Apparently, there is a wide misconception that a person has to look a certain way in order to be classified as anorexic or bulimic. This is assumption is very misleading.
Less than 6% of people with eating disorders are medically diagnosed as “underweight”
Eating Disorders are not physical illnesses, but mental. It’s what is going on inside the person’s head that has the biggest impact.
There are situations when people don’t qualify for treatment and counseling because their body mass index, which measures body fat relative to height and weight, isn’t low enough. BMI is not an accurate measure of health for several reasons:
1. It does not account for body fat percentage
As muscle tissue is denser than fat, many athletes, and bodybuilders according to BMI are considered to be overweight despite being at the peak of their athletic performance.
2. It does not account for different demographics
BMI was created in the 19th century by the Belgian mathematician and statistician Lambert Adolphe Quetelet. The data for the research was pulled entirely from the European population. Because of this it does not provide an accurate depiction of health for other demographics and races.
3. It does not measure body fat distribution
Different location of fat in the body accounts for different health complications. For example, upper body fat around the midsection can be correlated with cardiological diseases.
It is easier to prevent an eating disorder from developing further on at the early stages, so it is important to ensure that the person has access to treatment despite his weight or physique.
Everyone’s condition is valid. No one should be judged by the outside, it is impossible to know what is going on inside of his/her head, so it is important to be respectful. The idea that anorexia has a ‘certain look’ makes it even worse for many people as they begin to feel the pressure that they have to be much skinnier to prove their illness.
Let’s prevents eating disorders from spreading further on and accept the fact that anyone can experience difficulties with food and that their struggles are equally valued.
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