Too much of a good thing?

[Guest guest]

Orthorexia: Healthy Eating Disorder?

 

(http://www.parentdish.com/2010/03/03/orthorexia-healthy-eating-disorder/)

 

Parents who are obsessed with their kids' eating habits are likely

setting

them up for a lifetime of problems, including anorexia and bulimia,

eating

disorders that are on the rise in the U.S. According to the National

Eating Disorders Association, four out of ten Americans have either had

or known

someone who has suffered from an eating disorder.

 

One of those eating problems may be a condition called " orthorexia, " a

term coined by Dr. Steven Bratman to describe people who are obsessed

with

health food.

 

Andersen, who chronicles her struggles on her blog, says " With every new

piece of information I got (Dairy is bad for you! Vegetarians live

longer! Drink a protein shake after every workout to preserve muscle!),

I would alter my diet to incorporate it. If I couldn't decide whether a

food was good or bad I just cut it out to be safe. You can see where

that went. After a while all I would eat was 5 or 6 safe foods. It was

very limiting. "

 

So what's the right way to go about encouraging your kids to eat

healthfully? Young says she tries to get her patients to look at the big

picture, as

well as the small.

 

" It's all about balance, " she says, " If you're eating healthy 80 percent

of the time, if you cheat a little here and there it doesn't mean you're

a

failure. One cookie or one thing not on the top of the list isn't going

to

create a problem. "

 

Furthermore, parents shouldn't restrict certain food groups or label

foods

as " good " or " bad. "

 

" Research shows that the more a child is restricted, the more they will

overeat later -- later that day, or later in life, " says Jessica

Setnick, a

registered dietitian and author the The Eating Disorders Clinical Pocket

Guide. " It's important to teach kids how to eat a variety of things, and

blend

those things in a healthy lifestyle. "