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Disordered Eating
Mini-Articles
Perils of the “Clean Plate Club”
Teen Vegetarianism, In Sickness and in Health
Eating Disorder or Food Preference; Making the Distinction
Disordered Eating
Perils of the “Clean Plate Club”
Clean plates accomplish the opposite of what they are intended for. Parents who wish to teach their children to be discerning and healthy eaters ultimately teach their children the wrong lessons through such admonitions, communicating to their children that they cannot trust their own instincts about when they are hungry, how hungry they are, and for what. These messages imply that kids can’t make mature and independent decisions on their own, but must rely on others to do so for them. They learn that flexibility and responsiveness to one’s needs at the moment have no place in the face of rule-following.
When Your Child Has an Eating Disorder (Natenshon/Jossey Bass Publishers) and www.empoweredparents.com offer parents a guide to becoming proactive participants in their child's eating behaviors, promoting health without being intrusive or inappropriate. They counsel parents about how to create healthy attitudes, values and self- regard in their child ....all essential elements in kids who are to become healthy eaters for life.
Teen Vegetarianism, In Sickness and in Health
A great many teens come to vegetarianism for the wrong reasons.... thus, undoing so much of what can be good and healthy about the lifestyle.
The distinction lies in the individual's motivation, and in her commitment to maintaining the lifestyle responsibly. When young people turn to vegetarianism to enhance their own health or the well being of animals, the lifestyle can be beneficial.
However, kids, parents, doctors and health professionals must become aware that:
- When agendas involve losing weight, or seeking ways to demonstrate self-discipline and self-control to themselves and others, this can be a sign of trouble and an early sign of an eating disorder in the making.
- The healthy vegetarian must be prepared to make a commitment to become learned enough to feed her own body healthfully, adequately, and consistently, even while preserving the lives of other living things; the commitment involves time and effort in food planning, cooking, and realistic self-care.
- Chances are that these same children are picky, perfectionist and overly rigid and restrictive in other life spheres beyond eating, putting them at risk to develop the attitude, psyche and behaviors of eating disorders. Vegetarianism too often is a politically incorrect camouflage masking the emotional forces that may underlie the eating lifestyle choice...anxiety, depression, fears and powerlessness.
Vegetarianism is a form of food restriction. In my professional experience with hundreds of young people over the years, it is a rare child who takes full responsibility for education about the nutritional needs of the body and for personal self-care. In addition, most of their parents are in the dark about what this preference might mean, and how to shop and cook for their child accordingly.
Eating Disorder or Food Preference: Making the Distinction
I believe that parents tend to err on the side of extremes (indifference or over-control) when they observe poor eating habits or quirky eating behaviors in their children. How does a parent know if a behavior is merely a benign quirk or the start of a serious illness?
Eating disorders are the most lethal of all the mental health disorders. 87% of victims are children under age 20, with increasing numbers under the age of nine. When parents recognize early warning signs of disease in the making, when they know when to be concerned and ask for professional help, they can nip problems in the bud, saving their child from deep suffering and even death.
Three signs that your child may be in trouble;
1. There is anxiety, compulsivity, inflexiblility associated with the child's misuse of food.
2. There are emotional problems in other spheres of behavior that may be reflective of similar attitudes.
3. There are addictions or eating disorders in other members of the family.
The good news: When eating problems are dealt with intelligently, sensitively, and with emotional astuteness at early ages, when proper eating habits are enforced and modeled, parents can eradicate an eating disorder in the making.
About Abigail H. Natenshon
Abigail H. Natenshon, MA LCSW has been a psychotherapist in private practice specializing in the treatment of eating disordered individuals and their families for the past 28 years. She is co-founder and director of Eating Disorder Specialists of Illinois; A Clinic without Walls, and the author of When Your Child Has an Eating Disorder: A Step-by-Step Workbook for Parents and Other Caregivers (Jossey Bass, San Francisco, October, 1999). Visit her web sites at www.empoweredparents.com and www.empoweredkidZ.com
CONTACT:
Abigail Natenshon, MA, LCSW
Telephone 847-432-1795
Fax: 847-266-9233
Highland Park, Illinois 60035
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