Summer, filled with downtime and opportunities to relax outdoors, encourages folks of all ages to crack open a book and spend some time reading. Beyond being an enjoyable pastime, reading can strengthen mental muscles, improve concentration, benefit sleep, and reduce stress.
By: Dawn Lundin
Many recovery-aligned books may help you if you are struggling with an eating disorder, in recovery, or supporting someone in recovery. As a reminder, BALANCE cannot be held responsible for the content within these books. Here are some resources that might be beneficial for your recovery.
Sick Enough by Jennifer Gaudini
Dr. Jennifer Gaudini offers patients, their families, and the clinicians who support them an accessible review of the medical issues connected to eating disorders. By rejecting diet culture and validating individuals with her lived experience, Dr. Gaudiani aims to improve the medical diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders. Check out the book here.
The 8 Keys to Recovery From an Eating Disorder: Effective Strategies from Therapeutic Practice and Personal Experience by Carolyn Costin & Gwen Schubert Grabb
This book shares a unique approach from someone with lived experiences with an eating disorder and as a clinician. This book, and its associated workbook, are helpful for both people in recovery and their families. Check out the book here.
The Parent’s Guide to Eating Disorders by Marcia Herrin, Ed, Ph.D., RD & Nancy Matsumoto
The unique perspective of this book teaches parents to consider their family’s approach to food and how it can impact eating disorder development and behaviors. Herrin and Matsumoto offer mindset reframes based on family dynamics around food, eating, and body talk. Check out the book here.
More Than a Body by Lexie Kite & Lindsay Kite
Read this book to gain skills to reconnect with your body and develop body image resilience. The Kite sisters help shift thinking about bodies from physical entities to tools to be used and appreciated. Check out the book here.
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch
Tribole and Resch provide invaluable insight into the weight-neutral approach to eating called Intuitive Eating. As the creators of this method, Trible and Resch break down each principle of Intuitive Eating which can be an excellent strategy to overcome disordered eating patterns. Check out the book here.
How to Raise an Intuitive Eater: Raising the Next Generation with Food and Body Confidence by Sumner Brooks & Amee Severson
This book guides parents to help themselves and their children improve their relationship with food. The reflective nature of this book benefits anyone who wants to explore how their childhood impacted their current eating habits. Check out the book here.
Eating in the Light of the Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationship with Food Through Myths, Metaphors, and Storytelling by Anita A. Johnston, Ph.D.
Interested in the power of storytelling? This book unveils the lessons of multicultural myths, metaphors, and stories that give insight into the possibility of healing your relationship with food. Dr. Johnston also invites readers to explore their own stories and how to find meaning through recovery. Check out the book here.
The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor
This book is a unique approach to body liberation that invites readers to examine how societal structures influence the shame we feel about bodies and eating and how to break free from these harmful patterns. Check out the book here.
Fat The Owner’s Manual: Navigating a Thin-Obsessed World with Your Health, Happiness, and Sense of Humor Intact by Ragen Chastain.
Check out this book that encourages you to embrace living life in the body you have now instead of succumbing to society’s pressure to shrink or change. Chastain writes unapologetically about how to work toward the future you want in the body you already have. Check out the book here.
In addition to all of these books that discuss and bring awareness to eating disorders, BALANCE’s sister company, Redefine Wellness, has a FREE anti-diet E-book. To continue educating teens, families, and the general population about the dangers of diet culture, we brought together nearly 150 experts and advocates to create a free downloadable resource for teens that provides information on living happier, healthier lives without emphasizing weight loss.
The main goal of the ‘Redefine Wellness’ e-Book is to give people of all genders, racial and ethnic identities, nationalities, and documentation status, abilities, sizes, and socioeconomic backgrounds reliable information that focuses on wellness, not weight loss. Click here to download this resource.
Our admissions team would also be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding this unique program or any of our other services. Book a call below, or read more about our philosophy here.
References
Books. Edelweiss Behavioral Therapy. https://www.edelweissbehavioralhealth.com/books. Accessed March 11, 2023.
Book Recommendations from the Emily Program. The Emily Program.
https://emilyprogram.com/resources/books/, Accessed March 11, 2023.
Eating Disorder Book Recommendations. ANAD.
https://anad.org/get-informed/book-recommendations/. Accessed March 11, 2023.
Resources. Kayla Jessop Nutrition. https://www.kaylajessopnutrition.com/resources. Accessed March 11, 2023.
Top 20 Benefits of Reading for All Ages. Markham Public Library.
https://markhampubliclibrary.ca/blogs/post/top-10-benefits-of-reading-for-all-ages/. Accessed March 11, 2023.
This post was written by BALANCE Blog Contributor, Dawn Lundin (she/her).
Dawn Lundin, MS, RD is a registered dietitian and owner of Restore Ease Dietetics which is a virtual nutrition private practice that focuses on mental health + sports nutrition. She primarily with adolescents and young adults with eating disorders. She believes in meeting clients where they are at which provides a unique client-focused approach to recovery. She lives in Marquette, Michigan with her husband and three sons. As a family, they love to travel and spend time outdoors. She also enjoys mountain biking, running, cross-country skiing, being on or in the water, and knitting.
