Not Just about Food: Understanding Eating Disorders

by Tabitha Moriarty, Carol Sonenklar

Overview

Some thirty million people have an eating disorder in the United States, and reported cases are only increasing.

This is especially true among young people. While many think of eating disorders as only about an individual's relationship to food, the reasons a person develops such a disorder are not just about food. There are complex causes, including genetics, brain chemistry, and life experiences.

Impossible beauty standards perpetuated by edited social media photos, exercise training videos targeting "trouble spots," and short-term fad diets contribute to the normalization of disordered eating and an unhealthy relationship with one's body. An April 2021 study found that during the first twelve months of the pandemic, there was a 25 percent increase in eating disorder-related hospital admissions for patients between the ages of twelve and eighteen.

Not Just about Food outlines the causes, symptoms, and diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and other eating disorders. It also describes recovery and treatment options for teens experiencing these harmful disorders.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541588943
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/06/2022
Series:	Healthy Living Library
Pages:	104
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.45(d)
Lexile:	1170L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 14 Years

About the Author

Tabitha Moriarty is a medical student living in Atlanta, Georgia. She has co-authored several titles in the Healthy Living Library series.

Carol Sonenklar is a published author of children's books. Some of her published credits include Bug Boy/ El Nino Insecto, Virus Hunters, and My Own Worst Enemy. Her first title for Twenty-First Century Books was Anorexia and Bulimia (USA TODAY Health Reports). She lives in Richmond, Virginia.

Editorial Reviews

2022-08-17
An up-to-date introduction to eating disorders.

Defining the range of disordered behaviors, identifying psychosocial causes and adverse results, and showing a recent increase in diagnoses, the authors cast a wide net. Framing eating in biological terms and noting particular dishes’ emotional significance in our cultures and families, the authors largely ignore food’s sensory pleasures. In sober but clear language, they briefly cover the Western history of such disorders and detail the variability of symptoms and types, going beyond anorexia and bulimia to more recent diagnoses, such as diabulimia and orthorexia. Genetic and other contributing biological factors (including mental health stresses of the Covid-19 pandemic) are also discussed. One chapter stresses that, contrary to popular belief, eating disorders are not restricted to people of certain genders, races, or socio-economic levels and that sports like gymnastics may trigger disorders. The section entitled “Eating Disorders and Marginalized Populations” explores communities often overlooked by the medical community; unfortunately the discussion of people of color leaves out Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and exploration of LGBTQ+ individuals’ experiences doesn’t mention transgender people. One chapter details the dangerous impact on the body, but coverage of treatment options—including helplines and the recovery process—ends the book on a positive note. Despite its impressive scope, the book primarily focuses on individuals, neglecting systemic factors such as food processing and marketing.

Clear, evidence-based information make this a reliable, if incomplete, resource. (glossary, source notes, resources, bibliography, further reading, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews