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RESEARCH

Feeding and Eating Disorders and Horticultural Therapy

Gardening therapy in eating disorder treatment has been shown to improve nutrition knowledge, raise self-esteem, lift mood and strengthen social skills in participants. These positive changes suggest that adding plant-based activities to traditional therapy can be a powerful tool for recovery.
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Summary

This paper explains that eating disorders—such as anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating—can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender or background. The Florida Horticulture for Health Network brings together organizations to use gardening and plant-based activities to support health, offering things like school and community gardens, therapeutic horticulture and professional training in the benefits of working with plants.

Several treatment programs now include gardening as part of therapy for eating disorders. In Canada’s Homewood Health Centre and Maryland’s Sheppard Pratt Center, for example, patients plant and tend fruits and vegetables to learn about nutrition, build self-confidence, lift their mood and connect socially, all while developing a healthier relationship with food and their bodies.

Link

Fleming, L., & Sampson, K. (2022). Feeding and eating disorders and horticultural therapy. Cultivate, 2(4), 1-5

 

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