Sue Scheff: Teens Surf Sites That Promote Destructive Dieting
by Sue Scheff on May 21, 2010
With today’s emphasis on being thin, eating healthy and promoting exercist, are some websites taking this to an extreme? As a parent be aware of what is lingering online and help educate your teens to positive and health issues that help them feel and look their best. Here is a great article with parenting tips and information. Food Revolution is the beginning of parenting to prevent obesity.
Source: Connect with Kids
Teens Surf Sites That Promote Destructive Dieting
“So when I saw these girls that were skinnier than me I was really upset. I thought, ‘okay, this is it; if I want to be thin I’ve got to stop eating – so I can get this under control, so I can look like that.’”
– Hillary, 14 years old
Healthy eating is making the national news. As First Lady Michelle Obama spearheads the Let’s Move campaign to fight childhood obesity, the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity has just released its action plan for solving the problem of childhood obesity in a generation.
Included in the plan is a recommendation that parents, when talking about food choices, be “sensitive to the risk of eating disorders among young people.”
With technology and online access so much a part of teen life, parents should also be aware of the sites teens may be visiting that encourage – and sometimes offer instruction – about destructive dieting and eating behaviors.
Hilary was 14-years-old when she started a strict diet.
“I thought, I wonder if since I’m not eating, I wonder if that means something,” says Hillary, “if that means that I’ve got a problem – or if it’s normal that people skip meals and don’t eat all day.”
She went online and found websites that promoted anorexia – and taught her how to hide her eating disorder.
“If you want to throw up your food after you eat it, just say that you’re gonna go take a shower and turn the water on and you can throw up your food so no one will hear,” says Hillary.
And the websites had pictures called thinspiration.
“So when I saw these girls that were skinnier than me I was really upset,” she says. “I thought, ‘okay, this is it; if I want to be thin I’ve got to stop eating – so I can get this under control so I can look like that.”
When Hillary got down to 95 pounds, her doctor admitted her to the hospital.
“I never thought anything like [these websites] would have pulled her in,” says Hillary’s mom, Juna Griffith. “It changed her life! ”
Psychologists say online communities like the ones Hillary visited can make self-destructive behavior seem normal.
“So to discover that there are a lot of other people means I can’t be that crazy,” says psychologist Dr. Paul Schenk.
“So I just considered it normal – and thought, ‘okay, I don’t really have a problem!’” says Hillary. “It’s just something everyone does.”
Experts says parents should monitor where their kids go on the Internet.
And if they believe their child is threatened by some websites, “I’d turn off the computer,” says eating disorder specialist Bryna Livingstone, “I’d get it out of the house. She’ll scream and holler and say ‘don’t you dare do that. I’ll never speak to you again’ – and then you’ll know you’re doing the right thing.”
Hillary is now out of the hospital, but her mom is still worried.
“It’s like a death sentence for my daughter,” says Juna, “because if she doesn’t get her act together, she’s not going to have a very productive life.”
What Parents Need To Know
The change and development of their adolescent bodies can be particularly stressful for some teens. Many teens spend a lot of time worrying about what others think and they desperately try to conform to society’s unattainable “ideal” body image. They are lead to believe that if they are thin, they will be accepted. The images of emaciated models appearing in magazines, television programs and online reinforces the belief that in order to be happy, successful and accepted, they must be thin.
Eating disorders are complex and devastating conditions that can have serious consequences for health, productivity, and relationships. They are not a fad, phase or lifestyle choice. Eating disorders are serious, potentially life-threatening conditions that affect a person’s emotional and physical health.
Being a teenager is not easy and there are many pressures that they face daily. Eating disorders can be very much about control, so if they feel like everything around them is out of control, they may develop one to gain a sense of control. It is important for families to raise the teen to be proud of who they are and not place undo importance on appearance. Assure them that they can come to you with problems and that you will listen to them and not judge them or put them down.
The National Eating Disorders Association offers these tips for kids on eating well and feeling good about themselves:
- Eat when you are hungry. Stop eating when you are full.
- All foods can be part of healthy eating. There are no “good” or “bad” foods, so try to eat lots of different foods, including fruits, vegetables, and even sweets sometimes.
- When having a snack try to eat different types.
- If you are sad or mad or have nothing to do—and you are not really hungry find something to do other than eating.
- Remember: kids and adults who exercise and stay active are healthier and better able to do what they want to do, no matter what they weigh or how they look.
- Try to find a sport or an activity that you like and do it! Join a team, join the YMCA, join in with a friend or even practice by yourself.
Kids should be encouraged to do their best, but they should not be expected to be perfect. They need to be encouraged to be themselves and to be proud of who they are, so that they will not give into the pressures from their peers to try and fit in. If they are happy with themselves and love who they are, they will be less likely to try and attain society’s unattainable “ideal” body image, because they will accept their bodies just the way they are.
Parents should also be aware of what their kids may be exposed to online – and the websites that promote dangerous and destructive dieting. The best Internet filter is the one that runs in teens’ heads – not any filter a parent may install on a home computer. Talk with your children about dangerous and inappropriate sites and keep the lines of communication open so that they might come to you when they encounter destructive information and images online.
Resources
- Internet Guidelines for Parents of Teens
- Fact Sheet on Eating Disorders – National Eating Disorders Association Let’s Move – America’s Move to Raise a Healthier Generation
- Mirror Mirror – Information about Eating Disorders
Tags: Connect with Kids, Eating Disorders, Health Issues, Parenting, Parenting Resources, Parenting Tips, Parents Universal Resource Experts, Sue Scheff, Teen Diets, Teen Health, Teen Help, Teen Obesity
Sue Scheff: Childhood Obesity is a Big Problem
by Sue Scheff on May 01, 2009
IU2U.org – It’s Up to You….What a great informational website on child obesity, eating healthy, and learning about how to make healthy changes in your family’s diet.
