Preventing Eating Problems in Our Kids

By Dina Zeckhausen

Eating problems among children are epidemic, with obesity rates in some states as high
as 33%.  Some schools are sending Body Mass Index (BMI) “report cards” home to
parents in an attempt to address this problem.  While many parents are, in fact, aware of
their children’s weight status, education about nutrition and exercise are not always
sufficient to address these complex issues.

The fact is that many children (like adults) use food to comfort difficult feelings.  Parents
may put their kids on diets (or a child may start her own) but these efforts are rarely
effective and may actually backfire.  Depending upon a child’s personality, putting a kid
on a diet may produce obesity in the rebellious child (“I’ll just binge when Mom’s not
looking”) or anorexia in the compliant child (“I’ll make Mommy proud and eat
PERFECT from now on!”)
  
Interestingly, children with anorexia and over-eaters share two common traits:

1. They misread or are disconnected from their hunger-fullness signals

2. They are not very good at labeling feelings.  The technical term for this is
“Alexythymia”—Latin for “lacking words for feelings.”
 
The bottom line is this: if you want to help prevent your kid from developing an eating
problem, obsessing about carbs, fat grams and calories, you may be barking up the wrong
tree.   The best approach may be to help your child tune into her body, learn to interpret
its signals accurately, trust the wisdom in these signals and then to respond to them
appropriately.

Radical concept, I know.  It may even seem like a Herculean task if you’re a chronic
dieter and baffled by your body’s subtle language.  Do you use food for comfort, for
reward, or to numb your stress?  Have you embarked on a diet because your career,
marriage or life felt out of control?  Helping your child understand and trust her body can
be tough if you have an ambivalent relationship with your own.

So Step One is for you to start listening to the subtle language of your own body.   How
often do you use food – or the restriction of food--to meet non-food related needs?  Keep
track for a day and let me know what you discover~

Dina Zeckhausen is a nationally-known clinical psychologist and author who specializes

in treating eating disorders and body image in both adults and adolescents. She is a
weekly columnist for ShareWiK.com. You can visit her on the web at
dinazeckhausen.com and www.MyEdin.org