Hydration in Eating Disorders
14th - 20th March marks Nutrition and Hydration Week 2022. Its purpose is to highlight and educate people on the value of food and drink in maintaining health and well being.
Here at The London Centre for Eating Disorders and Body Image, we wanted to pull together a blog to highlight the importance of hydration specifically within eating disorders.
Eating disorders (ED) are conditions that can severely impact our physical and mental health due to a complexity of factors that are individual to each person suffering. Generally, people suffering from an ED will drastically restrict their food intake and/or engage in behaviours that aim to rid the body of food and nutrients. Restriction and purging are behaviours that in many cases, can also lead to depleting the body of water and consequently becoming dehydrated.
Additionally, a common fallout of an ED is disconnection from our body’s needs which means that sufferers may neglect signals like thirst or other physical signs of dehydration (e.g. dizziness, fatigue, dry lips/mouth, dark-coloured urine, constipation, frequent headaches). Oftentimes, this occurs as a result of fear of weight gain, avoiding feelings of fullness or bloating. On the flip side, sufferers may also abuse drinking water to suppress their hunger or delay eating. Both, under or overconsumption of water can lead to serious health complications.
Consequences of dehydration-
The human body is made up of approximately 60% water which means that without an optimum supply our body will struggle to function at its best and in the long-term, important bodily processes like digestion, could become impaired. Another important body function that requires water is temperature regulation, which in patients whose fluid intake is poor can lead to regularly feeling cold and in the long-term could add stress to the heart and affect its functioning. Additionally, a lack of water intake, water loss through purging or over-hydration can cause electrolyte imbalances which in turn can induce abnormal heart palpitations, arrhythmias and brain seizures.
Fluid intake recommendations-
The recommended water intake for the general adult population is to drink between 1.5 to 2 litres of water a day which equals 6-8 glasses of water. This should also be accompanied by a regular pattern of eating and a varied diet including all macronutrients, fruits and vegetables that will provide an abundance of minerals required for the optimal function of vital organs.
Tips-
Whether someone is currently consuming too little or too much water, it can feel tricky to adhere to the recommendations. Below are some tips that can help you to gradually increase or decrease the amount of water that you drink.
Start your day with a glass of water and keep drinking throughout the day
Set up an alarm on your phone or laptop to remind you to drink
Buy a nice water bottle to have with you during work and at home and aim to refill your bottle at least twice a day
On days when you exercise remember to take regular sips of water every 5-10 minutes during your workouts
Prioritise drinking water over soft drinks, caffeinated drinks and juices, although these can absolutely be consumed alongside an adequate intake of water
Order a glass of water alongside your preferred drink when drinking out
If drinking plain water isn’t pleasant, try adding slices of lime/lemon/orange, cucumber, mint leaves or blueberries to add some nice natural flavours
Ensure you are not filling up on water 30 min prior to you meals, as well as during your meals
Note that these are general tips and ultimately, as with food intake, water intake will be individual and need to be tailored to you by your specialist Dietitian or Nutritionist based on your lifestyle and eating disorder behaviours.
If you want to know more on this subject or would like some specific nutritional information tailored to you, email us at info@thelondoncentre.co.uk to make an appointment with our Specialist ED Clinical Nutritionist.