National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (NEDAw)

About a month ago, I mentioned National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, along with one or two ways that you might begin to consider or think about getting involved (click here to read!). Well, now that the time is upon us, and it officially begins tomorrow (Sunday, February 21), I will be posting different suggestions and tips all week related to you being able to do just one thing to participate. The theme of this year's National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is "It's Time to Talk About It." Below is a Q and A that I have copied from NEDA's website to give you more information about the mission, etc. behind the week!

So, what is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week?

NEDAwareness Week is a collective effort of primarily volunteers, eating disorder professionals, health care providers, educators, social workers, and individuals committed to raising awareness of the dangers surrounding eating disorders and the need for early intervention and treatment.

***What is The Mission of NEDAwareness Week?

Our aim of NEDAwareness Week is to ultimately prevent eating disorders and body image issues while reducing the stigma surrounding eating disorders and improving access to treatment. Eating disorders are serious, life-threatening illnesses — not choices — and it’s important to recognize the pressures, attitudes and behaviors that shape the disorder.

How does NEDAwareness Week Work?

This year, NEDA is calling for everyone to do just one thing to help raise awareness and provide accurate information about eating disorders. NEDAwareness Week participants can choose from a huge range of ways to contribute: Distribute info pamphlets and put up posters, write one letter for Media Watchdogs, register as a Volunteer Speaker or host a Volunteer Speaker, coordinate a NEDA Walk, or arrange interactive and educational activities such as panel discussions, fashion shows, body fairs, movie screenings, art exhibits and more. As an official NEDAwareness Week participant you can be involved in any way that works with your schedule, resources, community, and interests. These events and activities attract public media attention - on local, national and international levels.

To lead NEDAwareness Week off, I would encourage all of you to think about one way that you might be able to get involved this week. Whether it is focusing on curbing fat talk, researching information about eating disorders and sharing that information with others, encouraging your friends, family and loved ones to love their bodies (and loving your own!), or anything else you would like to do, think of one thing that feels authentic for you and do it! As I said, I will be providing suggestions and examples this week, and encourage you to try as many or few of them as you want.

Tomorrow, a nutritionist colleague and friend, Ellen Morrison, MS, RD, LDN will be on the radio at various times and stations to discuss NEDAw and ways that you can participate. She will specifically be sharing about ways to affirm and encourage yourselves and each other to love yourself and your body. To find out more about Ellen and her work, follow this link. She will be on at 7am (a little early, ha ha- so if you miss it, I will hopefully be able to post the podcast at some point as soon as it is made available). Here is a schedule of when she will be on: 7am on 2/21 (Sunday, tomorrow) on G105, The River (100.7) and KISS (93.9). Her segment will also air at 6pm on The Rush (106.1).