Eating disorders
![A person cooks mushrooms in a pan on a stove with pasta in a colander and various ingredients spread on the kitchen counter.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/7060bca0-3ba1-4e46-a03a-6adc2386d8e3/rt-gettyimages-1345342998.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Eating disorders
idea
Learning to cook taught me that self-care isn’t selfish
In healing my relationship with food and cooking, I saw how caring for myself was the first step toward caring for others
by Céline Leboeuf
![Person spreading strawberry jam on a piece of toast with a spoon in a kitchen setting, with a microwave and wooden countertop in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/77eb1ecb-ccd0-4ac0-9282-0e9c122b3b38/rt-final-gettyimages-481683825.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Eating disorders
idea
The important link between eating disorders and past trauma
For someone who’s endured trauma, an eating disorder might be one of the aftereffects. That should inform their recovery
by Giulia Suro
![Abstract illustration of two people; one is sitting and eating with chopsticks, the other is walking away, in a room with soft pastel walls.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/f187cac1-9bbb-4353-b6e3-fd3572f12255/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Eating disorders
guide
How to spot an eating disorder
Worried about someone’s behaviour around food? Eating disorders are serious and secretive: knowing the red flags will help
by Phillip Aouad & Sarah Maguire
![People eating chips with various sauces in cardboard trays, standing outdoors on paving stones with a crowd in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/b192e379-b50e-4d04-9a48-35a73b641168/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
The body and physical health
idea
Practise ‘intuitive eating’ and feel a lot happier about food
Practise ‘intuitive eating’ and free yourself from worrying about food and the ricochet between dieting and indulging in it
by Charlotte H Markey
![A person in a white T-shirt sits in a chair near a bright window, looking down at an open book while holding a pen.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/ce984160-e294-4001-b4df-3397cf548ecf/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Eating disorders
idea
Is ‘feeling fat’ really a manifestation of underlying sadness?
Patients with eating disorders who feel overweight are often told that the underlying cause is emotional. What if it’s not?
by Stephen Gadsby & Bence Nanay
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Difficult emotions
guide
How to stop emotional eating
Whether compelled by an inner void, loneliness or boredom, psychoanalysis can help you understand why you seek comfort in food
by Nina Savelle-Rocklin
![Distorted reflections of several people in a wavy, metallic surface, creating a ripple effect.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/16e9e39a-ed89-4799-bd3e-f1892628f2bc/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Eating disorders
idea
Body image distortions are a normal feature of mental life
Body image distortions can be severe in anorexia nervosa and bulimia, but they’re also a normal feature of mental life
by Matthew R Longo
![A child with long hair sits at a kitchen table in dim light, looking down while eating.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/7b6d3f64-e9cc-4900-8fd9-d57503e7ca26/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Eating disorders
idea
When fear grew in my stomach, I starved myself just to survive
Hungry to survive an abusive childhood, I stopped eating. Years later, I learned the name of my eating disorder
by Nataliya Deleva