By Melanie Brown, PhD
In a world where we are bombarded by messages about eating “clean” and “healthy,” it is often hard to make sense of what is actually healthy and good for your body and that of your child. Large food groups have been demonized as unhealthy, when in fact, there is little scientific evidence to support many of the latest food trends. Taken to an extreme, eating clean can lead to malnutrition and illness – the opposite of health.
Particularly concerning is that these messages about “eating clean” can be misinterpreted by young people, especially in the context of cultural pressure to achieve an unrealistically thin and toned body. Instagram posts of celebrities with impossibly toned “beach bods” incite social comparison in many teens who then strive for “six pack abs” and “thigh gap.”
Trending restrictive eating and unrealistic body image goals set teens up to be at risk for developing eating disorders. Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, involve serious medical complications and other mental health problems, which can be long term and result in death. Even eating disorder behaviors that do not meet full criteria for an eating disorder can be dangerous, like extreme dieting and purging. Unfortunately, eating disorder behaviors are relatively common in young people, with 10-15% of both female and male teens estimated to engage in some form of the behaviors (Brown, Hochman, & Micali, 2019).
Parents can be on the lookout for signs that a child might be developing (or have) an eating disorder. While there is a lengthy list of concerning eating behaviors some of the ones that parents may be more likely to notice include:
- Significant weight change – loss, gain, or fluctuation in weight
- Failure to meet expected growth targets in terms of weight or height
- Change in eating patterns such as extreme dieting, counting calories, restricting calorie intake, eliminating or restricting types of food from diet
- New vegetarianism/veganism/lactose-free/gluten-free, eating only “healthy” or “clean” foods, or binge eating
- Following strict food rules
- Skipping meals or refusing to eat meals or foods that were previously enjoyed
- Drinking large amounts of water instead of eating
- Negative thoughts and feelings about his or her body
- Change in exercise patterns such as exercising excessively or compulsively
If you are concerned that your child may be developing or has an eating disorder, it is important to have your child evaluated as soon as possible by both a psychologist or other mental health professional specialized in eating disorders as well as a medical doctor (pediatrician or adolescent medicine specialist).
By seeking evaluation and treatment in a timely manner, your child has the best chance of avoiding the long-term effects of eating problems. For example, family-based treatment (FBT) is a very effective outpatent therapy that frequently achieves long-term recovery from eating disorders in teens and avoids hospitalization. It is estimated that approximately two thirds of teens fully recover from anorexia nervosa after treatment with FBT, with 75-90% sustaining recovery at five year follow-up (Eisler, Dare, Russell, Szmukler, Le Grange, & Dodge, 1997).