Eating Disorders: How to Talk to Your Kids About Food

After asthma, obesity and eating disorders are the most common chronic conditions in adolescents. For some teenagers, compensating for obesity can lead to overcompensating for obesity, which can lead to eating disorders. The American Academy of Pediatrics has published new guidance on how to prevent obesity and eating disorders and on how break the link between obesity prevention and treatment and eating disorders. . . .

Obese children and teenagers are more likely to be obese adults. They are also more likely to be adults who suffer from diabetes and heart disease as well as from asthma, bone and joint problems, fatty liver disease, gallstones, gastroesophageal reflux, polycystic ovary syndrome and sleep apnea. Children and teenagers with eating disorders are at greater risk of cardiovascular problems, amenorrhoea, osteoporosis, pancreatitis and gallstones.

Eating disorders can sometimes be the unfortunate consequence of the intention to eat healthily in order to lose weight or prevent weight gain. They can begin with the elimination of foods perceived to be “bad” and lead unintentionally to disordered eating behaviours. Sometimes dieting adolescents can’t stop dieting, and exercising adolescents can’t stop exercising. Overweight adolescents are also more likely to use laxatives or to induce vomiting.

The American Academy of Pediatrics makes the following practical, simple recommendations:

1. Discourage dieting for weight management. For adolescents who want to prevent weight gain or lose weight, dieting is often ineffective and backfires. Dieting can also progress to eating disorders. Instead of eating for weight, focus on eating for healthy living.

2. Eat together as a family. Family meals are associated with an improved quality of diet, more fruits, vegetables, grains and fiber and less soft drinks. These healthier eating patterns have been shown to last. Family meals have been shown to protect girls from disordered eating behaviours.

3. Parents talking about their own dieting or encouraging their children to diet has been shown to be linked to eating disorders and being overweight in their children. The best intentioned comments can be taken the wrong way by the children. But when parents reshape their comments so that they are about healthy eating and physical activity, instead of weight management, adolescents are less likely to fall into unhealthy weight control behaviours and more likely to be have healthy body images and be satisfied with their bodies.

4. Family teasing of overweight adolescents is associated with being overweight, binge eating and unhealthy weight control patterns that still persist when they are young adults.

Pediatrics 2016;138(3):e20161649