a bit it’s OK.

One of your suggestions is that we need to stop worrying about being so politically correct and start calling overweight people “the F-word”—fat—to help solve the obesity crisis. Why do you think this needs to be part of the solution?

When I look at how hard it was for me to talk to my friend about this, I think it’s because we’re dancing around words and we’re missing the opportunity to speak the truth about our health and about the people that we love. If your friend had cancer or a broken leg, I think you’d be there to support her. I don’t understand why obesity, being overweight, or the word fat is somehow taboo. Because if we’re not saying it we’re probably thinking it. I think we need to straighten everything out a little bit and do what’s best for the people we love. That means speaking to them to their face honestly and supportively, as opposed to judging them behind their backs.

When did you first realize you had an unhealthy relationship with food?

I’ve known it for years. I think that I knew it in my 20s, when I was really bingeing and purging and running in these extreme forms. I kind of dialed back when I had kids because I had to. As I got older and got into this job and really started studying the issue, I realized I had a real problem and I wanted to write about it and learn about it more. So it’s been a process, and writing this book made me realize actually how very sick I was a long time ago. There’s part of me that wishes I was dragged off to a hospital and sort of set straight like a friend of mine was because it would have saved me a lot of years of bad living and bad health.

When was a friend of yours hospitalized for her eating issues?

It happened in college, and I remember thinking when she was taken off to the hospital, “I’m smarter than that. I’m glad no one can catch what I’m doing. I would never let things get so out of control.” It’s funny, I kind of thought, “Huh—how could she let that happen?” I look back and wish someone had shaken me and given me a wakeup call. I was always just right under the radar with this just enough to hide it. I picture myself in my 20s: My face is bloated, my skin is pale, my hair was thin. I didn’t look good, and I wasn’t healthy. It was all because of how I was feeding or not feeding myself.

What has it been like to put yourself and your own dysfunctional eating habits on display through this book?

It’s been hard, actually. I have to say I’ve woken up every morning since this book came out cringing a little bit and embarrassed. But it’s also been a real connective point for people. I go to book events where everyone stands up and tells their stories. They’re amazing stories, so I know I’ve touched a nerve. Every day, I have to tell you, I feel very responsible to live healthy now. I don’t just want to because it’s the right thing to do and I’ve been trying to get around it somehow, doing something sneaky. I actually eat food, and I eat a lot of it sometimes. And when I set out to go running, I don’t feel like I’ve only had a good day if I’ve run eight miles or 10 miles.

You’ve publicly shared that you’ve had unhealthy eating episodes as recently as a few months ago, eating Nutella with your bare hands. Where do you feel like you’re at right now in terms of overcoming your eating issues?

In the book, I actually go as far as making the link to addiction with these ingredients they put in food. I talk to doctors and experts about how the science that’s out there points to how sugars, fats, and salts can have this addictive quality. I really don’t think when you’re an addict that you’re ever really “done,” which is why when I was writing the book, I did fall off the wagon a few times. And I guess I expect to again. There are certain things I know I need to stay away from. I think I’m a lot better than I ever was and ever expected to be, but it will be a constant push-pull in my brain. The goal is to think less about it every day, and that certainly is happening.

What finally made you decide that you needed to confront your problems with food?

It was actually that conversation on the boat with my friend Diane, talking to her about obesity. I really felt like, first of all, I completely understood her struggle. The disconnect between us was painful. We really had so much in common, and she didn’t think I had anything in common with her when really we had everything in common except for our physical size. We were going through a lot of the same issues. I thought, “If I’m going to be talking on this major platform of Morning Joe about the obesity crisis and the health of the food we’re eating and providing our children, if I’m going to be making judgments, I need people to know where I’m coming from with this.” And one of the reasons I’m so strong and pointed is because of my story. I bought in and I got addicted to salt, sugar, and fat and to the high amount that they put in foods, especially in restaurants and at fast-food joints.

I really feel like because I’m sharing my story and my struggles, it’s not me sitting on my high horse saying, “Don’t you eat that” to people with weight problems. I actually understand the urge and the temptation. I worked hard and have now written hard, raw stories about trying to change that behavior, and I think it does help my ability to communicate if people know exactly where I’m coming from.

