A Journey Through Eating Disorders Support & Recovery

Holidays can feel warm and celebratory for many—yet for people with eating disorders, Thanksgiving often brings intense stress, shame, and old patterns to the surface. For anyone who has experienced disordered eating, the day’s focus on food, family, and appearance can trigger feelings that are not really about hunger or calories at all. This article explains why Thanksgiving can be…

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is often misunderstood as extreme picky eating, but for those experiencing it, the challenges run much deeper. At ViaMar Health, we approach ARFID treatment with compassion, collaboration, and a strong foundation in both nutrition and emotional safety. Our work focuses on helping clients rebuild trust in food, step by step, meal by meal, while equipping…

As the National Alliance for Eating Disorders marks its silver anniversary, it’s worth pausing to look back through the lens of impact, growth, and stories told in numbers. When The Alliance was founded in October 2000, it was born out of a promise to pay-it-forward after more than a decade of struggling. Since then, the National Alliance for Eating Disorders…

Anorexia nervosa in males is far more common than stereotypes suggest. Risk factors can include genetics, co-occurring conditions (like depression or anxiety), early bullying, or pressure to match unrealistic body ideals portrayed in media and sports. Despite this, eating disorders in men are frequently underdiagnosed and misunderstood. Culture has long framed anorexia nervosa as a disorder for young women, which…

Eating disorders are often thought of in terms of discernible symptoms like eating behaviors and relationships to food and body. But beneath the more-visible symptoms lies a deeper, less obvious story playing out inside the brain. As neuroimaging techniques have advanced, researchers are uncovering real, measurable differences in brain structure, function, and connectivity in people who experience eating disorders. This…

When we think of the military, images of discipline, strength, and resilience often come to mind. Service members are trained to push their physical and mental limits, operating under immense pressure to perform and conform to high standards. However, underlying the responsibilities of uniformed service and duty, there exists a frequently unspoken struggle with eating disorders. The Unseen Enemy Eating…

Healing from an eating disorder isn’t a linear process, and recovery doesn’t look like a one-size-fits-all treatment plan. A common misconception—and a harmful one at that—is that a successful recovery is one that doesn’t have any setbacks and is a “complete” recovery. We need to redefine what “success” actually means when it comes to recovering from an eating disorder, shifting…

Why “The Idol,” “Euphoria,” and Other Shows Need to Be More Responsible About ED Representation In recent years, television has leaned harder into darker, more provocative explorations of mental illness, of trauma, of self-harm, and of identity, especially among adolescents. Shows like “Euphoria” and “The Idol” are praised for their boldness, their cinematic aesthetics, and their unflinching look at brokenness.…

Amenorrhea, or the absence of menstruation, affects many individuals with eating disorders due to hormonal disruptions caused by weight loss, malnutrition, and purging. This can lead to complications such as low estrogen, reduced bone density, and fertility concerns, though fertility often normalizes with recovery. Weight restoration and nutritional rehabilitation are key to resuming menstruation. Amenorrhea & Eating Disorders Amenorrhea is…

Domestic Violence Awareness Month is an important moment to examine how trauma — including intimate partner violence (IPV) — shapes mental health in ways that often show up as disordered eating. For many people, eating behaviors are not simply about calories or body shape; they can be coping responses to overwhelming emotions, attempts to regain control, or strategies to numb…