Healthy eating and disorders
Staying healthy is an important part of growing up.
And it can affect you physically and emotionally. When your body changes during puberty and you have to deal with things like school and exams, staying healthy can really help you.
And healthy eating is key to this.
Staying healthy physically can help you stay healthy emotionally too. If you’re eating the right food and keeping fit, your body will be strong and help you to cope with stress and also fight illness.
Eating well and exercising often when you’re a teenager will also help you stay in good health later in life.
Advice to help eat a balanced diet
The NHS provides a range of advice to help you eat a balanced diet, including advice about vegetarian and vegan diets.
The Health for Teens website also provides a range of information, tips and advice about nutrition and diets aimed at teenagers and young adults aged 11 to 19.
Food and mood
Food can influence how you are feeling. There are certain nutrients that can help you feel less irritable, tired, lacking in energy and sad. These include iron, B vitamins and Selenium. There is also a chemical that your brain produces when given the right food called Serotonin which can make you feel happy.
Eating disorders
Anorexia
Anorexia is an illness which makes people stop eating food. It can start because of different reasons, like going through a stressful or traumatic event. Anorexia can be very dangerous – but there are ways to get support.
Binge eating
Binge eating is an eating disorder which makes people feel the need to eat too much food in one go. This can happen because of feelings that are difficult to cope with.
Bulimia
Bulimia is an eating problem which makes people want to eat a lot of food at once and then try to get rid of the food from their body. Bulimia can feel like too much to deal with. But you can get better.
Other eating problems
As well as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating there are other eating problems. For example, this can include Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and
Other Specific Feeding/Eating Disorders (OSFED).
Blogs and experiences
Beat
Beat have a range of blogs and stories from their supporters covering real life experiences, including recovery.
YoungMinds
YoungMinds have produced a useful story from Rebecca called ‘What I wish people understood about eating disorders’.