Eating Disorder Awareness Week!

A message from the National Eating Disorder Association:

Eating disorders are serious illnesses, not lifestyle choices.

Eating disorders are complex conditions that arise from a combination of long-standing behavioral, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, biological and social factors. As our natural body size and shape is largely determined by genetics, fighting our natural size and shape can lead to unhealthy dieting practices, poor body image and decreased self-esteem. While eating disorders may begin with preoccupations with food and weight, they are about much more than food. Recent research has shown that genetic factors create vulnerabilities that place individuals at risk for acting on cultural pressures and messages and triggering behaviors such as dieting or obsessive exercise.

In the United States, as many as 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Approximately 15 million more are struggling with binge eating disorder.

Education, early intervention, and access to care are critical. There has been a rise in incidence of anorexia in young women 15-19 years old in each decade since 1930; over one person’s lifetime, at least 50,000 individuals will die as a direct result of an eating disorder. In the United States, we are inundated with messages telling us that thinner is better, and when we “fit” our culture’s impossible beauty standards, we will be happy. Did you know that 80% of all ten year olds are afraid of being fat? As a culture, it is time for all communities to talk about eating disorders, address their contributing factors, advocate for access to treatment and take action for early intervention. You can make a difference: do just one thing to initiate awareness, education and discussion about eating disorders in you community. If we all do something, we’ll have a tremendous impact!

Help is available, and recovery is possible. While eating disorders are serious, potentially life-threatening illnesses, there is help available and recovery really is possible. It is important for those affected to remember that they are not alone in their struggle; others have recovered and are now living healthy fulfilling lives. Let the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) be a part of your network of support. NEDA has information and resources available via our website and helpline:

NEDA www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
NEDA Helpline: 800 931-2237

Got Coverage? Health Care Reform and Nutrition Benefits

Beginning this January several parts of the Health Care Reform bill became active. The part that I'm most interested in is the preventive services that insurance companies are now required to cover. In addition to all sorts of screening and immunizations, dietary counseling for chronic disease prevention and obesity have been included in the approved preventive services.

US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations
http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/uspsabrecs.htm

Very exciting! And very daunting. Over the past few weeks I have embarked on a long and cumbersome journey to become better educated on what this means for my role as a dietitian, how to bill these services correctly so the insurance company will reimburse me, and how can I best serve my clients with this new information.

Here is what I've found out:

A. Most customer service reps with the insurance companies have no idea what I'm asking for and I end up providing education and web links for their reference.

B. Yes, it is suppossed to be covered, however private insurance companies haven't figured out if they will or what will be covered.

C. In some cases, using the "right code" will ensure coverage. (They wouldn't tell me what the "right code" is though.)

D. According to my professional organization, my contact has confessed that "with private insurance...there is much room for interpretation at this point."

From my investigating I have come to the conclusion that we are all in the middle of a Trial and Error process. I'm resolved to play and have rolled my dice. This may require that I re-submit several claims before I find the right code.Wish me luck and send spare Tylenol or ibuprofen my way! 

HCG is Fraudulent, According to FDA

You may recognize the acronym HCG from many signs posted outside of various Naturopathic Clinics and Supplement/Vitamin Retail Stores. Proven to be effective as a treatment for infertility, there is little evidence that this drug is anything but a smoke screen when it comes to weight loss. 

 

The typical weight loss treatment protocol is to take this drug and eat less than 800 calories a day. People see weight loss and lay the claim on this "wonder drug" when the truth is that they aren't eating very much...calories in = calories out. HCG is claimed to reduce hunger, which it doesn't when looking at the randomized, controlled studies done on it. It actually works no better than the placebo when it comes to weight loss or reducing hunger levels. 

If you go to your Naturopathic Doctor (ND) for HCG, you will most likely get it injected (pill forms are metabolized in the gut that render them inactive.) I have met 2 ND's that use HCG and support the claims for weight loss. My simple math holds my skeptical brain in a biased view.

 

At the end of the day the bottom line will always be: slow, gradual, & intentional behavior change that involves weighing oneself regularly, some form of food journaling, reduction of calories, & an increase in physical activity will guarantee weight loss when recommended by your health care providers. 

If there was an easy button for this one, we wouldn't have to pay $70/ounce to attain it.

Click here for entire article:
USA Today Report

No post this week

Hi Y'all,

I'm pausing the blog posts until next weekend as I've been dealing with a family emergency. Stay tuned for a fabulous year of thought provoking posts!

Cheers,
Brandi

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2011! It's going to be a fantastic year. I can tell because the sun is shining in the middle of Seattle winter. (The sun on the weekend of the New Year is much like the ground hog is to Ground Hog's Day.)

To Be Well and Live Well this Year, I've summed up a few key points for Creating Peace with Food.

1. Que in to your body by obeying your hunger and fullness levels
2. Eat every 3-4 hours, never going more than 4 hours without eating something
3. Move Your Body-not excessively, but go for a walk, enjoy the scenery, breathe fresh air regularly
4. Pair carbohydrate choices with protein or fat choices to keep your energy levels up and stabilize your blood sugar
5. De-stress: in what ways can you build in fun and relaxation into your regular week or perhaps there is something that you need to stop doing so that you feel less stress

Zen Recipe Corner:

Huevos Rancheros per Cookus Interruptus