Ask Joanna

Joanna answers your questions...

Question: How do I know whether my idea of healthy eating is in fact healthy?

"While being aware of what you’re putting into your body is a good way to maintain health, your habits and attitude around eating and food should give you some insight into whether your healthy eating is truly healthy. If you find that your diet or idea of healthy eating is often interfering with your ability … Read More" Read More

Question: My child seems to eat healthy food but s/he is losing weight. Should I be worried?

"It depends. Sometimes a change in diet, even to what seem to be healthy foods, can be an indicator of disordered eating, but it isn’t always. For instance, a child who suddenly declares s/he is Vegan could just be using that as an excuse to explain away what is really happening, which may be that she is engaging in unhealthy calorie restriction. With a closer look, you may notice that your child is restricting the healthy foods she eats and really not getting the well-rounded nutrients s/he needs for healthy body growth and maintenance." Read More

Question: S/he has already been through treatment. What’s it going to take?

"It can be very difficult for families when a child goes through treatment and then re-engages in the eating disorder. This is a difficult disease and progress can be much slower than anyone, including the individual with the eating disorder, wants it to be. What it takes is continual patience, understanding and empathy, along with a good therapeutic approach that works for your child and your family. " Read More

Question: Can you recover from an eating disorder?

"Yes. What works? There is no one answer to this because as we always say, if there was something that worked, we’d all be doing it and everyone would recover quickly. There can be many reasons for, and many individual parts to, an eating disorder. Because of this, recovery is an intricate process, and will have as much to do with your child’s specific needs as it will with the therapeutic processes that we have had success with. " Read More

Question: My child seems to eat healthy food but s/he is gaining weight. Should I be worried?

"Weight fluctuation is a healthy part of growing up. A teenager needs more calories during times of rapid growth (i.e. puberty). If your child eats when hungry and stops when satisfied, then s/he will learn to eat according to internal hunger and fullness cues. It is important to know that children gain weight in advance of the rapid growth period that occurs during puberty, and that this weight gain is quite normal. " Read More

Question: What causes someone to have an eating disorder?

"Great question! That’s a very common question when it comes to understanding eating disorders. Many wonder about the root cause and what drives people to resort to eating disorder behaviors and thinking in the first place. Eating disorders are complex and the reasons behind their development are often unique to the individual. There can be many … Read More" Read More

Question: Is my child’s eating disorder just a phase? Will they snap out of it at some point?

"Whether it is or not, you still don’t want to ignore the signs that are there." Read More

Question: As a parent, how involved should I be?

"Eating disorders are a family problem, and there is growing evidence to suggest that family involvement is crucial to recovery – for everyone. " Read More

Question: What role does the media play in causing eating disorders?

"We are constantly bombarded with images from the media that show us a narrow picture of what it looks like to be cool, successful, and attractive. We are exposed to these messages more than ever before — through the Internet, TV advertisements, magazines, and social media. Models, actors, and celebrities are used to portray an … Read More" Read More

Question: Do eating disorders impact men and boys?

"Yes!  Eating disorders do not discriminate! They can impact females and males of any background, class, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. People anywhere from youth to seniors can have eating disorders. Like females, there is a distorted sense of body image. Some men and boys with an eating disorder want to lose weight, while others want to … Read More" Read More