In our latest blog, we delve into a common yet often misunderstood phenomenon known as the abstinence violation effect (AVE) and its impact on individuals in eating disorder recovery. Explore how a perceived lapse or violation of self-imposed rules can trigger intense negative emotions and potentially derail progress. Discover strategies for recognizing and managing the AVE to promote resilience and sustainable recovery.

Discover how Candy Salad is breaking down societal expectations and beliefs about 'healthy' eating! Click here to learn more about how Candy Salad encourages us to tap into sweetness and indulge without feeling guilt.

Did you know that many individuals have found EMDR therapy to be an effective and beneficial treatment option for those in eating disorder recovery? If you are interested in learning more about this approach, we invite you to visit our blog where you can delve into the details.

When you have ADHD, it can be challenging to remember to or know how to fuel yourself throughout the day. Reasons like hyperfocus, struggles with time awareness, the ability to be organized, or even ADHD medication itself are just a few reasons why eating is so easily forgotten. And because it is so easy to forget, people with ADHD often struggle with their relationship with food and can even develop disordered eating habits, like the restrict-binge cycle, without even recognizing it. 

It’s such a colorful time of year in Philadelphia when the weather begins to warm. More people frolicking out and about on the historic, cobblestone streets. But you wonder why you aren’t experiencing the same sense of excitement and joy as it seems your fellow Philadelphians. All you can find yourself thinking about as you travel the Center City streets is how uncomfortable you feel in your body. You find yourself worried that others are judging the way your body looks in your newly purchased spring attire. You want so badly to feel happy in the changing of the seasons, but you can’t. You dread the warmer weather and the body shame it brings.  

It never feels good enough when it comes to food decisions and our minds are always racing. We want to feel like we are making the right decision but we always end up back in the same cycle of punishing our bodies, feeling shameful and moody, and ultimately are left feeling negative about ourselves. It doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to live in society's food ‘rules, ’ feel guilty, shameful, or confused about food any longer. There is another way! 

Despite what society, the world, your family, or even you, yourself, has been told about eating disorders there are unfortunately so many misconceptions. You can be intensely restricting and obsessively over exercising and still think you are too big to have an eating disorder. You could also be restricting or binging and still show up in a body that is considered ‘normal’ or ‘overweight.’ You can be purging daily and your labs could still come up normal. 

Diet culture has implanted nutrition “education” into our minds that leads us to confusion. But it’s not really nutrition, it’s dieting.  It’s meant to make us confused and overwhelmed, so we’ll sign up for the next ‘best’ approach.  Enter Whole 30, Keto, Intermittent fasting, WW, Noom.  It makes sense that we’re drawn to these programs and approaches they appear to simplify the jungle. But really, they just add to it.  It’s time for a change.  Food doesn’t have to be this confusing. You don’t have to have these reels in your head about what you should or shouldn’t be eating.  

You feel captive in your own body and don’t know how to become free, but you are beginning noticing that parts of you are ready to change. You are becoming more open to the idea of eating disorder recovery because a part of you is exhausted from all the work you have been doing. However, you are struggling to know what direction you should move in or what ED recovery could look like. 

NEDAW begins on Monday, February 27th and ends on Sunday, March 5th and is focusing on two key components–the lived experiences of individuals with eating disorders and providing education to others about eating disorders. Both of these components align with the theme of this year's NEDAW, which is It’s Time for Change.

You want to be happy with yourself and let go of the shame, guilt, and hatred you have for body but are afraid of what recovery could look like. It is understandable that you are both curious and anxious about ED treatment because the ED voice is talking back to you, convincing you, that you shouldn’t. I am here to provide some insight and debunk myths that your ED voice may be telling you about eating disorder therapy.

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Disembodiment is a feeling of not being present in your body, feeling unsafe or even out of control of your body. For many clients, disembodiment happens because the memories held in their body are too much to handle and disconnecting from their body is a way to keep themselves safe.  Living in a state of disembodiment, though it might feel ‘normal’ and safe, will not be able to support you in the long run and can even be harmful. This state of disembodiment can stop you from living in the present moment with your body, from learning new things about who you are, and from trusting yourself.

We have been taught for so long to place judgments on ourselves, especially when it comes to our bodies. But it doesn’t have to have to be this way. We have the internal wisdom to manage the negative thoughts that we are having about our bodies…we just have to tap into them and be mindful of actually putting them into motion.  

The holiday season for many with an ED or in ED recovery can feel like the superbowl of negative thoughts and body image, anxiety, decreased self-esteem and even sadness. Which is why it feels impossible to try to keep your eating disorder from controlling your holiday season. It can feel easier to let the eating disorder voice win because it is so exhausting to keep your ED in check. And as exhausting as it is, you can still support yourself through the holiday season with the list of tips below. 

Whether you are fearful of the foods you will encounter on Thanksgiving Day, concerned about how you will manage your eating disorder voice, or just feel anxious about the pressure to eat or not eat you have the power right now, to prepare a toolbox of coping strategies to pull out of your back pocket when you are feeling overwhelmed and anxious this Thanksgiving.

Every culture has their own food likes and dislikes that have been heavily influenced by their ancestry. However, when we begin to restrict ourselves from our cultural foods because of diet culture and society's expectations, it can make us feel separated from a core piece of ourselves. And again, we often easily convince ourselves that we should restrict ourselves from that food because it is a smart nutritional decision.

Wouldn’t it be nice if nutrition was presented to you in a truly neutral way? Without dieting, weight loss, or some new fad? Instead you had someone walk you through your own personal lifestyle and help you construct your own nutritional roadmap. You can! That’s what a nutritionist would do with you.

In a time when we are more isolated than we have ever been before, you may be thinking you’re the only one who feels that keeping up with recovery is really hard right now. Yet I promise you, you are not alone. Whether that’s thinking about food and your body a lot or feeling completely overwhelmed or confused by all the diet content out there as we enter a new year, know that there is someone out there who is feeling the SAME way you are right now. Learn how to access community to boost your eating disorder community

With routine being thrown out the window and heightened levels of anxiety around a pandemic that feels completely out of our control, many people are turning to their go-to coping mechanisms to manage this stressful time. If you or your loved one has a history of disordered eating, here is why this time may be particularly difficult and what you can do to support recovery.

Recently, I created a list of questions to ask when vetting an eating disorder treament program to see what they actually provide. I thought I’d share this with all of you in case you’re looking for a higher level of eating disorder treatment.

Your breath is both a complicated and conveniently simple process that weaves together the communication between your body and mind. Linked to your nervous system, your breath has the capabilities of keeping you alive, soothing your body and mind and increasing energy. Your breath holds a wealth of resources for you. All you have to do is attend to it. Here’s some ways to access its usefulness.