When doing research for this book, you spoke with a lot of people who have also had an unhealthy relationship with food. Whose story impacted you the most?

[Anchor and editor] Gayle King has hysterical stories in the book. There are a lot of different stories—it’s great, the variety of this book and hearing from different perspectives. [New Jersey Governor] Chris Christie, I didn’t expect our interview to be so emotional and break my heart, and it did. [Actress] Kathleen Turner—wow, her sort of freeing herself of the tyranny of trying to look like Kathleen Turner was really an inspiration, I have to tell you. And the interview actually turned around halfway through when she was talking about the tyranny of trying to look like a movie star when your body starts telling you it can’t anymore. And I started agreeing with her because I said, “That’s how I feel right now,” and she started asking me about my eating habits. By the end of the interview, she said, “You have a very bad life,” and I hung up the phone and thought, “How is that possible? Why am I so hungry all the time? Why am I always physically punishing myself [with excessive exercise]?” She’s right, it’s a tyranny. It really was a turning point for me where I thought, “Do I really have to do this anymore?”

thumbnail photo: MSNBC/Nathan Congleton

More From Women’s Health:
The Scary Rise in Adult Eating Disorders
Binge Eating? Over-Snacking? Fix Your Food Slip-Ups
Your Body On: Overeating at a Holiday Feast

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Get This: Eating More Nuts Won’t Make You Fat

Check out the list of links that should be on your radar today:

Adding nuts to your diet shouldn’t make you gain weight, according to a new study. Just don’t go completely nuts. [Reuters]

One small step for Marissa Mayer, one giant step for woman-kind: The Yahoo CEO recently doubled paid maternity leave and expanded paternity leave at her company. [Jezebel]

Prepare your credit cards: Downton Abbey is getting a fashion and home goods line. [The Cut]

Second-hand smoke may be more dangerous for women than it is for men. [TIME]

If you’re taking gingko biloba for your health, stop this second. A scary new animal study suggests that it may actually cause cancer. [NYT]

Less than 40 percent of people diagnosed with depression actually meet the clinical criteria for it. [Medical Daily]

Employees at a New York real estate office can get a 15 percent pay bump if they ink themselves with the company logo. That’s some serious employee loyalty there. [CBS New York]

A blogger for a sports radio station wrote that a (totally gorgeous) NBA cheerleader might be “too chunky” to cheer. If you ask us, the writer is too insensitive to blog. [Houston Chronicle]

Jonah Falcon, the man known for having the biggest penis in the world, released an iTunes single called “It’s Too Big.” Please don’t encourage him by buying it. [Huffington Post]

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Eating Clean Is About to Get Easier

Prepare to become a whole different kind of label snob: Whole Foods recently announced that the chain will require labeling on all genetically modified (GM) foods sold in its stores, making it the first U.S. retailer to call out these products. The president of Whole Foods said he plans to roll out this new labeling system within five years, since the process will likely take a while to implement in the chain’s 300-plus stores.

So what exactly are GM foods, and why should you be able to pick them out on a store shelf? They’re essentially foods that have been modified by combining the DNA of two different species. Examples include most soybeans and corn, as well as anything that contains them, like high fructose corn syrup or canola oil. Although the FDA has deemed these products safe, many researchers caution that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) may contain more allergens and health risks than naturally grown foods. Jeffrey Smith, best-selling author of Seeds of Deception, notes that animal studies have found an increased risk of tumors, organ damage, gastrointestinal disorders, immune disorders, and more as a result of long-term GMO consumption.

In Europe, grocery stores have almost completely removed GM foods from shelves—a result of a 2003 labeling requirement similar to the one Whole Foods is proposing, says Smith. “Now there are so few products [in Europe] that say they contain GMOs that it’s as if they’re banned.”

Whole Foods already sells many products labeled “Non-GMO Project Verified” (meaning they don’t contain any GM ingredients), and the store has seen a huge increase in the sale of these foods. “These are signs of a tipping point of consumer rejection,” says Smith. “The Whole Foods announcement was both a reflection of that and something that will propel the non-GMO movement more quickly.”

