This is very good factual guide but lacking in the warmth some might be looking for. It covers many varied different aspects of eating disorders and their effects but doesn’t necessarily answer all your questions. As a reference it is very good and for some the bare facts will be easiest to digest but for me I felt I could have used more empathy.

One of my most important criteria for the non-fiction books I read is education and I learned a lot from The A to Z of Eating Disorders by Emma Woolf, even though I consider myself to be fairly well-informed about eating and body image issues. The A to Z of Eating Disorders connects the physical, psychological and societal aspects of eating disorders so well that it made me reassess some of my own attitudes about eating and exercise. Woolf's writing is clear and concise and she explains the concepts in such a way that the book is appropriate for readers with various levels of knowledge about eating disorders. I was worried that grouping the topics alphabetically rather than topically would cause me to flip back and forth a lot but the book flowed well. The only interruption of the flow was the shift between the second and third person. Also the ends of some of the chapters were cut off but that was probably an issue with my Kindle. I'll definitely be recommending the timely and well-written The A to Z of Eating Disorders to friends and relatives with an interest in eating disorders and body image issues and will probably re-read it myself.

As someone who is recovering from an eating disorder this was a very interesting book to read. It was cool to see all the specific terms from everything, in addition to really diving deeper and learning how all of these different terms work together and impact each other. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

As someone who has had an eating disorder, I really think this was a good book. I really liked how it was organized in a way that both those that have dealt with eating disorders before or care for those with them, and those that don’t even know what eating disorders are can still understand the information. I liked the A to Z aspect of it rather than that of a novel or something like that. I just wish it had an index with an easier way to find the information. I think there is great info thru this whole book and worth reading!
I rate this 5 stars because it is very well written, easy to understand for everybody and gives so much information to those that struggle or have struggled with EDs in the past. Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The A to Z of Eating Disorders is a well organized source of information on eating disorders that is easy to read and understand.
The book is written for anyone who is suffering from some condition of disordered eating and for those who love them.
My only complaint is that the book doesn't seem to have a table of contents or an index to help the reader look up a specific term more quickly. On the other hand, the ebook provides links to terms that are related to each other. A feature I find very helpful as someone who doesn't know all the terminology and wouldn't know where to look for more information.

I received a free reviewer's copy from Sheldon Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was very informative. Unexpected terms like cost, failure, hoarding, kleptomania, language or dishonesty allow different perspectives of eating disorders and their impacts. You don't usually think about these words in the context of eating disorders but they are very valid. Reading this book won't fix an eating disorder but it will give you tools to understand it better and be more compassionate to yourself or a loved one who is struggling with one. There were some technical issues with missing pages in the Kindle edition towards the end. It was frustrating to have a definition cut off in the middle of a sentence but overall it was still a good read.

Disappointing. I didn’t realize that this was a literal thesaurus of terms that relate to eating disorders and had hoped it would be a recovery activity book or something related.

The A to Z of Eating Disorders by Emma Woolf is an A to Z encyclopedia of terms and concepts related to eating disorders. Some terms, like body mass index, are covered in a couple of paragraphs, while others have lengthier explanations.

The book includes some terms not directly to do with eating disorders, such as bipolar disorder. There are a few things that aren’t entirely accurate, like the entry for hypomania directing the reader to the entry for cyclothymia. I also thought a clearer distinction was called for in the statement that “A genuine gluten intolerance might indicate something more serious such as celiac disease.” Maybe I’m just nitpicky, but it seemed to me like the book could have used a read through by a health professional pre-publication.

There are also explanations of triggers related to eating disorders, such as boredom, and an interesting discussion of whether or not it’s appropriate to talk about triggers when it comes to eating disorders.

I was a bit surprised by the line that BMI does not “take into account the fact that healthy muscle weighs more than unhealthy fat.” The notion of unhealthy body fat seems rather contrary to the idea of ED recovery.

Medical complications of eating disorders, such as osteoporosis and cardiac complications, are also described. This is done in a realistic rather than a sensationalist way, and I thought this was handled well.

Options for therapy are covered briefly, including cognitive behavioural therapy.

