How Eating Disorders Effect the GI Tract

Do you… 

• Commonly come across red flags for eating disorders in your GI patients and want to learn more
• Work in GI but do not have any resources on eating disorders
• Have patients who have cut out so many foods that you need handouts to reinforce the role of nutrition (not restriction) in maximizing GI function
• Want to talk to your patients about how their eating might be affecting their GI tract and would like a handout to help start the conversation

Would it be helpful to have graphics and handouts to help them understand that…

• Their gastrointestinal symptoms might be due to how they are eating
• All the ways their disordered eating might be impacting their body
• Sort out what symptoms could be from the way they are eating, the GI condition, or a combination of the two

Or would it be helpful to have a written resource for yourself?!

It can be hard to help people connect their GI symptoms to their eating patterns. These handouts are designed to help clinicians quickly become knowledgeable about all of the effects of eating disorders on the digestive system and to be able to communicate that effectively to patients.  

The GI conditions that might benefit from these handouts the most are irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC), Celiac disease, and food allergies. 

It can also be helpful for patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and/or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) who may have GI side effects from their conditions.

This 16-page handout set includes:

Graphics depicting the effects of restricting, purging and bingeing on each part of the GI tract.

• There is a separate graphic for each eating disorder behavior category (restricting, purging and bingeing). 

• Symptoms of that eating disorder behavior are grouped together by the body part they affect, and are listed next to the affected body part (from the mouth through the large intestine) on a human diagram.

Graphics depicting the effects of reversing eating disorder behaviors on the GI tract.

• These graphics are particularly relevant in the early phase of recovery when the individual may be eating more food with an under-functioning GI tract. 

• Symptoms are grouped together by the body part they affect, and are listed next to the affected body part (from the mouth through the large intestine) on a human diagram.

Graphics listing common GI complaints among individuals with eating disorders.

• This may be helpful for showing clinicians what symptoms to look for, assisting patients in connecting their GI symptoms to their eating patterns, and normalizing the GI experience of the eating disorder patient.

• Graphics depicting what GI conditions frequently overlap with eating disorders.

This may be helpful for educating clinicians on the types of patients who may be more likely to have an eating disorder, or a tool the clinician can use to educate the patient on why they are at a higher risk of having an eating disorder.  

There are 6 unique pages and 6 pages that are repeated in black and white for easy printing. A list of references is also included. 

These PDFs are ready to print and can be used in individual or group settings. They can also be used to share information after sessions or as a reference guide for clinicians. 

As a dietitian who specializes in eating disorders, I see the overlap between eating disorders and GI symptoms come up over and over again. I have presented on this topic at conferences, and used those talks and the research they are based on to develop these resources. 

Terms and Conditions

• These tools are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to replace one on one treatment of an eating disorder or GI condition. 
• These handouts were developed based on research published in 2024 and earlier. Please reach out to me if you believe there are any errors or omissions. 
• These files may not be shared, sold, or distributed to others outside of a healthcare setting. 
• If you create a social media post based on this information, please give credit to the creator and tag me in the post (Twitter/X: @howfoodworks, Instagram: @TheresaHedrick_RD)
• Refunds are not permitted as the files are available for immediate download.