Jan 17, Teen Eating Disorders

There are two very common teen eating disorders that are wreaking havoc with many teen lives. The two major disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia. They result primarily from psychological factors.

Teenagers are at a stage in life when self esteem issues and rapidly changing bodies create high levels of stress. Teens are subject to peer pressure also, which often leads them astray. The result is, many teenagers turn to the abuse of food as a solution to their problems.

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Too Little or Too Much

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder where a teen does not eat a life sustaining number of calories. In other words, he or she starves the body to the point where health is threatened. In the worst cases the result is death due to malnutrition or organ failure. These teens see their body as being overweight no matter how thin it gets.

Bulimia is an eating disorder that involves eating large amounts of food and then purging it. Since the body is not allowed enough time to absorb any nutrients, the consequences are similar to those of anorexia. The teen may suffer malnutrition, organ damage and abnormal glandular changes, throwing their hormones out of whack. This is happening at the very time when hormone levels are fluctuating regularly in response to rapid growth.

Spotting the behaviors indicating these childhood eating disorders is not difficult. The teenager will get abnormally thin or will refuse to eat sufficient quantities of food.

There will be lots of excuses about why he or she is not hungry meal after meal. For those with bulimia there will be signs of the use of laxatives or the teenager will often be sick after eating due to the self-induced vomiting.

Once again, the loss of excessive weight is an excellent indicator that teen eating disorders exist. Eating disorders in children as young as four is also on the rise.

Orderly Nutritional Changes

Teenagers with milder eating disorders often use food as "comfort food". The teenage years are very stressful, and hormone levels frequently change, which only adds to the stress. Turning to food as a solution to problems related to self- esteem or to relieve feelings of stress will quickly lead to being overweight or obese.

Comfort food is often high in sugar, carbohydrates and fat. These types of food cause blood sugar levels to temporarily spike, creating brief feelings of euphoria.

Teen eating disorders can be corrected with counseling and a new focus on nutritional eating. Changing destructive behaviors requires the involvement of the family itself, and the doctor.

The goal is to minimize potential physical damage from poor nutrition while addressing the emotional factors leading to the binging, purging or comfort food eating behaviors. The sooner the problems are discovered, the easier it is to intervene.

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My Teen Girls Won't Eat  Not rated yet
I am worried because my teen girls won't eat. I know they are at that age where they are starting to show interest in boys and want to measure up.

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Jan 17, Good Eating Habit For Child

A good eating habit for child development is best established early in life. Habits, good or bad, are learned processes that through repetition become involuntary actions. Such as when we were infants and just learning to walk. First we learned to crawl, then we managed to get on our feet, and the next thing you know we are walking without having to put any thought into the process. We learned to walk through repetition and habit.

The main problem with bad habits is they are hard to break. So the trick is to establish a good eating habit for child nutrition early in life. The easiest way to accomplish this is by setting a good example.

When our children are young we have to hand feed them and this is when they start to develop certain tastes for certain foods. They eat what we serve them. If our offerings are balanced nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables, they will continue to cherish these foods into adulthood .

On the other hand, if we ourselves have a bad habit of snacking and eating sweets; chances are so will our children. This is why it is important to establish a good eating habit for child development early in life because food attitudes and eating habits are likely to last a lifetime.

Changing from bad habits to good habits does not happen overnight and either does healthy eating. It takes time, effort, and determination. Unfortunately, bad habits are easy to come by and it can happen at any given time.

Eating while doing certain activities can be habit forming. Such as, using the computer or watching a ballgame. Help your child form a good eating habit that will last a lifetime because poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles could lead to obesity. The following are recommendations on how to incorporate a good eating habit for child nutritional health.

Be willing to experiment by eating a variety of nutritious foods
Provide three healthy meals a day and create a regular mealtime for the family. Afternoon snacks are fine as long as they are nutritious (fruit or vegetables) and are not meant to be a meal.
Refrain from eating after dinner. No midnight snacks. And never eat large amounts of food at once.
Know your families serving size and provide just enough to satisfy their needs.
Enjoy your mealtime as a family avoiding confrontation. Unnecessary stress at mealtime can lead to emotional overeating.
Find creative ways of dealing with your childs emotions avoiding food as a solution.
Establish a set location for food consumption in the home. Preferably the dinner table. This will avoid eating in front of the TV, computer, or bedrooms.
Keep only snacks in the home that are high in nutrients and make them readily available. Wash and slice fruits and vegetables and be sure there is easy access to them.
Avoid buying problem foods like doughnuts and cookies. If you do keep them in the pantry out of sight. Never use food as a reward for good behavior.
Some children eat out of sheer boredom or because they were enticed by the food advertisement on TV. Teach them to eat only when they are truly hungry and remind them that a snack is not a meal. In other words, eating a full bag of carrots is not necessary. But it is much healthier than a full bag of chips.

