Nourished Research Foundation - NRFi

08/12/2025

🧠💭 Is Binge Eating Disorder (BED) really one single thing—or is it more complex than that?

Some experts suggest we may need to think beyond the idea of BED as a homogeneous condition. Instead, what if we considered the different ways it can show up?
🔍 For example: over-obsessionality, over-control, impulsiveness, and under-control.

These differences matter. They can influence why someone binges, how their symptoms develop, and which treatments are most effective.

Understanding the nuances of BED could help us move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach—and toward more personalized, compassionate care. 💬💙

Want to learn more? Access NRFi Founder Dr. Brenna Bray's 2023 publication 'Clinical aspects of binge eating disorder: A cross-sectional mixed-methods study of binge eating disorder experts' perspectives' here: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1087165
Join us at NourishED here: https://lnkd.in/gTqXxVZD
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08/10/2025

📣 The NourishED Research Summit is Changing the Conversation around Eating Disorders | Live, Online, Sept 13-14 (9a-7p MDT). We hope you'll join us! 🌟

🌈 Two-day online weekend event Sept 13-14 (9a-7p MDT) shares cutting edge research and perspectives on mental health, nutrition, functional medicine, and eating disorders from- & for researchers, clinicians, policy makers, innovators, advocates, & YOU!

🌟 https://nourishedrfi.org/nrfi-summit 🌟

The NourishED Research Summit is a 2-day event held virtually (online) Sept 13-14, 2025 (with Professional Development supplement sessions held afternoons/evenings on Sept 11 & 12). The summit offers frontline research & perspectives on eating disorders, nutrition, mental health,& functional health,...

08/10/2025

Transform your understanding of eating disorders and take the first step towards healing by visiting nourishedrfi.org today. Empower yourself with vital resources and support that can make a meaningful difference in your journey.

08/05/2025

💬 Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is more than the act of binge eating.
According to the DSM‑5, it is defined by:
1️⃣ Recurrent binge eating episodes
2️⃣ Diagnostic specifiers such as frequency and duration
3️⃣ Marked distress about binge eating

That distress is often emotional. It can include guilt, shame, anxiety, or feeling completely overwhelmed.

Research shows that it is not just impulsivity or just negative emotions that lead to a binge. It is often the combination of feeling distressed and not having the tools to tolerate that distress that makes acting on the urge more likely.

This is why effective treatment for BED focuses on more than eating behaviors. It also helps build emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills so that binges no longer feel like the only option.

Want to learn more? Access NRFi Founder Dr. Brenna Bray's 2023 publication 'Clinical aspects of binge eating disorder: A cross-sectional mixed-methods study of binge eating disorder experts' perspectives' here: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1087165
Join us at NourishED here: https://lnkd.in/gTqXxVZD
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07/31/2025

🔎 Most "big food" companies are owned by big to***co companies that use marketing tactics now illegal in the to***co sector. 🚬

🐪🍟No more Joe Camel, but we have McDonalds Happy Meals, the Trix Bunny, & Chester Cheetah -- designed to capture lifelong consumers by reinforcing consumption (and addiction) in youth. 🤰🚬

💰Brilliant business model, at the expense of public health. 🏥

🎯 Hyper-processed foods don't just target kids; they're specifically designed to overpower the brain's reward system and facilitate binge eating. 🧠

🚨And it works! Binge eating disorder impacts 23-31% of adults and represents a $1 billion market with a 6% annual growth rate. 📈💸

😢🩺Binge eating also strongly correlates with food and significantly increases risk for , , , substance abuse, , , , disorders, , and , in part because of the increased exposure to harmul food substances.🫩🏥

🤰We also have data showing maternal consumption of highly processed foods predicts child development of food addiction, binge eating disorder, and its subsequent health sequela. 👩🏾‍🍼🧑🏼‍🍼

🚨 We need to start treating these "foods" like the harmful products they are. But where's the incentive to put a stop to this cycle? 💰

🎓 Dr. Bray holds a PhD in , , and and focuses on the intersections between , , and . She helps translate findings into the hands of clinicians and everday folks.

📹 YouTube Video Here: https://youtu.be/voiGs351lYc?si=dPQIwAf3Ed0BwOca
👩‍🏫 Publication (Bray et al., 2022; with citations for all statements in this post) here:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9141064/pdf/ijerph-19-06243.pdf



Brenna Bray Brenna Bray, PhD National Institutes of Health (NIH) NAMI National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) SAMHSA Eating Disorder Therapy LA: A Psychology Group Academy for Eating Disorders Eating Disorder Hope Eating Disorders Coalition National Alliance for Eating Disorders Overeaters Anonymous COR Retreat Eating Disorder Awareness National Institutes of Health (NIH) The National Institute on Drug Abuse - NIDA National Institute of Mental Health National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Food Addiction SG Project HEAL Mark Hyman, MD Cleveland Clinic Drew Barrymore The Drew Barrymore Show Kelly Clarkson The Kelly Clarkson Show Miley Cyrus Oprah Winfrey OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network Glennon Doyle Abby Wambach Institute for Integrative Nutrition

07/31/2025

🚨Most "big food" companies are owned by big to***co companies that use marketing tactics now illegal in the to***co sector. 🚬

✳️ All statements in this post are supported by citations published in Bray et al., 2022 (linke below).

