Food for Thought

Throughout my lifetime, I was in denial of struggling with an eating disorder because of the culture and lifestyle I grew up in…until a hospital visit determined I had refeeding syndrome (medical complications from eating food again after a period of starvation) and I was on the waitlist for a bed at a residential treatment facility for teenagers and young adults with eating disorders. 

In Asian culture, mental health is often not talked about and any sort of mental illness is looked down upon, therefore bringing more shame and isolation. It was my first time in eating disorder treatment, where I was still in denial that I needed help, that I found how difficult it was for minorities to receive the care that they need. Yes, I was receiving treatment and care…but it was much more difficult due to the culture and lifestyle I was used to living. Most importantly, I grew up eating Asian food and had not been exposed to much of other cuisines and Western styles of eating. And then you add an eating disorder on top of that, and it just makes the anxiety ten times worse. Here’s a list of some things that were challenging for me or things that I had to learn about and acknowledge:



• How to use a dishwasher (Asians typically hand wash dishes and use the dishwasher as a drying rack)

• What a panini press is (never even knew what a panini sandwich was)

• Trying all salad dressings (grew up eating raw lettuce by itself and did not truly understand what a salad was)

• Trying all condiments (grew up eating very plain and simple Asian meals without much seasoning or sauce)

• That there are many different types of pasta (never really ate pasta throughout childhood because we had white rice for mostly every meal)

• Edamame is a rich source of protein (never knew what this was called or looked like)

• Trying different Western, Italian, Hispanic dishes, etc. that expanded my taste palette

I could go on and list other things, but ultimately it was a challenging time to be exposed to a whole new world while trying to grasp the fact that I had an eating disorder. At one point during my residential stay, the staff called to ask my mom what they could get me to eat, but unfortunately they were unable to fully accommodate my Asian diet. It was understandable and also, I am not denying the fact that the exposure was good for me. However, recovery would have been much easier with some level of comfortability or familiarity in what I was used to. This can be a challenge in the treatment world for mental health and for minorities receiving the best possible care that meet individualistic needs. 

It is my hope that by sharing I can bring awareness and elicit brainstorming responses for how treatment and resources can be more accessible to those of minority communities. Perhaps in the future there may be more accommodations that are able to be implemented or programs for those of minority cultures. What we can do is to continue growing and learning, embracing all people and areas of diversity!