Healthy Eating Teens: Understanding Eating DisordersJust as another article obesity was discussed as a childhood health problem because of its relevance to the topic of healthy eating, we now discuss the subject of eating disorders. It is relevant both to healthy eating and to the teen years. All teens face the challenge of looking good. While some of them may shrug it off, the majority of teens respond to the pressure. Many teens try to change their clothing style, begin using make up and hair products during their teen years, and they hone all other skills of good grooming. Parents have to try and understand the pressures their teens face. It's bad enough that they have to deal with acne and chemistry classes, but now they have to worry about looking fabulous too! The pressures of looking good are usually caused by the media and by peers. Today's media is filled with unrealistic examples of how teens should both look and behave. Skinny actresses and muscular actors fill television and movie screens everywhere, while billboards whose images have been enhanced and modified through computer programs are seen all over major cities. The reality is that today's version of what is beautiful is so distorted and so far from what realistically be achieved by a normal teenager. An obsession with looking good and wanting to emulate the celebrities they see around them can be one of the influences or causes of eating disorders. Studies have shown that eating disorders can start very young because media images can affect preteens as well. Another reason for young children to begin developing eating disorders is because their mothers or fathers have the disorder, and they are trying to be like their parents. A history of eating disorders in a family is often linked to the development of eating disorders. Other causes of eating disorders can be your child's extra-curricular activities. Some sports can really pressure teen girls into staying thin or looking good. Dance, cheer leading, and gymnastics are just a few common activities that can cause girls to obsess over their weight and how they look. For boys, sports in which you have to keep a certain weight requirement, limit, or class can be the cause of the disorder. Sports like American football, mixed martial arts, wrestling, and other competitive martial arts. Two final possible causes of eating disorders are anxiety and having family problems or problems a young teen cannot handle. When people become very anxious they tend to either turn to something to comfort them and sometimes this thing is food. This could be the reason behind binge eating disorder, or the binging part of bulimia nervosa. Family problems or big problems can be difficult for a teen to deal with, especially if parents don't take the time to talk to their teens and clarify what is going on and make it clear that it will be okay in the end. In an attempt to regain control of a life that your young teen may feel is spinning out of their control, they control their food intake or obsess over how they look, both of which are two things they can control. Page 2: Healthy Eating Teens: Understanding Eating Disorders |
Sign up to our FREE email mini course now and get more useful tips and information, delivered straight to your inbox, on how to get your kids to eat healthy. When you sign up, you'll receive:
Subscribe now and enjoy the benefits instantly!
|
How To Get Your Kids To Eat Healthy Food - Without A Fight!
|
