To be the World's leading network of emotional eating and binge eating disorder specialists.
Supporting women and men of all colours, ethnicities, religions and languages.
Will you join us?
Adults of all shapes and sizes, from all ethnicities, with any skin colour, and of any gender, struggle with emotional eating and binge eating disorder.
Yet almost every time you see a post, a picture, an awareness campaign or any other form of communication around disordered eating - the vast majority of the time you'll see an image of a White woman. And very often her body size will be in the 'normal' range.
Anyone, of any colour, ethnicity or creed can struggle with trauma related Binge Eating Disorder.
There are multiple research studies that show at least 30% of adult seeking weight loss support meet the criteria for Binge Eating Disorder.
At least 38% of adults with T2 Diabetes meet the criteria for Binge Eating Disorder.
At least 60% of bariatric patients meet the criteria for Binge Eating Disorder.
Binge Eating Disorder is THE most common form of disordered eating. Only 1-2 out of 10 eating disorder sufferers have Anorexia or Bulimia, the other 8 out of 10 are somewhere on the emotional/binge/compulsive over-eating spectrum.
It's estimated that 1 in 20 adults struggle with Binge Eating Disorder.
Binge Eating Disorder is also the most gender equal eating disorder - 40% of sufferers are male.
T2 Diabetes - Bariatric - Weight Loss are not the only areas of health that are impacted by weight, AND emotional eating.
Whilst there is little to no formal research, it make sense that patients in cardiac rehabilitation or requiring orthopedic surgery (hips and knees in particular), are often there due to being in a larger body and the impact that has had on their heart or joints.
Weight loss. T2D. Bariatric. Cardiac. Orthopedic.
Add to this mental health issues. Binge Eating Disorder is highly correlated with trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, infertility...
Do these health issues only impact white, young women living in the developed world? Of course not!
Since we began training health professionals to specialise in and work with emotional eating and binge eating disorder, we have had requests from committed practitioners working with Native American Indians on reservations, a Bangladeshi community in East London, Eastern European communities in two areas of the UK, Hispanic communities in the Southern US, and more.
We realised how white, female and western world focused we were, and the entire field of disordered eating is, and how under-served communities of colour, minority communities and non-English speaking communities are.
Meet Roozhyar, the first recipient of our Scholarship in 2023!
Roozhyar Janati
Farsi Dietitian and Licensed Eating Freely Practitioner, based in Turkey.
My name is Roozhyar Janati. I am a 23 years old Iranian dietitian who has been working with psychologists and psychiatrists and clients of emotional eating disorders. I have always been passionate about psychological aspects of nutrition and eating disorders. I have also been interested in intuitive eating and have studied and worked with clients with this approach as well. In addition, I have a history of working with a large group of people as a statistician for an article about food consumption all over the country.
In my country (Iran) a lot of people are suffering from eating disorders who have no idea what is wrong with them and whom to refer to. Unfortunately, most of the dietitians in my country work as a weight gain/loss dietitian, and the stigma is unbelievable. There is little to no expertise available in emotional eating field which makes it hard for people to reach these experts and to be able to afford the costs. I believe I can be a help for these people. I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge and experience by working with you.
Apply now for our Diversity, BIPOC and Social Impact Scholarship!
Are you from an underrepresented nationality or ethnicity, AND a qualified Health Professional – Health Coach, Nutritionist, Psychotherapist, Psychologist, Diabetes Educator, Doctor or Nurse?
Are you working with an underrepresented, disadvantaged, low income or minority community who regularly present with or disclose trauma related emotional/binge eating?
Would you like to deepen your skills and specialise in emotional/binge eating to better support your clients or patients?
The Eating Freely BIPOC and Social Impact Scholarship awards one free place on every group for our CE approved training program, offering you the opportunity to specialise in Emotional Eating and Binge Eating Disorder and join our international community of Licensed Eating Freely Practitioners.
If you work for a charity or not-for-profit NGO, if you are a volunteer, or are on a low wage with limited or no access to funding for training, then you may be eligible for our scholarship!
We believe in the power of the collective, and in collaboration.
So what we ask from our scholarship recipients in return for our training and licensing scholarship is that they help us to adapt and become more inclusive by:
translating our online program into their native language
advising on specific cultural adaptations for their client group. For example a Muslim practitioner can advise on how we can support clients around Ramadan
advising on either cultural norms or cultural stigmas around food, body size, and mental health - all of this help us speak in more appropriate language to specific client populations.
Facilitate introductions to funders, philanthropists or agencies who can partner with us to deliver more training and support to more underrepresented professionals and the communities they serve.
If you are a passionate health practitioner, who wants to make a difference and be part of our mission to develop the World's Leading Network of Emotional Eating & Binge Eating Disorder Specialists - helping anyone, anywhere, in any language, regardless of color, culture, creed or means - then please apply and let's talk!
