Causes of Eating Disorders

An eating disorder is a condition where the person tends to either starve or binge on his food. Eating disorders are induced due to various factors some of which are psychological while some could be biological. An eating disorder is more often due to a conscious obsessiveness with food or against it.

Biological and Psychological causes of eating disorders

Biological factors like temperament, anxiety and obsessive and compulsive thoughts and behaviors. Obesity and binge eating are indications of a disturbed-eating schedule. Stress and obesity are common links. Psychological factors like undue pressure from family and peers, inadequacy in dealing with certain situations, anger or self-improvement can also cause eating disorders.

Family and social factors causing eating disorders

Family pressures have been known to induce eating disorders. Constant comparisons with family members or others, overprotective families, family members who give too much importance to physical appearance, families that face a lot of stress and emotional moments have more than one family member suffering from an eating disorder. Friends and partners can also help to form eating habits. If you are constantly dining out and eating at various odd hours just to keep up with your friends, this could just result in a unhealthy lifestyle for you.

Other Causes

The multitude of media coverage on eating habits and the umpteen number of articles and diet advise that one is subjected to can also result in one blindly following them. Each one of us has a different food intake pattern and this must be kept in mind to avoid eating disorders. Also feelings such as happiness and sorrow, cheerfulness and being able to cope with peer pressure can result in eating disorders. Media images that project happy and successful men and women with figures like hourglasses, does tend to have a negative effect on impressionable young minds. Some events are also known to trigger eating disorders. Adults who are not sure how to cope with a certain situation may resort to binges or starvation. Relationships, jobs, social environment and many other factors can cause a person to overeat or not eat for hours together.

Taking care

The simplest remedy for any eating disorder victim is to start eating healthy. Do not follow untested and trial or crash diets. Follow your heart and eat at regular intervals in enough quantity and maintain the quality as well. Do not trouble your mind and body with food obsessions and live a happy life.

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