Recovering from anorexia meal plan?!


Question: Recovering from anorexia meal plan?
Hi. I am 14 years old, 5'0 and weigh 71 lbs. I was recently diagnosed w/ anorexia and I really want to get better! Can someone please help me formulate a meal plan that will help me gradually gain weight? This has been really hard and scary and I need a lot of help. Thank you.

Answers:

Contrary to what other people have suggested, please do not attempt a fully Vegan diet unless you talk to a doctor first. Not only is it hard to become a vegan when you're 14 and living with your parents, it's dangerous for people who aren't fully developed (kids/teens). Right now you need as much protein and nutrients as possible, and although you can still get these things while undergoing a vegan diet, it's HIGHLY unlikely that you'll be able to unless you go to a doctor/nutritionist who know your background and all of your vitals, and have very dedicated parents who are willing to go out of their way to avoid animal products.

I would suggest incorporating as much peanut butter and whole milk as you can into your diet, and eating as many small meals as possible. If you can, try to eat 6 small meals/snacks a day.

Here's a basic idea for a daily meal plan. It may seem like a lot of food, but you can alter the quantity (how much you eat) depending on how you're feeling that day. Even a few bites of everything is better than nothing. Remember though, when trying to gain weight it's better to eat as much as possible without making yourself sick.

BREAKFAST, eat one or more from each category:
- an egg (scrambled, boiled, omlet... it doesn't matter how you cook it, just that you eat it!) OR three table spoons of peanut butter
- cereal OR toast
- milk (you can mix this with your cereal or drink it in a glass by itself.) OR chocolate milk

MORNING SNACK, eat one or more from each category:
- peanuts OR almonds OR peanut butter
- yoghurt OR milk OR cheese (cubed cheese always makes for a good snack)

LUNCH, eat one or more from each category:
- turkey sandwhich (turkey, two slices of bread, cheese, and two vegetables of your choice(try lettuce/tomato) OR chicken sandwhich (chicken, two slices of bread, cheese, and two vegetables of your choice) OR tune sandwhich (tuna, two slices of bread, cheese, and two vegetables of your choice)
- a vegetable with dip (try celery with peanut butter!)

AFTERNOON SNACK, eat one or more from each category:
- a smoothie (made with two fruits and whole milk) OR a glass of milk with two pieces of fruit
- crackers (saltine, graham, etc)

SUPPER, eat one or more from each category:
- chicken OR fish OR beef OR another form of meat (turkey, etc) OR potatoes and two table spoons of peanut butter for desert
- pasta (rice, egg noodles, etc)
- vegetables (any two of your choice excluding potatoes)

EVENING SNACK, eat one or more from each category:
- nuts (almonds, peanuts, etc) OR peanut butter
- dry cereal OR crackers (graham, slated, etc)

While your body's recovering try to avoid caffeine, as your heart may not be strong enough to handle it yet.
Also, not all of those items are meant to make you gain weight. Eating a lot of celery with peanut butter, for example, likely won't lead to sufficient weight gain. However, each item is meant to deliver a certain nutrient and help make your body stronger. If eaten together, though, your body will start to go back to the size it should be.

Good luck & good health to you! Recovering from anorexia is hard, but you can do it!

I'm a nutritionist (BSc in AHN) and am studying for a Master's in Applied Human Nutrition. I'm also a recovered anorexic.



I went through the same thing at the same age as you. Now, four years later, im fine. What i did was essentially take baby steps towards health.
At first, since you havent been eating, you need to start off with very small meals but try to incorporate them often. Since your stomach has shrunk, you probably can not handle full meals as of right now. Start off with something light as long as it still has nutritional value.
Try a breakfast of one half cup of blueberries and a slice of whole grain bread with two tablespoons of peanut butter on it.
The blueberries will provide you with antioxidants and vitamins such as zinc while the bread and peanut butter gives you protien and fiber.
Thanks to the vegan diet i had adapted to before my anorexia, it was easy for me to start eating again wihout gaining a lot of weight too quickly.
Incase you didnt know vegans are like vegetarans except we also will not eat things such as eggs milk or honey (or anything from animal origin). I would reccomend a diet like this for you as well. It is healthy, nutrient rich and it is easy to get more than enough of your daily protien needs if you incorporate whole grains, beans, tofu or rice.
Make sure not to work out durring the first week or two of resuming healthy eating habits. Your body needs those calories. But after about two weeks you may want to begin lifting weights or doing push ups or crunches to restore muscle tone.
Good luck. It may seem hard but you can pull through this.




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