Article Archives 2005 » General Health

Teenage Obsession with Weight: A Growing Concern!

Enter the entertainment industry which has always been the teenager's obsession. With super thin models and weight conscious stars on the highlight, teenagers today have a new obsession called 'weight loss'. The American academy of pediatrics conducted a study on the students of 5th to 12th grade students and found out that majority of them were dissatisfied with their body and wanted to lose weight badly.

Eating Disorder - A menace

Chronic dieting is the first step which indicates that children are heading towards an eating disorder. Today many teenagers suffer from disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating. Let's have a closer look.

Anorexia Nervosa: As thin as you get

• The person does not maintain the normal body weight required for the age and height.
• There is a always a fear of gaining weight.
• The danger of becoming under weight is neglected.
• Depression, irritability, peculiar eating habits are all indications of Anorexia nervosa.

Bulimia Nervosa: The confused food lover

• The person eats without any control.
• Uses laxatives, vomits or diets to get rid of fat.
• Diets at times and binges when not dieting.
• Beware! This person may shop lift, use drugs and abuse alcohol.

• Eats till he/she is uncomfortably full.
• Keeps on eating secretly to avoid embarrassment.
• Eats continuously when stressed, anxious, tired or suffers emotional problems.
• Obsessed about the body and the food.

• Exercises repeatedly without taking care of the health.
• Steals time from school, relatives, home to work out.
• Tries to exercise more every day.
  

The other commonly seen disorders include Muscle Dysmorphic disorder, Orthorexia nervosa, Night eating syndrome, Rumination syndrome etc.

Before any of these scary disorders catches up with your kid, do the due and save your kid, your self and your family from such chronic disorders.

Is your child a victim of Eating Disorder?

Make use of these findings and see if you need to worry about your child's eating habits.

• If it's your daughter, her menstrual periods stops or undergoes variations.
• Children get very secretive about their dieting.
• Even if they lose weight they don't agree to it and look forward to losing more weight, quickly.
• Your child keeps increasing the weight loss goal even after reaching his/ her previously set goal.

You can never force your child in to following a strict healthy diet. And it will not work if you give orders and expect your child to pursue it. Instead, you can trick him/her to go after the finest in food.

Teens and the right food

Don't force. That's the first lesson any parent should learn. It is not about how much your child eats but what he/she eats. Pile your fridge with nutritious food. Ask your kid to make choices from them. Avoid junk food or keep it to a minimum. In such cases there are lesser chances of weight gain and besides it will help your child have a good healthy diet for overall growth and improvement.

Dieting vs. Healthy Eating

Compulsive dieting is a strict 'NO' 'NO' during the early periods of life. For the ill effects it will have on a later stage is quite frightening. Kids who tried dieting have suffered from low bone density during their older years. This is not the appropriate time to lessen your Calcium, Vitamin C and D intake because you can't deprive your body of essential bone growth. Also Iron and Folic acid are as important as Calcium. Iron prevents anemia which causes tiredness and intellectual under performance. And in school they can't afford to be tired and incompetent.

In simple terms, strict dieting will not help them lose weight nor will the child end up being healthy. So the best bet to a sound life is to eat healthy and exercise well.

Play: Its role in a child's development

How many of us ignore play and insist that it comes only after home work, studies and on weekends. Please note that by ignoring Play, we are hampering a vital element of the child's development. Through play the child explores his skills, creativity, relationships and develops his own personality. It is also the best way to stay healthy. Games like foot ball, cricket, badminton or swimming can make them fit. They also won't end up with eating disorders as playing keeps them trim and healthy.

Eat wise

• Make children eat variety of foods so that it doesn't become boring for them. Grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meat will provide them with the necessary nutrients.
• Let them enjoy ice creams, pastries and cheese burgers in moderation.
• While serving a meal, fill half the plate with vegetables and the other half with lean meat, potatoes and other carbohydrates.
• Make them stick to disciplined eating.

These teenage years are the ideal time to explore life, enjoy and understand it. They shouldn't be wasting a single day worrying about problems of weight and the increasing fat content in their body. As long as they play, eat healthy and feel happy about themselves, there is nothing that can stop the children from being smart, confident and the healthy child of the family.

About the Author

Chris Read, An associated editor to Hateweight.com.