Halloween can be a challenging time for those in binge eating recovery, with tempting treats, food-centered events, and body image pressures around costumes. This blog provides practical tips to help navigate Halloween while staying on track with recovery, including maintaining balanced meals to curb binge urges, embracing “fun foods” mindfully, setting boundaries around food-focused gatherings, and practicing ACT defusion techniques to manage intrusive thoughts and urges to binge. By focusing on self-care, connection, and compassionate coping strategies, you can enjoy Halloween without compromising your progress.

Improving body image difficulties is an essential part of eating disorder recovery because poor body image can be both a symptom and a barrier to overcoming disordered eating. In recovery, instead of focusing on unrealistic body ideals or extreme body positivity, it’s important to adopt a more helpful body image, which allows individuals to live in alignment with their values, regardless of how they feel about their appearance. Key strategies include avoiding body-checking behaviours, challenging negative body image thoughts, appreciating your body for what it can do, practicing self-compassion, and building self-worth beyond appearance. Treating your body with kindness and seeking help from a multidisciplinary team can accelerate progress in eating disorder recovery.

Eating disorders are often thought of as a women's issue, but men are significantly affected as well, with estimates suggesting that at least 25% of sufferers are male. Many men struggle with conditions like binge eating disorder (BED) and muscle dysmorphia, driven by societal pressures to achieve unrealistic body ideals. Despite the prevalence of eating disorders in men, stigma and traditional views of masculinity make it difficult for them to seek help. Treatment approaches are often tailored to women, leaving men underdiagnosed and underserved. Raising awareness, breaking down stigma, and developing gender-sensitive treatments are crucial steps toward ensuring that men struggling with eating disorders get the support they need.

General nutritional training doesn't equip nutritional therapists to work safely and effectively with eating disorders. As an experienced practitioner and trainer in nutritional approaches for eating disorders, I've experienced firsthand the huge impact nutritional therapists can have on supporting clients to build a positive relationship with food - but they need the right nutritional, behavioural and psychological tools to do this well.

The pursuit of the so-called "perfect body" is a damaging and unattainable goal, often intensified by societal pressures, media, and diet culture, which can seriously harm both physical health and mental well-being. This is particularly harmful to those on the path of eating disorder recovery.

As an experienced recovery clinic, we’ve seen how transformative the right eating disorder recovery programme can be. However, choosing a clinic, practitioner, or programme can be tricky. This blog outlines some key factors you should consider when choosing so you can start on the pathway to rebuilding a balanced relationship with food.

Disordered eating is more common than you may think. It is so important to recognise the warning signs so you can get the help and support you may need. Here are five signs you may be struggling with your relationship with food.