There were also some rather random-seeming terms thrown in like xerophagy (only eating dry food). Maybe I’m just clueless, but is this a thing in eating disorders?

The book’s cover describes the book as being “information and inspiration for recovery”. It does a reasonably good job with the information, but it didn’t really strike me as trying to be particularly inspirational. While the author has experienced an eating disorder and has written about it in another book, this book doesn’t go into her personal experience at all, and I think drawing in some elements of that could have boosted up the inspiration quotient.

While the book blurb on Amazon says the book is intended as a road map to help people out of eating disorders, I’m not convinced of that. Rather, I’m inclined to think this book would be most useful as a resource for friends or family members of people living with eating disorders.

An eye opening insight into the various/range of eating disorders. It also talks about other food relatives illness such as celiacs disease. A very handy reference guide to anyone who is suffering or a family/friend who would like to do a little research on the topic.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Sheldon Press for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

An insight into disordered eating that can be helpful for anyone sufferering from or caring for someone with an eating disorder.

My rating: 5/5

As weird as it is to say, I'm actually a fan of this book and wasn't sure what to expect when I first downloaded it besides discussion on eating disorders. This book alphabetizes different words and concepts around eating disorders into a literal A through Z guide, with a short but succinct description of each concept that pulls the emotion out of eating disorders. There are other related concepts that are included but not specific to eating disorders, e.g. how the human body works and other related psychiatric disorders like depression.

I also appreciate that "clean eating" and "orthorexia" are included in this reference along with Celiac (Coeliac) Disease. Those of us with Celiac Disease and other diseases related to food are at risk of falling into those rabbit holes given how strict we need to be with food avoidance; it can be too easy to restrict our diet unnecessarily for fear out of becoming sick, especially when a lot of the foods we can buy commercially come from the health food marketplace or brands.

I would actually like to get a copy of this book at some point as it would make a good health reference.

The A to Z of Eating Disorders goes through all the letters of the alphabet regarding eating disorders. The book was interesting but not quite what I expected. It focused more on the definitions of the words and very little on the help part. This is partly my fault I have a tendency of misunderstandint book descriptions and this is one of those moments.

As a person recovering from an eating disorder I loved the clear and non-triggering way this book was written. Most books about eating disorders tend to veer a little into triggering territory but Emma Woolf's precise brand of writing felt very scientific and I was able to detach from my personal issues.

I would happily recommend this book tp anyone who is interested in finding out a bit more about the history, consequences of eating disorders to read this book. It was very informative.

The A to Z of Eating Disorders is a pretty descent overview of the different eating disorders. The Author has a good understand of what creates an eating disorder starting with mental health ending with the addictions many men and woman fall into.

If you are not sure what an eating disorder is or how they start this is a perfect place to start. It gives you an over view, others areas to search and she makes sure readers understand that not everyone is typical most people fall into the A Typical Disorders.
The information will help those with loved ones who are struggling to find a place to recover!
As a person so with an eating disorder and I find it hard for people to understand how a person thinks or what might cause an eating disorder this book is very simple understanding that can give insight.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher Sheldon Press for a copy of Emma Woolf The A to Z of Eating Disorders

A great read and very informative. This book is a pretty good overview of eating disorders and associated mental health problems & addictions that may be linked to having an Eating Disorder. The author has a good understanding of the subject having had her own issues with food.

I’m reviewing this digital book thanks to NetGalley and publisher providing a copy in the exchange for an honest review. I found it to be a comprehensive and informative coverage, and explanations of, words and phrases relating to eating and eating disorders. Whilst many of us will be familiar with the word ‘anorexia’, or ‘diet’ we can learn much more from this A to Z and about how complex and wide ranging eating disorders can be, affecting both females and males physically and mentally. Job well done, Emma Woolf.

This book raises awareness of all aspects of areas of troubles which coincide with eating disorders individuals can suffer. These range from health problems to complications caused by psychological changes as well as personality issues as well. The book is thorough in the A to Z format at discussing all aspects of change which could happen to any individual suffering and is a handbook of what could, what if's and what have happened to the sufferers before and their families and friends too.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

As stated by the autor "This is not a medical book and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor. Consult your pharmacist or doctor if you believe you have any of the symptoms described, and if you think you might need medical help.". Anyway it helps you to demistify eating disorder, "banish many of the inaccurate assumptions about eating disorders". "This A to Z explores the subject from a wide range of angles – physiological and psychological, body and mind, head and heart, emotional, social, medical and nutritional."

