Allan Benham on How To Support A Loved One
Struggling With An Eating Disorder

If you have ever wondered how to support a friend struggling with an eating disorder, you are not alone. Over 28.8 million Americans will struggle with an eating disorder in their lifetimes. This affects not only themselves but also friends and family as they watch their loved one suffer. Many patients experience isolation because of their eating disorder but engaging with a community provides the support needed to create lifelong, healthy eating patterns.

Alsana CEO, Allan Benham, spoke with Authority Magazine on how to support a loved one who may be struggling with an eating disorder. Allan offered helpful ways to best show support:

• Educate Yourself: Knowledge helps to reduce misconceptions about eating disorders and allows you to understand what your loved one experiences on a day-to-day basis. Understanding the unique challenges of eating disorders is crucial for offering the right support to a loved one. Educating yourself about these disorders can significantly reduce misconceptions and help provide the necessary support.
• Initiate Honest Conversations: By listening actively and offering a non-judgmental presence, you can significantly comfort those struggling, whether it’s a partner, friend, or another loved one struggling with an eating disorder.
• Encourage Professional Help: Eating disorders can sneak up on many people and require objective, outside help to unlearn. Gently suggest that your loved one seek treatment or therapy from a reputable clinic. In addition, encourage your family, loved ones, and yourself to seek aid in the form of therapy or support groups. Given the complexity of eating disorders, professional help is often essential. When considering how to support a partner struggling with an eating disorder, encouraging them to seek specialized care is one of the most crucial steps.
• Avoid Focusing on Food: Comments on weight, eating habits and diet culture can be triggering for someone recovering from an eating disorder. Encourage your loved one to join you in activities that do not revolve around food to help boost their confidence and mood. Avoid diet talk, weight discussions, or trigger foods around them. Create a supportive and judgment-free environment.
• Be Patient: Recovery can be a lifelong journey. While your loved one may currently be in treatment, remember that there will be ups and downs. Support them through empathy and understanding, even through the hard times.
• Celebrate Progress: Positive reinforcement helps someone suffering from an eating disorder on their road to recovery. No matter how small their win may be, celebration provides them with the emotional lift needed to heal. Celebrating every small step forward can boost morale and encourage persistence in the recovery process. By acknowledging progress, even if you believe it to be small, you reinforce the positive strides being made and provide hope and motivation.

These tips are just the beginning of learning how to support your loved one struggling with an eating disorder. Remember to be supportive and nonjudgemental with your loved one throughout the recovery journey. This will also foster stronger relationships during this challenging time. This is just a summary – for the full discussion on how to support a loved one struggling with an eating disorder, we encourage you to check out the full article.