So what can you do until the new label system is up and running? Smith suggests buying organic whenever possible and looking for existing labels noting that a product is Non-GMO Project Verified. You can also try to cut down on processed foods, which typically contain GM ingredients.

photo: Wavebreak Media/Thinkstock

More from Women’s Health:
Frankenfish and the World of Genetically Modified Foods
Confused by Organic Foods? Not After This
The 14 Dirtiest Fruits and Veggies

Body Reset Diet Slim down in 15 days! Expert Harley Pasternak offers a proven program to shed pounds without sacrificing health or convenience in The Body Reset. Order now!

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Should You Stop Eating Fish?

You might want to think twice about feasting on seafood. A whopping 84 percent of fish samples taken from around the world contain unsafe levels of mercury, according to a new report from the Biodiversity Research Institute and the International Persistent Organic Pollutants Elimination Network. It isn’t safe to eat fish with such high levels of mercury more than once a month, according to the findings.

And that’s not all. Researchers also took hair samples from 152 people from around the world. What they found: More than 82 percent contained mercury levels greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended level. Translation: People are exposed to more mercury than is good for them.

So what’s the big deal? Consuming mercury can affect your nervous system and your brain, and this can be especially dangerous for children and women who are pregnant, according to Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CDN, CPT, owner of Manhattan-based practice Your New York Dietician. “Mercury acts like a neurotoxin which, even in low doses, can impair a baby’s development and cognitive function. In some cases it can lead to mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and loss of sight and hearing,” she says. “In non-pregnant adults, mercury affects fertility, blood pressure, memory, and eyesight.”

Pretty scary stuff, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to cut fish out of your diet altogether. “Because fish is an important nutrient source, it’s more about being smart with what you are eating vs. avoiding eating fish,” says David Evers, PhD, chief scientist of the Biodiversity Research Institute who specializes in research on ecotoxicology. He suggests consulting your doctor and checking out the EPA’s recommendations to lower your risk.

Here, excepted from the EPA’s website, three guidelines for reducing your exposure to mercury found in fish:

1. Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.

2. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.

  • Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
  • Another commonly eaten fish, albacore (“white”) tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.

3. Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don’t consume any other fish during that week.

Click here for more info. on fish safety from the EPA.

Click here to see the Consumer Guide to Mercury in Fish from the Natural Defense Council.

Pregnant or planning to become pregnant? Click here for the NRDC’s Mercury in Fish Wallet Card.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

More from WH:
How to Cook Seafood
Seafood Safety Tips
Frankenfish and the World of Genetically Modified Food

Discover surprising walking tips, tricks, and techniques to melt fat fast and get a tighter, firmer butt with Walk Your Butt Off! Buy it now!

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Should You Stop Eating Fish?

You might want to think twice about feasting on seafood. A whopping 84 percent of fish samples taken from around the world contain unsafe levels of mercury, according to a new report from the Biodiversity Research Institute and the International Persistent Organic Pollutants Elimination Network. It isn’t safe to eat fish with such high levels of mercury more than once a month, according to the findings.

And that’s not all. Researchers also took hair samples from 152 people from around the world. What they found: More than 82 percent contained mercury levels greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended level. Translation: People are exposed to more mercury than is good for them.

So what’s the big deal? Consuming mercury can affect your nervous system and your brain, and this can be especially dangerous for children and women who are pregnant, according to Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CDN, CPT, owner of Manhattan-based practice Your New York Dietician. “Mercury acts like a neurotoxin which, even in low doses, can impair a baby’s development and cognitive function. In some cases it can lead to mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and loss of sight and hearing,” she says. “In non-pregnant adults, mercury affects fertility, blood pressure, memory, and eyesight.”

Pretty scary stuff, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to cut fish out of your diet altogether. “Because fish is an important nutrient source, it’s more about being smart with what you are eating vs. avoiding eating fish,” says David Evers, PhD, chief scientist of the Biodiversity Research Institute who specializes in research on ecotoxicology. He suggests consulting your doctor and checking out the EPA’s recommendations to lower your risk.