🐪🍟No more Joe Camel, but we have McDonalds Happy Meals, the Trix Bunny, & Chester Cheetah -- designed to capture lifelong consumers by reinforcing consumption (and addiction) in youth. 🤰🚬

💰Brilliant business model, at the expense of public health. 🏥

🎯 Hyper-processed foods don't just target kids; they're specifically designed to overpower the brain's reward system and facilitate binge eating. 🧠

🚨And it works! Binge eating disorder impacts 23-31% of adults and represents a $1 billion market with a 6% annual growth rate. 📈💸

😢🩺Binge eating also strongly correlates with food and significantly increases risk for , , , substance abuse, , , , disorders, , and , in part because of the increased exposure to harmul food substances.🫩🏥

🤰We also have data showing maternal consumption of highly processed foods predicts child development of food addiction, binge eating disorder, and its subsequent health sequela. 👩🏾‍🍼🧑🏼‍🍼

🚨 We need to start treating these "foods" like the harmful products they are. But where's the incentive to put a stop to this cycle? 💰

🎓 Dr. Bray holds a PhD in , , and and focuses on the intersections between , , and . She helps translate findings into the hands of clinicians and everday folks.

📹 YouTube Video Here: https://youtu.be/voiGs351lYc?si=dPQIwAf3Ed0BwOca
👩‍🏫 Publication (Bray et al., 2022) here:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9141064/pdf/ijerph-19-06243.pdf



Nourished Research Foundation - NRFi National Institutes of Health (NIH) The National Institute on Drug Abuse - NIDA National Institute of Mental Health National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) National Alliance for Eating Disorders Eating Disorders Coalition Eating Disorder Awareness Academy for Eating Disorders Rainbow Obesity and Eating Disorder Centre Eating Disorder Hope Binge Eating Connection Project HEAL Mark Hyman, MD National University of Natural Medicine
Naropa University Naropa Alliance for Psychedelic Studies NCMH - Public Health Unit Drew Barrymore
The Drew Barrymore Show COR Retreat Overeaters Anonymous Food Addicts - เสพติดการกิน Food Addiction SG eat real food Glennon Doyle Abby Wambach Kelly Clarkson The Kelly Clarkson Show Oprah Winfrey University of Michigan Health-Sparrow

07/29/2025

🧠😣Did you know? Lower distress tolerance significantly strengthens the link between perceived stress and binge eating behavior. In other words, when someone struggles to cope with emotional distress, they’re far more likely to binge when stressed.

This difficulty managing distress is central to BED pathology—and is one of the key factors that differentiates individuals with Binge Eating Disorder from those with overweight, obesity, or occasional loss‑of‑control eating.

It’s a powerful reminder that BED has both behavioral and psychological components—and both must be addressed for meaningful recovery.
Want to learn more? Link in Bio!
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07/27/2025

📣 It was an honor to keynote the 15th Global Webinar on Traditional and Integrative Medicine and I'm even more grateful to be able to share the recording of my presentation. 🙏

🚨 One in 3 Americans (23—31%) will experience Binge Eating Disorder in their lifetime—yet 95% go undiagnosed and 85% go untreated? If that doesn't alarm you, please read it again. 🚨

⏰ Binge Eating Disorder matches substance use disorder, alcoholism, depression, and in prevalence and costs (covered by tax payers), yet it receives

🚨 Binge Eating Disorder affects 23–32% of adults in their lifetime, yet 95% go undiagnosed & 85% go untreated. If that doesn't alarm you, please read it aga...

07/22/2025

One of the core diagnostic criteria for BED is experiencing marked distress about binge eating episodes. But researchers emphasize that the issue often goes deeper than just distress about the behavior itself.

Individuals with BED often struggle to cope with intense emotional states—like anxiety, sadness, or frustration. Without tools to manage that distress, binge eating can become a short-term strategy to self-soothe.

This isn’t about a lack of willpower. It’s about emotion regulation. The relief bingeing provides is temporary—and is often followed by guilt, shame, and more distress, reinforcing the cycle.

🎯 That’s why many effective treatments for BED focus on building distress tolerance and emotion regulation. CBT and DBT are two such approaches, helping individuals reframe thoughts and develop practical coping tools. But they’re not the only ones.

🧘🏾‍♀️ Integrative and contemplative practices—like mindfulness, self-compassion work, breathwork, and trauma-informed somatic approaches—are also powerful tools in helping individuals sit with discomfort and reconnect with their bodies in safer, more compassionate ways.

💡 When we widen our view beyond behavior, we begin to see BED for what it is—a biopsychosocial issue that calls for nuanced, holistic, and deeply human care.

Want to learn more? Access NRFi Founder Dr. Brenna Bray's 2023 publication 'Clinical aspects of binge eating disorder: A cross-sectional mixed-methods study of binge eating disorder experts' perspectives' here: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1087165
Join us at NourishED here: https://lnkd.in/gTqXxVZD
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07/16/2025

💭 “I have no willpower. This is all my fault.”
Sound familiar?

Last week, we talked about how negative emotions—like guilt, shame, and anxiety—often rise before a binge. But for many with Binge Eating Disorder (BED), the emotional aftermath is just as powerful.

Self-blame becomes a loop:
“I should have more control.”
“Why can’t I stop?”
“I’m a terrible person.”

But here’s what the research says: these cognitive patterns are not just mental—they’re also biological and environmental. BED is often the result of a mismatch between how our brains and bodies are wired and how society expects us to behave.

These thoughts are learned, not facts. And they thrive in a culture that shames hunger, pathologizes body size, and glorifies restriction.
Want to learn more? Access NRFi Founder Dr. Brenna Bray's 2023 publication 'Clinical aspects of binge eating disorder: A cross-sectional mixed-methods study of binge eating disorder experts' perspectives' here: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1087165
Join us at NourishED here: https://lnkd.in/gTqXxVZD
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07/11/2025