Anorexia Nervosa involves literally starving oneself to lose weight. Many have gone as far as actually killing themselves because even at 80 pounds they feel that they are fat. There is a psychological effect that makes them see themselves as being overweight. They are so overcome by looking good for others that they don't realize what they’re doing is killing them. They don't realize that they are making themselves look worse in the eyes of others as they look better in their own. Eventually, bones may become brittle and organs will shut down because they do not receive what they need to survive. This is the first part of the problem in regards to eating disorders.

The second eating disorder, Bulimia, involves binge eating and then regurgitating the food before the stomach has a chance to absorb it. Some nutrients may be absorbed, but not nearly enough. Another thing harmful about this disorder is that the esophagus can become raw and can deteriorate. This can later lead to cancer of the esophagus and a number of other problems.

The second part of the problem is the part in which the eating disorder must be overcome. This can be very difficult because it takes both nutritional and psychological counseling to deal with it. The individual must see that they are not overweight and that what they are doing is not healthy. This can take a lot of work. Other individuals may not require so much work, but either way the individual has to realize that there are foods that can be incorporated into their diet that will allow them to maintain a healthy weight.

Education is the key to overcoming eating disorders. The individual must understand that raw foods are a great way to do that. The research in itself describes how raw foods help those who are overweight lose weight and those who are at the right weight to maintain their weight. Raw foods include fruits, vegetables, certain species of mushroom, seaweed, nuts, and other foods that occur naturally and can be eaten in their natural form. Not only do raw foods help maintain a normal weight, but they also have the nutritional content that the body needs.

A person with Anorexia Nervosa will fare better with raw foods because they do not feel like they are gorging themselves to death. Knowing the properties of these foods will make them more palatable. The fact that raw foods such as raw milk, raw yogurt, nuts, and other such foods have a lot of evidence to back them up is what can help battle eating disorders. It is said by researchers that nothing wrong is found with those who have 100% raw food diets. As a matter of fact, they are said to be thin but healthy. This should be encouraging news for those with eating disorders.

In regards to those with bulimia, they are used to binging and then purging the food. The idea is to introduce raw foods to them and work with them to keep them down. Raw foods do not create a feeling of being overly full, which is one of the advantages when it comes to both eating disorders. A person with bulimia might eat so much that they feel as if they’re going to explode and then they purge. By eliminating that feeling, one is taking the first step toward avoiding the purge and it also weakens that feeling of guilt after binging because what they ate was healthy.

Some do refer to raw foods as a way to cure eating disorders. Perhaps it is because it removes fat from the diet altogether, making eating more appealing to the anorexic and avoiding purging more appealing to the bulimic. Being that there is a feeling of being energized after eating raw food, that in itself can be the “positive drug.” That can replace the high that a person receives from skipping out on lunch or purging that incredibly large meal. Starting out with fruits, salads, sprouts, and other types of foods a person may see everyday is a good start. Some recommend lentils as a way to get someone started eating sprouts because they are very simple to make. It is all about a gradual introduction in order to not overwhelm that person. It isn't as if you’re working to convert them from being an unhealthy eater to a healthier eater. What is being done is an individual is being taken from a disorder, so much of it is psychological and takes a lot of work on restoring their sense of worth.

Eating disorders are a problem all over the world, but many do overcome them. They change their state of mind and they change the way they feel about food. It suddenly does not become the enemy anymore when it is realized that eating raw foods does not compromise their weight. Eating raw foods is not an overnight or miracle cure for eating disorders because there is also a lot of psychological baggage that goes with these problems but it is a step in the right direction.

By TTS Cofounder Botanical Chef Omid Jaffari