Sports and Eating Disorders – What’s the Connection? – Butterfly: Let’s Talk Season 1, Episode 10

High-performance athletes are Australia’s version of royalty. They do superhuman things, and adoring fans hail them as heroes, but off the field, they’re human beings. And like all human beings, they are susceptible to body image issues and eating disorders. In fact, many athletes are at much higher risk of disordered eating and eating disorders due to the intense pressures and expectations placed upon them.

In this episode, we talk to Australian Paralympian swimmer Jessica Smith, National Basketball star Maddie Garrick and high school athlete Ben Sanders who all struggled with body image and eating issues that not only impacted their lives but their performance as well.

We also hear from the Australian Institute of Sport lead nutritionist Nikki Jeacocke and prominent sports nutritionist Fiona Sutherland about how a new set of guidelines for sporting organisations is helping create a safe culture for athletes and much-need support for those at risk.  Let’s talk.

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