Supporting Your Family Member’s Meal Plan

Following a meal plan is an essential component of successfully recovering from an eating disorder. Many individuals who are in recovery typically work with a specialized registered dietitian to determine an appropriate meal plan based on their unique needs.

Some people in recovery may require a meal plan that is intended for weight restoration. Whether or not weight restoration is involved, a meal plan is intended to help a person begin to normalize their eating habits, eat more consistently, and re-nourish their body from the detrimental effects associated with eating disorders.

Balancing a Meal Plan With a Family’s Needs

Whatever stage of treatment a person may be in, a meal plan is something that is usually followed in the various levels of eating disorder treatment. When stepping down from higher levels of care, including residential treatment or partial hospitalization, a person will typically make the transition with a recommended meal plan from their treatment team.

Some meal plans are based on exchanges, others serve more as guidelines. Whatever the meal plan might designate, many families may worry about incorporating this with their normal family meals.

The good news is that meal plans are something that should easily fit into a family schedule, making it feasible to accommodate the needs of the family member in recovery along with everyone else.

If your loved one is preparing to transition home after being in treatment, it is important to work with the treatment team to have a better understanding of what is expected for following a meal plan. One of the most important factors with a meal plan is consistency, and it will be helpful if you are on the same page with your loved one and their treatment team recommendations.

Working Together to Support Recovery

Keeping communication channels open will be helpful for integrating a meal plan within a family. Following a meal plan does not necessarily mean having to only eat certain foods. A meal plan may outline that your family member eat at certain and regular intervals and get enough of each food group in throughout the day. Having groceries on hand consistently can ensure your loved one is able to get in what they need.

You may even consider preparing meals together or discussing some dishes that would like to be served ahead of time. Lean on the support of your loved one’s treatment team if you are in need of additional guidance.

Community Discussion – Share Your Thoughts Here!

How have you helped your family member integrate their meal plan once transitioning home?

About the Author: Crystal is a Masters-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a specialty focus in eating disorders, maternal/child health and wellness, and intuitive eating. Combining clinical experience with a love of social media and writing, Crystal serves as the Director of Content and Social Media for Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope, where her passion to help others find recovery and healing is integrated into each part of her work.

As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Crystal has dedicated her career to helping others establish a healthy relationship with food and body through her work with EDH/AH and nutrition private practice.

The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on December 24, 2016
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com