Preschool children can learn to eat healthy foods, especially if their parents become good role models for eating correctly, according to a new study from Washington University in St. Louis.

Professor Debra Haire-Joshu divided parents and preschoolers into two groups. In the first group, children learned songs and games that promoted healthy eating. The second group received educational materials aimed at parents.

Parents in the second group changed their own eating habits to include more fruits and vegetables, which in turn influenced their children to do the same. However, overweight children in the study did not learn to eat in a more healthy way, even if their parents participated.

"Overweight children have already been exposed to salty sweet foods and learned to like them," said Dr. Debra Haire-Joshu, author of the study.

This study appears in Preventive Medicine.

Labels: healthy_eating, influences, parents

A recent study conducted by SELF magazine, in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has found that 65% of American women between the ages of 25 and 45 have disordered eating behaviors. An additional 10% of women admitted to behaviors consistent with eating disorders.

"'What we found most surprising was the unexpectedly high number of women who engage in unhealthy purging activities,' said [Cynthia R.] Bulik, who is also a nutrition professor in the [UNC] School of Public Health. 'More than 31 percent of women in the survey reported that in an attempt to lose weight they had induced vomiting or had taken laxatives, diuretics or diet pills at some point in their life."

SELF magazine's editor-in-chief Lucy Danziger said she hopes this information will help the magazine's readers determine whether their eating habits are healthy or not, and take action if necessary. Source: Newsmax

Learn about healthy weight loss strategies at WeightLossCentral.org.

Labels: eating_habits, healthy_eating, media_influences

Researchers at the University of California in San Diego are hoping to design better treatments for families of teens with anorexia and other eating disorders.

Dr. Walter Kaye, professor of psychiatry, and his colleagues are recruiting 240 families with teens who suffer from eating disorders. The families will be divided into two groups. One group will receive family therapy, based on the theory that the child developed the disorder because of patterns of family interactions. The other group will work under the Maudsley theory that the family needs no psychological treatment, but parents do need to be taught how to help their child develop healthy eating habits.

"We may find different approaches work better for patients with a particular profile," Dr. Kaye said.

Anorexia affects about one in every 200 adolescents and has the highest death rate of any psychiatric disorder.

Adolescent treatment centers, like the Aspen Institute, can help diagnosis teens with emotional and behavioral issues and then, more importantly, create a treatment plan. Visit AspenAssessment.com for more information.

Labels: healthy_eating, therapy, treatment

For Harriet Brown's daughter, the calorie counting that accompanied her eating disorder didn't stop with recovery. On the contrary, she found herself having to track her intake just as diligently as ever in order to re-gain and maintain a healthy weight.

"Like many recovering anorexics, Kitty has a fast metabolism that seems to burn calories at a higher than usual rate. So she needs to eat more than the average teenage girl to maintain her weight, and she will probably need to do this for years to come."

One of the challenges of recovering from an eating disorder is that the patient often has to break every food-related rule he or she established. Fruits and vegetables are good, but so are ice cream, potato chips, and other calorie-dense foods. Given that we live in a society that has clearly defined which foods are "good" or "bad", it can be a difficult shift to make, and parental support is vital.

Aspen Ranch, a residential treatment program in Utah, offers an equine therapy program that helps troubled teens work through their negative emotions and behaviors.

Labels: calorie_restriction, healthy_eating, nutrition

A recent study found that overweight teens are more likely to practice extreme dieting measures or develop eating disorders if their parents focus too much on weight issues. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota, tracked the eating habits of 1,311 girls and 1,069 boys for a five year period.

"Weight-teasing by family, personal weight concerns and dieting/unhealthy weight-control behaviors 'strong and consistently' predicted being overweight, binge eating, and engaging in extreme weight-control behaviors..."

However, frequent family meals, frequent lunch eating, and a positive atmosphere at family meals appeared to reduce the risk for both binge eating and extreme weight-control measures over time.

Dealing with a brat? Wish you could send them to Brat Camp? Turn-About Ranch, featured in the UK version of Brat Camp, can help your difficult teenager too!

Labels: family, healthy_eating, support

Anorexia, bulimia, purging and binge-eating are all different forms of eating disorders that can affect people at any time. Adolescents and pre-teens are often more susceptible to eating disorders because emotions are heightened and peer pressure increases.

"If your teenager is gaining or losing weight rapidly, it is worth taking note of their eating habits when you are in their company at meal and snack times. Take note of persistent refusals to eat or of quantities that seem voracious even for an already voracious eater."

If you're concerned, express your concern to your teen - but don't panic. Avoid talking about appearance, and instead discuss health concerns, and the benefits of taking care of the body.

