Food – love it or hate it, you need it but what if you have an eating disorder?

Eating disorders are rife throughout Ballito and Umhlanga.

So says Ballito psychologist and dietitian Bertus Coetzer, who describes it as the second deadliest mental illness after opioid addiction.

There are as many as 8 types of eating disorders.

A University of British Columbia graduate, Coetzer himself has struggled with an eating disorder, but ‘food freedom’ is possible he says.

“Our world revolves around food. We celebrate with it, cultures are defined by it.”

But there is a difference between the norm and when food creates stress and anxiety in our lives.

He says one punishes oneself when allowing calorie counting to rule how much you eat.

“Seeing yourself in comparison to everyone else and allowing the numbers on the scale to define you are all examples of a disorder. Even eating alone because of shame is an example of what people struggle with.”

Coetzer works in psychiatric rehabilitation centres where many patients battle with burnout, anxiety and depression. He started a support group after realising how many people suffer from eating disorders.

“Most of them have a love-hate relationship with food. One in eight people have a full-on eating disorder.”

The causes are multifaceted, he says. “Life’s stresses are always on the rise. There is what social media portrays as the perfect body, and we try to aspire to something that is not healthy to begin with.”

Hyper-palatable convenience foods have also increased food addiction. These contain a combination of sugar, fats, salt and carbohydrates which actually tap into the brain’s ‘reward system’.

While teenagers are the most susceptible, children, women and men are all equally affected.

“Men also suffer from eating disorders, but are more reluctant to speak up and ask for help.”

Childhood trauma and failed diet plans also play a role.

According to Coetzer, it is important to remember we all need a balanced variety of foods.

“Do not classify one food group as bad, and the other good.”

He stresses one should not judge oneself based on bodyweight or shape.

“Avoid the false belief that weight loss and thinness are healthy, and that body fat and weight gain are unhealthy.

“When it comes to children who follow the behaviour of their parents, choose to be a role model instead,” he advises.

Emphasising the importance of exercise for health as opposed to weight loss should also be kept in mind.

While all eating disorders are unhealthy, some are deadly – Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses.

“For this reason, we can consider it to be the most severe of the eating disorders. This condition involves severe food restriction and sometimes extreme exercising and other purging behaviours.”

Other concerning eating disorders include Bulimia Nervosa, where one frequently eats a large amount of food and then purge it from the body.

“Purging behaviour involves inducing vomiting, over-exercise and also the use of diet pills and laxatives.”

To join the support group, contact Coetzer at 073 454 5706.