Cover Image: The A to Z of Eating Disorders

The A to Z of Eating Disorders

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Member Reviews

This is very good factual guide but lacking in the warmth some might be looking for. It covers many varied different aspects of eating disorders and their effects but doesn’t necessarily answer all your questions. As a reference it is very good and for some the bare facts will be easiest to digest but for me I felt I could have used more empathy.

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One of my most important criteria for the non-fiction books I read is education and I learned a lot from The A to Z of Eating Disorders by Emma Woolf, even though I consider myself to be fairly well-informed about eating and body image issues. The A to Z of Eating Disorders connects the physical, psychological and societal aspects of eating disorders so well that it made me reassess some of my own attitudes about eating and exercise. Woolf's writing is clear and concise and she explains the concepts in such a way that the book is appropriate for readers with various levels of knowledge about eating disorders. I was worried that grouping the topics alphabetically rather than topically would cause me to flip back and forth a lot but the book flowed well. The only interruption of the flow was the shift between the second and third person. Also the ends of some of the chapters were cut off but that was probably an issue with my Kindle. I'll definitely be recommending the timely and well-written The A to Z of Eating Disorders to friends and relatives with an interest in eating disorders and body image issues and will probably re-read it myself.

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As someone who is recovering from an eating disorder this was a very interesting book to read. It was cool to see all the specific terms from everything, in addition to really diving deeper and learning how all of these different terms work together and impact each other. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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As someone who has had an eating disorder, I really think this was a good book. I really liked how it was organized in a way that both those that have dealt with eating disorders before or care for those with them, and those that don’t even know what eating disorders are can still understand the information. I liked the A to Z aspect of it rather than that of a novel or something like that. I just wish it had an index with an easier way to find the information. I think there is great info thru this whole book and worth reading!
I rate this 5 stars because it is very well written, easy to understand for everybody and gives so much information to those that struggle or have struggled with EDs in the past. Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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The A to Z of Eating Disorders is a well organized source of information on eating disorders that is easy to read and understand.
The book is written for anyone who is suffering from some condition of disordered eating and for those who love them.
My only complaint is that the book doesn't seem to have a table of contents or an index to help the reader look up a specific term more quickly. On the other hand, the ebook provides links to terms that are related to each other. A feature I find very helpful as someone who doesn't know all the terminology and wouldn't know where to look for more information.

I received a free reviewer's copy from Sheldon Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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This book was very informative. Unexpected terms like cost, failure, hoarding, kleptomania, language or dishonesty allow different perspectives of eating disorders and their impacts. You don't usually think about these words in the context of eating disorders but they are very valid. Reading this book won't fix an eating disorder but it will give you tools to understand it better and be more compassionate to yourself or a loved one who is struggling with one. There were some technical issues with missing pages in the Kindle edition towards the end. It was frustrating to have a definition cut off in the middle of a sentence but overall it was still a good read.

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Disappointing. I didn’t realize that this was a literal thesaurus of terms that relate to eating disorders and had hoped it would be a recovery activity book or something related.

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The A to Z of Eating Disorders by Emma Woolf is an A to Z encyclopedia of terms and concepts related to eating disorders. Some terms, like body mass index, are covered in a couple of paragraphs, while others have lengthier explanations.

The book includes some terms not directly to do with eating disorders, such as bipolar disorder. There are a few things that aren’t entirely accurate, like the entry for hypomania directing the reader to the entry for cyclothymia. I also thought a clearer distinction was called for in the statement that “A genuine gluten intolerance might indicate something more serious such as celiac disease.” Maybe I’m just nitpicky, but it seemed to me like the book could have used a read through by a health professional pre-publication.

There are also explanations of triggers related to eating disorders, such as boredom, and an interesting discussion of whether or not it’s appropriate to talk about triggers when it comes to eating disorders.

I was a bit surprised by the line that BMI does not “take into account the fact that healthy muscle weighs more than unhealthy fat.” The notion of unhealthy body fat seems rather contrary to the idea of ED recovery.

Medical complications of eating disorders, such as osteoporosis and cardiac complications, are also described. This is done in a realistic rather than a sensationalist way, and I thought this was handled well.

Options for therapy are covered briefly, including cognitive behavioural therapy.

There were also some rather random-seeming terms thrown in like xerophagy (only eating dry food). Maybe I’m just clueless, but is this a thing in eating disorders?

The book’s cover describes the book as being “information and inspiration for recovery”. It does a reasonably good job with the information, but it didn’t really strike me as trying to be particularly inspirational. While the author has experienced an eating disorder and has written about it in another book, this book doesn’t go into her personal experience at all, and I think drawing in some elements of that could have boosted up the inspiration quotient.

While the book blurb on Amazon says the book is intended as a road map to help people out of eating disorders, I’m not convinced of that. Rather, I’m inclined to think this book would be most useful as a resource for friends or family members of people living with eating disorders.

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An eye opening insight into the various/range of eating disorders. It also talks about other food relatives illness such as celiacs disease. A very handy reference guide to anyone who is suffering or a family/friend who would like to do a little research on the topic.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Sheldon Press for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

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An insight into disordered eating that can be helpful for anyone sufferering from or caring for someone with an eating disorder.

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My rating: 5/5

As weird as it is to say, I'm actually a fan of this book and wasn't sure what to expect when I first downloaded it besides discussion on eating disorders. This book alphabetizes different words and concepts around eating disorders into a literal A through Z guide, with a short but succinct description of each concept that pulls the emotion out of eating disorders. There are other related concepts that are included but not specific to eating disorders, e.g. how the human body works and other related psychiatric disorders like depression.

