With childhood obesity becoming more and more of an issue, parents are eager to keep their kids healthy and help them lose weight. But the well-meaning words and actions of parents can backfire, causing kids to resort to disordered eating in order to lose weight. A group of teens recently talked with U.S. News and World Report about the things they wished their parents had never said.

"Maybe this new diet will help. 'I'm always hearing about how bad food is; they showed Super Size Me, [a documentary about the dangers of fast food] in school,' says [Leah] Schumacher. 'I would have like to have learned from my parents or teachers about the positives of food, like why I need some fat to build cells and what fruits and vegetables do for my body.'"

All of the girls interviewed were undergoing treatment for eating disorders which they feel they developed, in part, because of comments from parents and friends. Source: U.S. News and World Report

Labels: eating_disorders, healthy_eating, pressures

As the United States faces an ever-increasing waist line, some doctors and nutritionist are concerned that parents' attempts to keep their kids "healthy" will actually cause a backlash of poor choices, low self-esteem, and possibly eating disorders.

"No one would deny that being overweight poses risks to physical and emotional health or that an increasing number of American youth are facing those risks. What's troubling to some are the overt approaches to helping these kids - the focus on 'red light' foods, the after-school nutrition classes, the forced gym memberships, the public tsk-tsking."

Instead, doctors and nutritionist recommend that parents simply make sure they're preparing healthy meals and have healthy snacks in the house. Teach kids how to eat what they need without overeating, and allow them to sample a wide variety of foods. Read more at Coloradoan.com.

Low self-esteem may turn into a teenage drug addiction. Learn about self-esteem, adolescent substance abuse, and more about teen drug use at Teen-Help-Directory.com.

Labels: eating_disorders, healthy_eating, self_esteem

A recent paper by scientists at Yale and the University of Hawaii found that "profound and potentially lasting harm" is done to children who are stigmatized by peers and parents because of their weight.

"The study analyzes published research gathered from psychological, medical, social science, and educational databases. Over 100 studies were included that offered evidence on the associations between obesity, stigma and a variety of negative consequences..."

Negative consequences included low self esteem, social exclusion and eating disorders.

Read more at WebWire.com.

Labels: eating_disorders, influences, self_esteem