Eating Disorders: Complex and Cultural
Feb 27, 2025
To recognize Eating Disorder Awareness Week, The Northwest Asian Weekly interviewed the creator of an online easting disorder resource -- Shuno -- which advances discussion about eating disorders in South Asians through personal experiences. Anoova Sattar, an Olympia High School student, created the resources. As Sattar pointed out, there are symptoms that appear prior to an eating disorder diagnosis. These symptoms, such as counting calories, or jumping from one fad diet to another, are labeled as disordered eating. Mindy Lu, a nutritionist and counselor whose practice is focused on developing healthy relationships with food and body image, said some in the Asian community might wish they could change their skin color or accent. But because they can’t necessarily change either of those things, they might turn to their weight as something controllable that will help them feel like they fit in. The Asian Weekly reports: According to data collected by the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), those who experience other types of discrimination, such as racial, “are three times more likely to have binge eating disorder,” perhaps as a way of coping, and “people of color with eating disorders are half as likely to be diagnosed or to receive treatment.” Lu and Sattar are working to change this.
To recognize Eating Disorder Awareness Week, The Northwest Asian Weekly interviewed the creator of an online easting disorder resource -- Shuno -- which advances discussion about eating disorders in South Asians through personal experiences. Anoova Sattar, an Olympia High School student, created the resources. As Sattar pointed out, there are symptoms that appear prior to an eating disorder diagnosis. These symptoms, such as counting calories, or jumping from one fad diet to another, are labeled as disordered eating. Mindy Lu, a nutritionist and counselor whose practice is focused on developing healthy relationships with food and body image, said some in the Asian community might wish they could change their skin color or accent. But because they can’t necessarily change either of those things, they might turn to their weight as something controllable that will help them feel like they fit in. The Asian Weekly reports: According to data collected by the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), those who experience other types of discrimination, such as racial, “are three times more likely to have binge eating disorder,” perhaps as a way of coping, and “people of color with eating disorders are half as likely to be diagnosed or to receive treatment.” Lu and Sattar are working to change this.