The Dos And Don’Ts Of Being Quietly Supportive To The Recovering Ed Patient

DON’T SAY…

•  “Hey, you’re looking like you’ve gained weight.”
• “You’re sure looking healthy these days.”
• “I’m going to call _______ if you _______.”
• “Do you really think you should be eating that?”

DON’T…

• talk about food at the table.
• let mealtime conversations get too heavy.
• always take charge of meal planning and preparation.
• always expect the recovering individual to cook only your favorite foods.
• ask your family members to tell you everything they ate in any given day to help you check up on them.

DO…

• ask recovering family members where they’d like to go when going out to dinner. 
• compliment shiny hair, color in cheeks, bright eyes, character traits and personality. 
• pay attention to the likes and dislikes of the recovering family members. 
• let young children have 1 – 2 meals per week they plan (especially helpful if mom is recovering and needs safety at most meals, but needs to take risks too). 
• try to keep snack/finger foods in the house to a minimum.  Instead, go out for ice cream as a family, use chips as a recreational food, associate special occasions with special foods.