E is for extremes
A is for alexythymia
T is for teeth
I is for insula
N is for neuroscience
G is for gastrointestinal complications

D is for dishonesty
I is also for impromptu
S is for selenium
O is for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
R is for recovery
D is also for deprivation
E is also for emotional eating
R is also for refeeding
S is also for set point theory

S is also for self-compassion
U is for urination
C is for carbohydrates
K is for Key's classic study

In The A to Z of Eating Disorders Emma Woolf tackles the whole alphabet, including those pesky consonants Q (quinoa), X (xerophagy) and Z (zinc). Using personal experience along with recent neurological discoveries and the changes to classifications in the DSM-5, Emma's dictionary takes a whole body approach to explaining risk factors, along with the experience of and recovery from eating disorders.

Covering topics focusing on physical, psychological, neurological, social, emotional, mental, behavioural and societal issues surrounding these disorders, this is a helpful tool for those wanting to learn more about eating disorders or those experiencing them firsthand.

Naturally, there is no substitute available for professional advice and supervision but this book provides useful supplementary information and guidance.

Having said that, I personally know that books can benefit someone with an eating disorder greatly. While it didn't cure my eating disorder a young adult novel (before the genre existed) was the catalyst that stopped me vomiting after eating. It was 1993 when I read about oesophageal tears for the first time and became so terrified of them I stopped that behaviour immediately. If anyone is interested that lifesaving book was Please Don't Go by Katherine Applegate and I originally found it at my local library. Yay libraries! I've since bought my own copy and will never part with it.

I've read many books about eating disorders since they came into my life 25 years ago (geez, that makes me feel old!) but I learned a lot personally from reading Emma's book. I really nerded out during the explanations of how different vitamins impact on the brain's functions. Some complex ideas are explained in ways that are accessible to those without scientific backgrounds.

I never realised that the brain uses 50% of the body's blood sugar, even when you're at rest and that fat makes up 60% of the dry weight of the brain. Just those two points explain so much about the behaviour and thought patterns of people with food starved brains.

I wasn't aware of the correlation between disordered eating and hoarding tendencies, although given the similarities in traits between the two it shouldn't have been a surprise. It also turns out there are many "rexia's" I'd never heard of including bigorexia, drunkorexia, orthorexia and pathorexia, along with terms like Veganuary and Flexitarianism. I guess I've been away from social media just about the right length of time if I'm becoming out of touch with the social world.

I found this book's no nonsense approach to be refreshing. It encourages accountability and taking steps to help yourself along with obtaining much needed support from professionals. It provides empowerment rather than condescension, hope rather than condemnation, and talks to rather than at you.

I loved the explanation of the role of control in eating disorders. Those with anorexia in particular can feel that their lives are out of control and the only thing they can control is food - what they eat, when they eat and how much they restrict, but in fact this is an illusion. Emma made a 💡 lightbulb moment 💡 point for me, that it's actually the eating disorder that controls you, not the other way around.

I don't personally believe the superfood hype so to read that Popeye was right made my heart sing. 🎶 Spinach is more nutritious than kale! 🎶 I detest kale!

My small gripe with this book is the lack of references. The author will say that "studies have shown..." but doesn't back her statement up with citations which could diminish the credibility of these claims in the eyes of the reader. So unfortunately I can't tell you the details of the studies that debunk kale, but I want to believe!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley (thank you so much to NetGalley and Sheldon Press for the opportunity) in exchange for honest feedback. I'm definitely interested in reading more from this author.

*thank you to NetGalley and Sheldon Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.
This was pretty good. It gives the reader alot of knowledge of things that are connected to having an Eating Disorder. Very informative and its clear Emma Woolf has an excellent understanding of this topic as she personally has had an Eating Disorder. I would recommend this to those who are simply interested in getting a better understanding or someone currently going through this.