Being creative and offering a variety of nutritional choices will ensure a good eating habit for child development that the whole family can benefit from.

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Success has a simple formula: do your best, and people may like it. Sam Ewing

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Jan 17, Eating Disorders In Children

It is a disturbing fact that eating disorders in children, such as anorexia, has been diagnosed in children as young as four. The development of Anorexia usually appears during the teen years and affects mostly girls who generally have less body fat than boys. Eating disorders can slow down their growth, puberty, and in girls their breast development.

Children's eating habits, lifestyles, and body image are formed early in life through the attitudes of their parents. When parents have issues with body image and weight gain their children are at higher risk of developing anorexia nervosa because young children like to imitate their parents. Studies have shown that children with anorexic mothers were more depressed, cranky, and had poor attitudes towards food by the tender age of five. However, parents who have open lines of communication and are educated on child development can have an impact on preventing eating disorders in children.

Steps For Making Positive Changes

Take your child to the family doctor to determine if there is any medical or psychological illnesses.
Make changes in the family eating habits and expect everyone to participate. This means three healthy meals a day, eat as a family, and provide only healthy snacks. Be a positive role model.
Never miss any meals.
Take advantage of spending quality time with your children.
Become more conscious of your own eating habits, body image, and weight control attitudes.
Prepare meals with portion control in mind. This will help to eliminate the request to eat their entire meal.
Refrain from being critical about your child's weight.
Know how your child responds to your comments about their weight issues and how it affects their behavior.
Keep the lines of communication open and encourage your child to speak freely about their feelings.

The treatment for eating disorders should start by getting professional help. In the event that it is a family problem getting treatment as a group will greatly increase the success. Family participation makes it easier to adjust to lifestyle changes.

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Jan 17, Childhood Eating Problems

When it comes to childhood eating problems many times the parents are the last ones to know that their child is battling an eating disorder. Although you would assume that they are in a perfect position to be involved often times because of their childs privacy issues the childhood eating problems become unnoticeable. As parents we want to nurture and protect so once the eating disorder is recognized we have no choice but to be actively involved. But How?

The first thing that must be done is to be supportive and be sure that your child knows how much you love them. Both parent and child want to live happy, healthy, normal lives and in many cases that may involve therapy. So it is important that the parents involvement is in sync with health professionals plan for recovery. It is the parents involvement that will help the recovery process for the simple fact that they see the day to day routines.

Be The Observer

There is only so much that can be accomplished in the therapist office, testing will give results only after the disease is into a medically necessary stage, so it is up to the parents to note the childhood eating problems. Eating disorders are diseases that quite naturally are going to appear around meal times. Pay special attention to how they do or do not eat. Do they come up with lame excuses not to eat such as they ate at a friends house? Do they push their food around the plate making it appear as if they ate some of their meal? Are they eating their meal or just nibbling here and there? Are they the last to arrive to the table at meal times and the first to leave? Do they get antsy or show signs of depression at meal times? This parental involvement is critical to your childs recovery because no one else is around to be the observer.

Some parents have difficulties being the observer with childhood eating problems because they feel as though they are being too controlling and are afraid of causing a negative reaction. They feel as though they are intruding in their childs privacy and start believing that the eating disorder is their fault. Parents need to know that the eating disorder and lack of proper nourishment effects their childs rational thinking.

Nurture Your Child To Better Health

If there ever was a time for parents to be nurturing now is the time. They must understand that the eating problems are affecting their childs ability to function under normal conditions. Until they become more self sufficient they need their parents whether they want to admit it or not. Don't feel as though you are controlling them because you are not. You are showing them unconditional love that will be appreciated once they become more responsible with their eating habits.

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Success has a simple formula: do your best, and people may like it. Sam Ewing

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