I also appreciate that "clean eating" and "orthorexia" are included in this reference along with Celiac (Coeliac) Disease. Those of us with Celiac Disease and other diseases related to food are at risk of falling into those rabbit holes given how strict we need to be with food avoidance; it can be too easy to restrict our diet unnecessarily for fear out of becoming sick, especially when a lot of the foods we can buy commercially come from the health food marketplace or brands.

I would actually like to get a copy of this book at some point as it would make a good health reference.

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The A to Z of Eating Disorders goes through all the letters of the alphabet regarding eating disorders. The book was interesting but not quite what I expected. It focused more on the definitions of the words and very little on the help part. This is partly my fault I have a tendency of misunderstandint book descriptions and this is one of those moments.

As a person recovering from an eating disorder I loved the clear and non-triggering way this book was written. Most books about eating disorders tend to veer a little into triggering territory but Emma Woolf's precise brand of writing felt very scientific and I was able to detach from my personal issues.

I would happily recommend this book tp anyone who is interested in finding out a bit more about the history, consequences of eating disorders to read this book. It was very informative.

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Absolutely loved this book, its interesting fascinating and covers ever eating disorder and some unknown ones as well. A multitude of causes, effects and treatments are also included plus in depth information on each topic covering a wide spectrum of influential factors irrespective of age. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED A MUST READ BOOK

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The A to Z of Eating Disorders is a pretty descent overview of the different eating disorders. The Author has a good understand of what creates an eating disorder starting with mental health ending with the addictions many men and woman fall into.

If you are not sure what an eating disorder is or how they start this is a perfect place to start. It gives you an over view, others areas to search and she makes sure readers understand that not everyone is typical most people fall into the A Typical Disorders.
The information will help those with loved ones who are struggling to find a place to recover!
As a person so with an eating disorder and I find it hard for people to understand how a person thinks or what might cause an eating disorder this book is very simple understanding that can give insight.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher Sheldon Press for a copy of Emma Woolf The A to Z of Eating Disorders

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First, thank you to NetGalley and Sheldon Press for the chance to read the ARC of this reference book. It would be a great addition to any health library.

"The A To Z of Eating Disorders" by Emma Woolf is a reference guide for anyone who has any type of disordered eating disorders on both ends of the spectrum-from anorexic to morbidly obese and everybody in between. The author states this book was her personal project to help people understand what it feels like to have an eating disorder and reassure them it is more common than they know. There is a lot of information in this book and since it is an A to Z guide, it can be referenced and read in any order, much like a dictionary of disordered eating.

The author, Emma Woolf, is a well respected writer, broadcaster and columnist who speaks at schools and universities on body image and eating disorders. She is uniquely qualified to do so since she suffered from anorexia and recovered. She hopes her book will address more than just issues with food and with weight-but all the angles including body and mind, social, medical, and nutritional.

Although this book is meant as a reference book, I did learn about different types of eating disorders I didn't know about before. The author also delves into modern day social media and how it is increasing the numbers of people, male and female, young and old, who are influenced by YouTube or Instagram phony photos.  As a medical professional, I applaud her for bringing up the newest fads such as 'evil wheat' or 'clean eating'. One disorder she discusses is called orthorexia, or people who are obsessed by 'wellness' or what society is telling them is needed for wellness. This includes avoiding wheat, meat, lose weight, count calories, avoid anything 'chemical' including additives and preservatives, watch out for hidden toxins, all very rigid rules and very limiting to a meaningful social life or even pleasure from living.

The book is well written and the writing is clear and concise. There are solid references in the book and it is cross-referenced. I highly recommend this book to be in all school libraries, universities and hospital gift-shops.

I rate this book 5 stars.

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Exactly as the book describes, it’s A-Z of everything eating disorder related.

I was surprised and grateful to be able to review A-Z Eating Disorders. Like the title describes, the book delivers a glossary of terms related to anything eating disorders.

Despite already having a bit of a background in eating disorder knowledge I was able to learn more about eating disorders through the glossary.
The glossary is extensive, covering everything from the physical aspects (metabolism, electrolytes, kidneys, immune system) to the psychological aspects (perfectionism), to the recovery aspects (self-compassion, journalling, sleep hygiene).

It differs from a standard dictionary or ‘google search’ in that it shows how everything connects uniquely to eating disorders. This book feels like a credible resource even though it would be more helpful to have additional readings and citations.

Although this book is recommended for both clinicians and people living with anorexia, I would only recommend it to clinicians. This book is easy to understand and read, yet the language doesn’t feel user friendly enough. Instead - I would suggest this as an additional reference guide to other books associated with eating disorders.

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A great read and very informative. This book is a pretty good overview of eating disorders and associated mental health problems & addictions that may be linked to having an Eating Disorder. The author has a good understanding of the subject having had her own issues with food.

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I’m reviewing this digital book thanks to NetGalley and publisher providing a copy in the exchange for an honest review. I found it to be a comprehensive and informative coverage, and explanations of, words and phrases relating to eating and eating disorders. Whilst many of us will be familiar with the word ‘anorexia’, or ‘diet’ we can learn much more from this A to Z and about how complex and wide ranging eating disorders can be, affecting both females and males physically and mentally. Job well done, Emma Woolf.

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This book raises awareness of all aspects of areas of troubles which coincide with eating disorders individuals can suffer. These range from health problems to complications caused by psychological changes as well as personality issues as well. The book is thorough in the A to Z format at discussing all aspects of change which could happen to any individual suffering and is a handbook of what could, what if's and what have happened to the sufferers before and their families and friends too.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

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As stated by the autor "This is not a medical book and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor. Consult your pharmacist or doctor if you believe you have any of the symptoms described, and if you think you might need medical help.". Anyway it helps you to demistify eating disorder, "banish many of the inaccurate assumptions about eating disorders". "This A to Z explores the subject from a wide range of angles – physiological and psychological, body and mind, head and heart, emotional, social, medical and nutritional."

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