[Alimentary and nutritional education in eating disorders]

Eating disorders (ED) are a complex pathology in which numerous etiopathogenic factors intervene, and their approach requires an interdisciplinary approach, which is why nutritional education (NE) should be part of both prevention and treatment programs, since NE aims to modify eating behavior to achieve healthier patterns and, for this, the development of nutritional teaching programs is required, directed to the patients and their environment, focusing on the different factors that condition food choices and attitudes towards feeding. NE in these patients is a fundamental therapeutic tool to achieve normalization of eating behavior, since it will allow to contribute knowledge that facilitates the adoption of healthy behaviors, abandon erroneous ideas, and reduce the irrational fear of certain foods, as well as minimize nutritional risk and normalize eating behavior. The prevalence of eating disorders has been increasing over the years and the concern is such that the different autonomous communities, hospitals, and government entities have developed guidelines and protocols that include NE for the prevention and management of the disease. Scientific evidence and organizations such as the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN), the American Dietetic Association (ADA), and the Spanish Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (SENPE) recognize the importance of NE in the treatment of ED and the participation of nutrition professionals in this area. Therefore, the approach to the prevention of ED must be broad, so that it encompasses vulnerable groups and their environment; in the same way, action protocols for treatment must include NE as one of their pillars, through implementation of nutritional education programs to achieve changes in eating behavior, which can be carried out in the different phases or treatment modalities (hospitalization, day hospital, outpatient clinics, etc.) even though each one has different objectives and addresses different theme areas, and they must be developed in a multidisciplinary way with a delegation of clear functions for each professional, in favor of the recovery and stability of the patient and his sociofamilial environment.