Experts in the field of nutrition say that some parents are too restrictive and "micro-manage" their children's eating, making them too anxious about what should be a natural activity. Even eight year-olds are worrying about their sodium intake and the dangers of eating meat. The problem with this kind of teaching is that parents run the risk of creating eating disorders in their children.
"We're seeing a lot of anxiety in kids," said Cynthia Bulik, director of the eating disorders program at the University of North Carolina. "They go to birthday parties and if it's not a granola cake, they feel like they can't eat it."
Lisa Dorfman, a dietician at the University of Miami, concurred.
"It's almost a fear of dying, fear of illness, like a delusional view of foods in general," she said. "I have five-year-olds who speak like 40-year-olds. They can't eat an Oreo cookie without being concerned about transfats."
Sometimes lessons at school can trigger food fears in young children, making them categorize foods as either "good" or "bad," when the operative word should be "moderation."
"All this stuff about preservatives and pesticides," said Katie Wilson, president of the School Nutrition Association. "All an eight-year-old kid should know is that he or she should eat a variety of colors and don't supersize anything but your water jug."
Labels: parents, anxiety, food-labels
Posted By: Aspen Education Group