Find a boarding school or private school for your child at Boarding Schools Info.

Labels: causes of eating disorders, habits, healthy_eating

Nese Halil is living proof that the fashion industry is finally beginning to re-think its "size zero" mentality. Nese, who is a size 16, will be working the catwalk for London's fashion week, which kicks off tomorrow. She thinks it's important for girls to appreciate whatever body type they have.

"...29-year-old Nese, who is in Scotland next week for a fashion show, is living proof if you actually learn to love your curves you can still earn a fortune as a model and stay healthy. Nese says: ‘There's too much pressure on young girls to be a certain shape or size. They should be allowed to enjoy life, enjoy food and let go. It's about being in shape, looking good and feeling healthy."

Nese was this summer's Special K girl, and was at the center of the company's ad campaigns promoting healthy living. She eats healthy and works out, not to be skinny she says, but to "be toned and keep a good shape."

North Star Center's addiction recovery programs help young adults with adolescent substance abuse issues by offering a sober living environment.

Labels: body_type, fashion, healthy_eating

The obesity prevention program called 5-2-1-Go! emphasizes not only healthy eating, but active living. It urges its middle school participants to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, limit "screen time" (TV or computer) to two hours a day and get at least one hour of physical activity per day. It also appears to reduce tendencies for disordered eating.

"The study showed that almost 4% of middle-school girls receiving only their regular health education began vomiting or abusing laxatives or diet pills, but just 1% of the girls in the 5-2-1-Go! program did so."

The randomized study involved over 1,400 students from 13 Massachusetts middle schools whose exercise and eating habits were tracked for two years.

Labels: exercise, healthy_eating, prevention

Teens who eat dinners with their families are more likely to eat fruit and vegetables when they hit their twenties, according to a new study by the University of Minnesota. The study involved surveying 1500 people when they were in high school and again at age 20.

The 20-year-olds who ate evening meals with their families during adolescence had higher intakes of calcium, magnesium, potassium and fiber, and drank fewer soft drinks. This study appears in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Find help for parents of troubled teens at ByParents-ForParents.com.

Labels: family, healthy_eating, students

Professor Steven Thomsen, Ph.D., of Brigham Young University recently conducted a survey of health and beauty magazine readers that has some disturbing results.

"Among the nearly 500 students he surveyed, Thomsen found abundant evidence of unhealthy weight control practices in the previous year. Eleven percent of the participants reported that they had used laxatives, 15 percent had taken diet pills, 9 percent induced vomiting, and 52 percent said they had restricted their caloric intake to under 1,200 calories per day."

Thomsen found that women who read health and fitness magazines were much more likely to have used unhealthy methods to control their weight. More significantly, he found that women who read the magazines already had disordered thinking about weight and body image, and simply turned to the magazines for support. Read more at PsychologyToday.com.

Learn about teen drug and alcohol abuse at the TeenHelpDirectory.com.

Labels: dieting, healthy_eating, media_influences

Carrie Fett, former cross-country runner for Purdue University, spent her first two college years watching her strength decrease and her running-times increase. Though her family doctor had warned her in her senior year of high school that she was malnourished, Carrie ignored the warning and told her worried mom that she was just fine.

"'I was like "I don't know what she's talking about. I'm fine..."' Carrie said. 'I straight up denied it. I don't think it mattered what it was because at that point, I thought I was fine and doing the right thing for running."

Her junior year of college, Purdue hired an assistant cross country coach who taught Carrie to emphasize strength and health instead of sacrificing health for sake of faster running times. Read more at FortWayne.com.

Teens often think they're fine when they're obviously not. Especially when it comes to drug use and abuse. Learn more about teen drug abuse and addiction, including teenage drug and alcohol use statistics at Adolescent-Substance-Abuse.com.

Labels: athletes, exercise, healthy_eating

Sammi Grunspan, now 20 years old, was barely a teenager when she developed an eating disorder. Having been overweight practically her entire life, she began taking laxatives to control her weight high school. Still, she continued to gain weight until - while attending a seminary school in Israel - she met a woman who helped her develop a plan that worked.

"Grunspan has successfully followed the diet for the past year. She is down to 160 pounds, which is just 10 to 15 pounds short of her goal."

She admits that she still struggles to eat properly and not resort to laxatives or other unhealthy means to lose weight. It's a battle she fights every time she sits down to eat. But with the support of family and friends, she's winning the battle.

Read more at ClevelandJewishNews.com.

Unsure of what's troubling your teenager? A residential treatment center like the Aspen Institute for Behavioral Assessment can help find the underlying issues your teenager is dealing with.

Labels: healthy_eating, support, treatment