When eating disorders are talked about casually or in the news, the focus may be on food, weight, or body image. But as Dr. Emily Gordon explained in our conversation on Focus Forward, eating disorders are much more than that, and they impact more than just the person with the diagnosis. Eating disorders are complex, serious conditions that deeply affect the brain, relationships, and everyday functioning. As difficult a subject as eating disorders may be to think and talk about, it’s a critical issue for people of all ages to learn about, and it’s important that we bring attention to the hidden impact of eating disorders on our Executive Function skills.
What are Eating Disorders?
Before we explore how eating disorders affect Executive Function skills, it helps to understand what these conditions actually involve. Based on Dr. Gordon's explanation, eating disorders are serious psychological conditions characterized by:
-
Intense preoccupation with food, body, and eating
-
Significant disruption of normal eating behaviors and day-to-day functioning
-
Potentially dangerous physical and cognitive consequences
-
Driven by complex biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors, behaviors may include fear of weight gain, distorted body image, rigid thinking about food and body, and attempts to control weight or appearance through extreme behaviors
The key types of eating disorders she described in our conversation include:
Anorexia: Restrictive eating, severe body image concerns
Bulimia: Cycles of overeating followed by compensatory behaviors
Binge Eating Disorder: Periods of uncontrolled overeating without compensation
ARFID: Extreme food selectivity, often related to sensory issues
How Do Eating Disorders Impact Our Lives?
Dr. Gordon emphasized that eating disorders are not a choice, are incredibly challenging for those experiencing them, and require comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatment. They significantly impact a person's mental health, cognitive functioning, and overall quality of life. At their core, eating disorders compromise our Executive Functioning, the set of cognitive skills we rely on to manage life. This disruption happens on two levels:
- Physiological: Malnourishment from restrictive eating or cycles of binging and purging literally starves the brain, leading to fogginess, dizziness, poor attention, and memory problems. It can cause disruptions to impulse control and self-regulation. Binging and purging can cause electrolyte imbalances that impact concentration.
- Psychological: The disorder itself hijacks precious mental space and energy. Many people with eating disorders live in a constant, exhausting loop of intrusive thoughts about food, body, or self-worth. That mental preoccupation reduces the ability to be present in their daily activities. Decreased interest and engagement in schoolwork, friendships, or even basic daily tasks takes a huge toll on their daily activities and relationships.
As you can see, eating disorders aren’t just about food or body image. They take away a person’s ability to really show up in and enjoy their own life. And when you think about how much we rely on Executive Function skills to manage school, work, and relationships, it becomes clear how both the physical toll and the constant mental preoccupation of the disorder can make daily life feel nearly impossible.
What Caregivers Should Look For
Warning signs aren’t always obvious, and they don’t always look like the stereotypes we see in the media. Dr. Gordon pointed out that weight loss or gain can be one signal, but so can more subtle changes: frequent complaints about digestion, social withdrawal, perfectionism, rigidity and/or worries around food and exercise, irritability, or even a sudden “health kick” that becomes all-consuming. Additionally, challenges with Executive Functioning may be pre-existing in people who are at risk for having an eating disorder.
Diet culture in the United States complicates things further. Because we live in a society that idealizes thinness and openly labels restrictive eating as “healthy,” unhealthy behavior around food can be overlooked or even praised. And one of the most harmful myths is the idea that someone must “look sick” to be seriously ill. In reality, eating disorders exist across all body types, genders, and ages.
This is why education around eating disorders is so critically important. We are at the mercy of advertisers and the media pushing idealized body image on us. Advertising is everywhere, and we are all susceptible to falling for its charms, which are usually there for making money, not keeping us healthy. Open communication about this within families and education around our consumption of media of all types is extremely important and a big part of keeping us and our kids healthy.
Supporting a Loved One and Getting Your Own Support
Approaching someone you love about a possible eating disorder is incredibly difficult. Dr. Gordon emphasized leading with curiosity and compassion: “I’ve noticed…” can open the door better than confrontation or accusation. It’s also important to acknowledge that the eating disorder may feel like it’s serving a purpose for the person, giving them a sense of control or safety. That makes change complicated and scary. Supporting our loved ones' cognitive flexibility skills can provide some support here.
Support needs to extend to the whole family. Caregivers often carry enormous stress and guilt, which is why self-regulation and self-compassion are so important. An additional aspect of support shared with me by someone I know who has a child with an eating disorder is to check our own biases and attitudes about food. Becoming aware of our own biases and attitudes is challenging, but modeling a healthy relationship with food, body, and self-care can help lay the critical groundwork for recovery.
This person shared some other tips and tricks that have been helpful for them and their family:
- FEAST website and Facebook page for information and connecting with others to hear stories of hope and celebrations of wins, and get additional resources, and find support from others
- Ordering groceries online to support time management and decrease decision fatigue
- Choosing high-calorie restaurants for times when cooking at home is not possible, or you simply need a break from cooking
- Tracking progress (for the parent, not the child, as any weight gain for them may feel like a negative)
- Setting alarms to remind yourself to make meals on time
Hope and Recovery
The good news: treatment works, especially with early intervention. Recovery requires a team of support from medical providers, dietitians, therapists, family, and friends. It’s not a quick or easy process, but recovery also brings something deeper than restored health. It brings back presence, connection, and the ability to experience life more fully. Families who walk this path often find themselves growing in resilience, compassion, and understanding along the way. Even though the process can feel overwhelming at times, every small step forward is a victory worth recognizing. With the right support system in place, both the individual and their family can move toward a future that isn’t defined by the disorder, but by strength, hope, and healing.
Where Executive Function Coaching Fits
While treatment for eating disorders must be led by medical and mental health professionals, Executive Function coaching can add an extra layer of support for families navigating this journey. Coaches can help rebuild the very skills that eating disorders disrupt, such as organization, focus, planning, flexibility, and emotional regulation. For students, this means less stress around school and more confidence that life can move forward alongside recovery. For parents, it means relief from feeling like the sole “manager” of their child’s day-to-day functioning.
At Beyond BookSmart, our coaches don’t replace therapy or medical treatment, but we do stand alongside families, helping restore structure, balance, and hope when it feels like the disorder has taken over everything.
✨ If your family is navigating the challenges of an eating disorder, our EF coaches can help provide that additional layer of support.
