Night Eating Syndrome
Night Eating Syndrome is a disease characterized by a lack of appetite for breakfast and the consumption of more than half of the daily calories after the evening meal. Night Eaters also wake up at least once during the night to consume high-carbohydrate meals and snacks. Foods eaten during the nighttime binge are often high fat, and calorically dense. After the night binge, the person is usually not hungry for breakfast in the morning. Food intake tends to be limited during the day and in front of others. Here at DietitiansABQ, we aim to help you to establish a healthy relationship with food. After a thorough nutrition assessment with special attention paid to any medical complications that may exist, areas of focus may include:
- Macronutrient needs
- Nutrition education
- Distribution of intake throughout the day to prevent binges.
- Normalizing eating patterns.
- Recognizing and utilizing hunger/fullness cues.
- Mindfullness
- Exercise
- Need for supplementation
- Evaluating behaviors surrounding food
- Assessment of changes in laboratory values
- Planning to reduce and eliminate food-centered reactions to triggers.
- Body image
- Involvement of family when appropriate.
- Referral to counseling services specializing in eating disorders.