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Remuda Ranch Reports Dieting Can Lead to Eating Disorders, Offers Tips for Healthy Eating

PHOENIX, AZ (PRWEB) October 20, 2006 -- America's culture is diet obsessed. Eighty percent of U.S. women are dissatisfied with their appearance and 89 percent want to lose weight. As a nation, more than $50 billion is spent on diet products each year.

Fifty percent of women are on a diet and 10 percent of dieters progress to partial or full eating disorders. When has a diet gone too far? Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating Disorders, the nation’s leading and largest inpatient treatment center for women and girls with anorexia and bulimia, offers advice on when to get help.

“A diet has gone too far when the restrictive calorie level or limited foods on the diet lead to episodes of binge eating; a diet has gone too far when a person purges calories by self-induced vomiting,” said Juliet Zuercher, registered dietitian and the director of nutrition services at Remuda Ranch. “If these binging and purging behaviors increase to multiple times per week, for three months or more, that’s considered a full-blown eating disorder.”

If dieters experience weight loss and think a little is good, but a lot would be better, they're on a slippery slope. When weight reaches below 85 percent of what is normal for their body, and they are obsessed with their body image and exercise, and, if women, they miss three menstrual cycles in a row, that’s a clear warning sign that an eating disorder is present. Even lesser combinations of these symptoms can mean an eating disorder.

“The key is not to diet. Instead, listen to your body, eat when you're hungry, stop when you’re full,” adds Zuercher. “Remuda Ranch doesn't believe in putting labels on food. All food is fine when balance, moderation and variety are taken into consideration.”

Balance means to eat when there's hunger, to use food as fuel for the body. It also means that sometimes one eats when food is appealing or when it’s appropriate in a social setting. There are both physiological and psychological factors in choosing food. With balance both factors are honored.

It’s important to choose foods from a variety of sources. The USDA MyPyramid provides a structure for determining the number of servings from each food group that will provide the best variety. Eat different foods every day.

Moderation also matters, and is the health principle most often violated by Americans. “Portion size is key,” said Zuercher. “Just because you’re given a large portion doesn’t mean you have to eat it all, take some home for later. Consult the MyPyramid guidelines for examples of serving sizes until you can gauge an appropriate serving size for yourself by listening to your body.”

Remuda Ranch also suggests drinking plenty of water – eight 8-ounce glasses of water is a good daily average. The center recommends three meals per day and one to three snacks a day. The idea that snacking between meals is bad is a thing of the past. By eating every two to four hours, the body is prevented from getting overly hungry, which could cause overeating later. The body uses the fuel from food very efficiently when eating smaller amounts more frequently throughout the day.

“Fad diets and yo-yo weight patterns only make the body work harder to maintain homeostasis,” adds Zuercher. “Weight fluctuations may increase the body’s ‘set point’ – the weight at which the body wants to stay. The bottom line for health is to eat normally, exercise moderately and let your body weigh what it wants.”

Remuda Ranch recommends educating oneself about eating disorders. If behavior patterns are becoming harmful and negatively affecting one’s life, it’s important to seek help because effective treatments for eating disorders are available.

About Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating Disorders
Remuda Ranch is a caring place for women and girls who are suffering from eating disorders and related issues. Remuda Treatment Programs offer Christian inpatient and residential treatment for women and girls of all faiths suffering from an eating disorder. Each patient is treated by a multi-disciplinary team including a Psychiatric and a Primary Care Provider, Registered Dietitian, Masters Level therapist, Psychologist and Registered Nurse. The professional staff equips each patient with the right tools to live a healthy, productive life. For more information, call 1-800-445-1900 or visit www.remudaranch.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Mary Anne Morrow
Tel: 602-332-9026

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