Menu plans should ideally be put together within the framework of a wider eating disorders treatment team. If this is not possible then working with a nutritionist or dietician with eating disorder experience is another option. A family doctor or eating disorders therapist may also be able to help put together a recovery eating plan. Key Issues and factors to be examined are listed below.
- What is a Menu Plan?
- Menu Plan for weight restoration
- Menu Plan for weight maintenance
- Key benefits of Menu Plans
What is an Eating Disorder Recovery Menu Plan?
A menu plan is essentially a tool that eating disorder sufferers, especially those with anorexia, used to restore and eventually maintain their weight. Menu plans are usually put together by specialised eating disorder nutritionists and consist of the vital nutrients and quantities required for physical health and well-being. They typically consist if three meals and three snacks at regular intervals and may be very exact, for example listing the number of calories, or more relaxed and just giving food options.
Using A Menu Plan For Weight Restoration in Anorexia Treatment
Althought everyone requires different amounts in the initial phase and to reach their target weight, a common plan for restoring weight may often involve around 3,000 calories a day.
- 8am Breakfast: Healthy, but non-diet cereal with 150 mls semi-skimmed milk
- One slice of thick toast with margarine/butter and teaspoon jam
- 10.45am Snack: Muesli bar, chocolate bar or three x biscuits
- 12.30pm Lunch: Four slices thick bread, margarine/butter, filling e.g. cheese/peanut butter
- 200 mls fruit juice, yoghurt (low fat), apple
- 4.15pm Snack: As suggested for morning snack
- 6pm Dinner: meat/fish, potatoes/rice/pasta, veg/salad & dessert (four scoops ice cream / crumble)
- 9.30pm Snack: 200 mls semi-skimmed milk & two plain biscuits
Using A Meal Plan For Weight Maintenance in Anorexia Recovery
To find the right amount of calories for weight maintenance is often a case of trial and error but use the above plan as a starting point and together with a nutritionist, eating disorders specialist or health professional gradually take things out and replace snacks for example with something lower in calories. It is vital though that if weight drops below target weight then the weight restoration plan must be resumed as the lower weight falls the longer it takes to restore.
Menu Plans: What are the Key Benefits for Anorexia Sufferers?
A menu plan is often referred to by sufferers and health professionals as the best weapon against the eating disorder. This is simply because if a menu plan is properly followed then, except for in times of physical illness, it should keep weight reasonably stable within a target band. The main benefit is that it keeps tabs on recovery as if weight suddenly decreases and the menu plan is still being adhered to then it highlights that other issues such as excessive exercise require tweaking. Also, the meal plan frees up valuable headspace that would otherwise be spent worrying about what to eat, when to eat or how much to eat.
In conclusion, the meal plan is possibly the most important tool that is required in order to promote healthy recovery from anorexia nervosa. Used for both weight maintenance and weight restoration in the case of anorexia/bulimia, it may also help those with binge eating disorder and obesity problems.
Source:
Abraham, S. & Llwellyn-Jones, D. (1997) Eating Disorders The Facts Oxford University Press
Kate Le Page - Kate Henning-Le Page writes about eating disorders, body image and recovery issues. She specializes in anorexia recovery.
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