How to Identify Safe Foods for a Bulimia Patient

Bulimia affects 5 to 10 million girls and women and as many as 1 million boys and men in the U.S. according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Overcoming bulimia can takes months and even years depending on how long the individual patient has been binging and purging. One of the ways to help a bulimia patient overcome this eating disorder is to identify safe foods to eat on a regular basis. The patient needs to establish a habit of eating non-guilty foods that will provide all of the nutrition she needs for the day.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Pen
• Paper

Identify and Provide Safe Foods for a Bulimia Patient

1. Ask the patient to keep a diary of foods eaten for at least 1 week. The diary should include everything consumed, the feelings associated with eating different foods and any purging of specific foods. Instruct the patient to write the information down right after eating and purging.
2. Review the diary with the patient to look for tendencies with food consumption. Find out which foods are associated with negative emotions and guilt.
3. Create a page entitled "Avoidance Foods."
4. Add foods associated with guilt and negative emotions on the Avoidance Foods page.
5. Write down all foods the patient purges on the Avoidance Foods page.
6. Create a page titled "Safe Foods."
7. Identify healthy food options the patient can eat without any guilty feelings and add the foods to the Safe Foods page. Safe foods should consist of fruits and vegetables the patient will enjoy.
8. Create a weekly eating plan made up solely of safe foods. The plan should include each meal for each day of the week and any snacks.
9. Help the patient create a grocery list with instructions to purchase just enough food for normal portions at each meal.
10. Tell the patient to shop for groceries when she is not hungry and can stick to the grocery list without buying any extra food.
11. Limit the number of days' worth of food the patient will purchase at a time. Some patients may need to purchase food for a week or for a day at a time. The goal is to limit the amount of food sitting around the house for binging.

Tips & Warnings

• Look for low-maintenance safe foods the bulimia patient can prepare quickly for each meal.
• Keep the patient accountable to someone (you or a family member) who can make sure he eats the proper meals.