In recent years, studies have found that about 42 percent of first- through third-grade girls want to be thinner, and 81 percent of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat. These thoughts are serious and potentially dangerous for young kids.

"The cute mice of a new storybook, 'Full Mouse, Empty Mouse: A Tale of Food and Feelings,' are foot soldiers in a budding campaign led by medical professionals, like author and clinical psychologist Dina Zeckhausen, who contend the scourge of eating disorders in North America should be addressed at the earliest age."

Zeckhausen's book is part of a larger initiative called "mindful eating" that seeks to teach kids about the connections that should and shouldn't exist between emotions, food, and body image. Read more at Statesman.com.

Learn more about Mindful Eating at WeightLossCentral.org.

Labels: emotions, feelings, young_girls