Eating disorders

scoot1on1

Hi All

Could do with all the wisdom and knowledge of you kind people to give me some ideas for a menu plan for my 17yr old step daughter who suffers from bulimia(she is on the mend, we hope).

She is very careful what she eats and is a vegetarian, however I have just persuaded her to eat fish temporarily as her diet has been lacking any substance, and her skin etc isn't lookin too good.

One of the problems we are trying to get round is that both myself and my partner can't be around all the time to cook for her (work commitments) and when she comes home in the afternoon from college she tends to fill up on cereal and toast, which are fine for breakfast but not really ideal for your dinner.

She does cook meals herself, but sometimes with her illness she just wants to eat quickly and then she feels guilty, makes herself ill and then we enter that going round in circles situation.

She has asked me if I would put together a meal planner for her so she has a bit more structure to her timing and eating habits, and this is where I am hoping you can all help.

I would be very grateful if any of you could give me some ideas that we could prepare and freeze so she could have a daily healthy regime, and hopefully get her back to a full recovery.

Thanks for reading & for all your help
Jon

lynzpower

good question jon.

If she is going to eat fish then frozen individual fish pi es might not be a bad idea.

Pasta sauces made from roasted veg might be good too, then all she needs to do is boil up some pasta ( some take 5 mins) and wack them in the sauce

scoot1on1

Cheers Lynz I shall make up some homemade pasta sauce for her and freeze that in individual portions.
I should have maybe mentioned this in my first post, are there any Nutritionists/Dieticians who could point me in the right direction of a daily/weekly plan ie
Breakfast: Crunchy Nut Cornflakes

Lunch: Jacket Potato Cheese & Beans, Apple & Yogurt

Dinner: Pasta with Vegetable Sauce

Etc Etc

What we are trying to really achieve is to get her to eat a well balanced healthy diet.
It is a fine balancing act as she is still worried about her weight(shes 5ft 11 and just above 8.5st) so I don't want her gaining too much as she will feel bad about herself, but she does want to get better and I think a little weight gain slowly and surely is the better option.

Im sorry for going on, it is an illness which is sadly affecting more and more young (and older) Male/Females alike and sometimes any help like this can make such a difference.

Thanks
Jon

gingin_2

Hi Jon,

I had the same eating disorder for 14 years from the age of 12 and you really are doing the right thing. I received no support and really believe it would never have gone on for so long had I got help. You are so right in getting her established in a regular eating pattern now , as I still struggle with eating "regularly". She is very lucky to have you to support her.

As you are doing keep the meals healthy but nutritious as the worst thing that can happen is that she feels guilty after eating (as you know). Stir fry's are good as are pasta with sauce and risotto's. If she will eat a whole piece of fish Salmon is good, I make it with salsa and that provides a healthy portion of veggies. I would recommend steering away from anything with a heavy sauce. I also try and keep my "bad" foods out of the house so there is not as much temptation to feel guilty after eating them. When I was "on the mend" I would buy bottles of pure freshly squeezed orange juice as it was a really easy way to provide my body with nutrients, I also make sure I have lots of fruit in the house especially my favourites so I can snack away guilt free, banana's are especially good when I am hungry. She might well be dehydrated, my skin was always really dry, so try and make sure she gets lots of water.

Good Luck!

gingin_2

scoot1on1 wrote:

are there any Nutritionists/Dieticians who could point me in the right direction of a daily/weekly plan ie
Breakfast: Crunchy Nut Cornflakes

Lunch: Jacket Potato Cheese & Beans, Apple & Yogurt

Dinner: Pasta with Vegetable Sauce

Etc Etc

What we are trying to really achieve is to get her to eat a well balanced healthy diet.

Can you ask your doctor to refer you to a dietician, she might not even need to go with you if she feels too embarrased.

Eels100

Well done on being so supportive, I am sure she will make a full recovery with your continued help.

If she will take a little fish, what about kedgeree, or fish cakes? These are nutritious and could probably be frozen. Also look for recipes with beans, as these are substantial and nutritious and can be either added to other recipes or used as the base for all sorts such as chilli, pasta sauces, etc as a meat substitute.

If she wants to eat when she gets home but it would be easier to have a family meal together later in the evening why not build snacks into the meal planner? Something like a yoghurt or fromage frais with fruit or some vegetables and cheesy dip - very quick and easy to grab from the fridge.

scoot1on1

gingin wrote:

Can you ask your doctor to refer you to a dietician, she might not even need to go with you if she feels too embarrased.

We are seeking help and she is seeing a councillor, however they don't employ a dietician and the menu plans are more suited towards anorexia sufferers.
As you are all to well aware GinGin, bulimia is an eating disorder which can go undetected for years as your body gets used to absorbing the nutrients from food very quickly as it knows it may not be there for very long, so therefore weight loss isn't as always as evident, as in anorexia.
We may approach the doctor and ask her, although she has already been to see her and nothing was mentioned about a menu plan. She was just referred to the clinic we are going to at the moment.

Thanks
Jon

janeawej

is there an eating disorders service where you live? we have one here in cornwall and they would be able to give the sort of advice you need, i think you are right to try to keep to simple low fat foods as she will be more likely to eat these, maybe you could get some pieces of fish and wrap them in foil with a few herbs and maybe a squeeze of lemon juice, and freeze as individual portions which you can get out of the freezer in the morning for her and she can then pop under the grill for 10 mins and will then have a healthy meal, also not os but those little bags of frozen veg that u microwave for about 4 mins straight from the freezer might be usefull for her you can also buy (expensive but i think in your case money well spent if u can afford it) little packs of fresh veg and potatoes that u pop straight into microwave they r in the fresh veg section at tesco, these woyuld be realy easy for her and i have to say always look realy appetising as thyey have a nice mix of couloured veg eg peppers brocoli ect and her appetite probably isnt huge so they should last a couple of meals, you could always save money by leaving cold potatoes and veg in the fridge so she just needs to microwave it briefly. I thinbk you are giving her amazing support and am sure she will slowly get better with your help, also helping her be independant and have some control over her eating is important as is routine and you are providing all that for her , im sure it will be a long process but keep it up you are doing brill!!!! and remember cereal may not be the best supper for her but its definately better than nothing and has added vitamins and the calcium from the milk, lets face it sweets and chocs most teenagers choice would be far worse! so if she does snack on cereals occasionaly she is realy being quite sensible, would she eat porridge if you had some ready break style stuff as that is realy quick and pretty nutritious and at lease its hot and filling, maybe she could put some chopped fruit on it or some home made jam or yogurt

scoot1on1

Thanks for all your help and support so far, she is quite sensible and she does as expected have off days, esp when the chocolate craving becomes a little more at certain times of the month, but it would be more than my lifes worth to stop the females in this house from eating chocolate

She is going to have smoked haddock with parsley sauce, spinach mash, broccoli and carrots tonight, a little bit green on the plate I must admit but at least its healthy

Thanks again
Jon

anguk

For breakfast or a snack when she gets in from college you could make up smoothies to keep in the fridge then she'd get lots of calcium & vitamins from the milk & fruit.

kiwichick

Hi Jon,

Not advice from me so much as a HUGE pat on the back for being part of such a supportive and loving family. I've struggled with bulimia for 14 years, as a teenager I would have given anything to have had such support and understanding at home.

Keep up the fantastic work, you really are amazing.

Allison.