Here, excepted from the EPA’s website, three guidelines for reducing your exposure to mercury found in fish:

1. Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.

2. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.

  • Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
  • Another commonly eaten fish, albacore (“white”) tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.

3. Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don’t consume any other fish during that week.

Click here for more info. on fish safety from the EPA.

Click here to see the Consumer Guide to Mercury in Fish from the Natural Defense Council.

Pregnant or planning to become pregnant? Click here for the NRDC’s Mercury in Fish Wallet Card.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

More from WH:
How to Cook Seafood
Seafood Safety Tips
Frankenfish and the World of Genetically Modified Food

Discover surprising walking tips, tricks, and techniques to melt fat fast and get a tighter, firmer butt with Walk Your Butt Off! Buy it now!

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The Deadliest Eating Disorder

Disordered eating can be deadly, even if your habits don’t qualify as anorexia or bulimia. In fact, the deadliest eating disorder is the one that most people haven’t even heard of.

An estimated 52 percent of eating-disorder sufferers have what’s called Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, or EDNOS, according to the National Association for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. And although it’s the least commonly known ED, the mortality rate for EDNOS is highest of all eating disorders—5.2 percent of people who suffer from EDNOS ultimately die from it.

“The problem is people think that EDNOS means ‘eating disorder that’s not as bad,’” says Carolyn Costin, MFT, Executive Director of Monte Nido and Affiliates, a treatment center for eating disorders. “EDNOS is actually quite lethal, because it is underdiagnosed and undertreated,” Costin says.

The problem is that people who suffer from EDNOS tend to exhibit an atypical combination of disordered eating issues — like both fasting and purging, resulting in severe malnutrition. Or EDNOS sufferers could exhibit standard ED behaviors, but have body types that disqualify them from diagnosis: “You may have all the symptoms of anorexia, but your BMI is still in the healthy range or you are still menstruating, so you won’t be diagnosed,” Costin says. Because the symptoms are so varied from one patient to the next, doctors have a harder time settling on a diagnosis.

However, there is hope for sufferers when EDNOS is recognized early. “It can be worse than other EDs, but it also can be caught in the preliminary state before it becomes a full-blown eating disorder,” Costin says.

Take a look at the signs below, and seek help if you identify with any of them—your life could depend on it.

You may have EDNOS if:

Your diet is rigid
Daily food intake is ritualistic, and your dieting rules are rigid; maybe you only allow yourself to eat after 5 p.m., or eat the same six foods everyday.

Your diet interferes with your life
You won’t go out to dinner, because you aren’t comfortable eating any of the meals on restaurant menus, or you skip out on plans to fit in a workout.

Your diet raises eyebrows
The people closest to you mention you’ve lost too much weight, say you work out too much or point out strange food habits, like avoiding specific restaurants or food groups.

Your diet is at the forefront
You spend most of the day thinking about food; what you can eat, when you can eat next, and what’s in each dish. You may spend hours researching menus and totaling up calories.

Your diet isn’t a choice
Could you change your diet behavior? Is what you eat truly a choice? If you’ve gone vegan in the name of better health, but find you actually can’t make yourself eat a cookie, you may have EDNOS. “Some people feel obligated in their brains to eat certain foods and avoid others,” Costin says. “It’s a driven, obsessive-compulsive behavior. Asking yourself if you can eat that cookie is a good strategy. I need to see that you can allow yourself to eat a certain food.”

HOW TO GET HELP:
If you notice any of these behaviors, seek help. Check out EDreferral.com for treatment centers and eating-disorder professionals in your area, and see NationalEatingDisorders.org for more information. Also, take the pressure off labels. “Think about it as disordered eating, if that’s helpful,” says Costin. “Don’t worry about diagnosis or criteria. Just begin to talk to someone.”

photo: Hemera/Thinkstock

More from WH:
Adult Eating Disorders
5 Eating Disorders You Haven’t Heard Of
Your Relationship With Food: Is It Healthy?

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