For many people recovering from eating disorders, meal plans offer structure, balance, and a pathway toward physical and emotional healing. But the reality is not everyone can easily afford their meal plan. 

Food insecurity is a real issue affecting many people. Factors like income, access to affordable food options, and the high cost of living significantly influence someone’s ability to meet nutritional needs in recovery. 

Oftentimes, “wellness” culture can add even more stress. Wellness influencers promote organic, specialty, or “clean” foods that appeal to those with eating disorders (especially for individuals whose ED stems from an obsession with “healthy” eating). These items are usually expensive and add little real value in terms of recovery or overall health (and at their core, are just more processed products..!). Worse, pressure to buy into these trends can lead to feelings of guilt, while the stigma against processed foods adds another layer of shame for people working to embrace balanced eating. 

Is this a burning question in your mind; does everyone feel like they have to work out? Why does exercise feel like such a chore? What will happen if I don’t exercise on a regular basis? 

Here are a few things that a positive relationship with movement IS...

It has been all the buzz lately with eating disorder treatment research; if you can and how much you should allow exercise while engaging in eating disorder treatment. We have come a long way in understanding the impact of engaging in exercise + eating disorder treatment simultaneously. The biggest thing that stood out to me from the get go is if we are going to intentionally work on our relationship and beliefs around food and body image, why can’t we also do the same thing with our relationship to exercise?