How to help?

19 April, 2010
When you have a binge eater in the house - Is it best to keep the kitchen cupboards as empty as possible or is it better to let them try to get it out of their system ?



Matt C replies:


Hello!

I think the answer to this one might be neither! But it would be good to hear other peoples opinion on this.
It is probably unsustainable to keep your kitchen cupboards as empty as possible. And a feeling of denial around food (such as in extreme dieting to lose weight) can often be something that contributes to binge eating, and so removing food might just add to this feeling.

However, people can sometimes identify what are called their ‘trigger foods’ – which can be particular foods that set them off on a Binge Eating episode. See:
www.coping-with-binge-eating.com/compulsive-eating.html

Such foods might often be high in refined carbohydrates, sugars and fats such as biscuits, cakes, chocolates etc. It can be sensible to reduce the amount of these foods in the house, and instead try to increase the amount of healthy food available such as fruits and vegetables etc.

Even then, that often doesn’t solve the whole problem because food is all around us – in the shops, at the petrol station etc, and tackling binge eating needs achieving a more balanced relationship with food.

The person in question should ideally make sure they are eating normally and regularly throughout the day – breakfast, midday and evening meals, with a healthy snack in between meals if needed. This will help to keep their blood sugar levels stable. See:
www.coping-with-binge-eating.com/blood-sugar.html
It will also help keep genuine physical hunger at bay, and so help offset the desire to binge eat.

Waiting for them to “get it out of their system” might not work either. This might be okay if they are experiencing a short term period of stress which is leading them to binge eat, but that still indicates the development of a potentially harmful habit as a coping mechanism.
Very often, problems with Binge Eating have emotional reasons behind them, with food being used as a way of coping with difficult emotions (see: www.coping-with-binge-eating.com/emotional-eating.html) and the individual needs to develop different and more self-caring coping methods.

It would be good for your friend/relative to get some help with this problem. By learning more about the subject they can understand more about why they are behaving and feeling the way they do, and learn ways to free themselves from Binge eating for good.
An excellent book they could get is “Overcoming Binge Eating” by Dr Christopher Fairburn.

And there are national organisations who can help with support and advice such as National Eating Disorder Association in the US. They have a free helpline, 800-931-2237 www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

In the UK, try BEAT 0845 634 1414 www.b-eat.co.uk

However, the first place to seek some help should always be your doctor. The doctor can check to make sure there are no underlying medical problems and refer the person on to people who can help such as a counsellor/therapist and dietician.

I hope that has been some help,

Good luck and good health!

Matt C