NEDA TOOLKIT for Parents
How to Support a Loved One with an Eating Disorder
• Educate yourself on eating disorders; learn the
jargon • Distract your loved one during and after meals to
help with anxiety
• Learn the differences between facts and myths
about weight, nutrition, and exercise
• Refrain from telling the person what they should
do • Ask what you can do to help
• Continue to reach out—individuals with eating
disorders may find it hard to socialize and may
push people away
• Listen openly and reflectively
• Be patient and nonjudgmental
• Offer to help with practical tasks (laundry,
transportation to and from appointments)
• Avoid discussions about food, weight, and eating,
especially your own habits or those of others
• Model a balanced relationship with food, weight,
and exercise
• Ask how they are feeling
• Remember that recovery is a marathon, not a
sprint • Focus on the emotional aspects of an eating
disorder, not just the physical ones
• Encourage the sufferer to follow through with
treatment recommendations
• Arrange activities that don’t involve food or
eating so your loved one can continue to take
part • When it doubt, ask. They can’t read your mind,
and you can’t read theirs
• Validate their feelings and their emotional pain,
especially when they share something difficult or
reveal that they have kept a secret
• Focus on positive personality traits and
other qualities that have nothing to do with
appearance • Express any concerns that arise
• Don’t take their actions personally
• Set boundaries to preserve your own emotional
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