Live a Healthy Lifestyle by Dr. Oz Mehmet offers great advice on this fantastic website as well as other experts and professionals.
KNOW THE FACTS - Today teens are eating more and participating less in physical activity than the healthy amounts experts recommend.
What are kids eating - Kids’ Food has Excessive Sugar, Fat and Salt – learn more details here: http://iu2u.org/kids_food_trends.php
Effects of Obesity – It’s not just a “weight problem.” Learn the many ways becoming obese at a young age can affect a child now and in the future. Click on the figure below to see the effects of childhood obesity.
Learn more at http://iu2u.org/index.php and join their FaceBook group at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/271974
Tags: Child Obesity, Eating Healthy, Parenting, parenting advice, Parenting Teens, Parenting Tips, Parents Universal Resource Experts, Teen Diets, Teen Obesity
Sue Scheff Parenting, Teens, Diets and DX’s
by Sue Scheff on Dec 26, 2008
Source: Author Jane Hersey (Why My Child Can’t Behave)
A Message to Our New Leaders
It’s human nature to believe that huge problems need huge,
expensive remedies, but that is often not the case.
Many of the domestic problems facing Americans today have
surprisingly simple, inexpensive, and effective solutions.
The cost of healthcare, for example, is enormous -
not only in terms of money, but also in terms of
human suffering.
Below is a discussion of some inexpensive and simple solutions.
Depression – What is the cost to an individual and to society? Before it was replaced with the inexpensive generic versions, Prozac typically sold for $247.47 for a bottle of 100. But according to the U.S. Department of Commerce the actual cost of the ingredients used to make it was 11 cents. This translates to a mark-up of 249,973%. (It also helps explain why Big Pharma can afford to pay for three lobbyists for every lawmaker in Washington, DC.)
Contrast the cost of Prozac to a bottle of 100 gelcaps of 2000 mg of vitamin D3, which is an effective treatment for depression. The bottle of vitamins is available for a fraction of that cost, around $7.47. This is $240.00 less than the Prozac. Or compare a bottle of cod liver oil or other omega-3 source, also shown to be an effective treatment for depression. Again, the cost difference is astonishing.
That same inexpensive vitamin, D3, has been found to help protect us against a remarkable assortment of problems, including: asthma, skin disorders, autoimmune disorders, bone loss, muscle weakness (which can lead to falls in the elderly, and the many problems that follow), and cancer. See The Vitamin D Council.
Research shows that omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) and St. John’s wort can also be used to treat moderate depression. And another inexpensive supplement, chromium picolinate, has been shown to be effective for the most common form of depression.
Offices and schools designed to provide natural sunlight have shown that productivity increases and illness is reduced because sunlight enables our bodies to create vitamin D3. The value of exposure to sunlight is another good reason for schools to be sure that recess is a part of the school day.
Drugs and surgery are not always the solutions for our health issues; they are often an acknowledgement that current methods have failed.
New research with animals suggests that the onset of Alzheimer’s disease can be delayed by giving patients vitamin B3. The emotional and monetary costs of addressing Alzheimer’s are staggering. Vitamin B3 can also help patients with a history of heart disease, at a fraction of the cost of statin drugs, and without risky side effects. See Pure Facts, Nov. 2008.
Of course, another way to increase the intake of important vitamins and minerals is to consume a healthier diet. A simple first step is removing the worst of the additives and gradually upgrading one’s food choices; the Feingold Association has been teaching people how to do this for more than three decades. Education – As with healthcare, the United States leads the world in spending, but trails in results. Most American communities devote the lion’s share of their tax revenue to schools, and for most schools, their largest budgetary item is special education. But some schools in the United States and Europe have shown that an effective way for a school to increase test scores and enhance learning, as well as improve behavior, is to reform their cafeteria.
New York City brought about a dramatic increase in test scores without constructing new buildings, hiring more teachers or reducing classroom size. They made some simple changes in the food served to the children. The savings in special education costs could reduce taxes as well as free up funds to build more schools, reduce class size, hire more teachers, pay them more, etc. In fact, schools can actually serve much healthier, tastier foods in their cafeterias for less than they are now spending. See www.School-Lunch.org.
Criminal behavior - Because the things we eat affect the way we behave, nutrition can play a key role in preventing antisocial behaviors and in rehabilitating offenders. Drs. Barbara Reed Stitt, Stephen Schoenthaler and Bernard Gesch have all shown how to do this. Simple changes in food and the addition of needed nutrients can help the “starving brains” of people whose antisocial behavior is the result of a diet filled with foodless food.
ADHD, PDD, OCD, autism, seizures, asthma, ear infections, obesity, diabetes, as well as many other problems that afflict children today have a nutritional component. Removing the worst of the chemicals in their food and adding needed nutrients is a simple first step.
New research shows that the very inexpensive vitamin D3 can provide significant benefits for children on the autism spectrum.
A growing number of parents and professionals have already found effective ways to help these issues. Our government does not need to throw money at these problems, but to take a look at the programs that are already working.
We can bring change!
Improve health care while spending less.
Improve education while spending less.
Improve social problems while spending less.
The Feingold Program has often been called the country’s “best kept secret” by grateful families. Now you can help to see that it no longer remains a secret.
Some Resources:
Feingold Association of the United States – non-profit support group established in 1976 addressing the dietary connection to better behavior, learning and health. www.feingold.org
School-Lunch.org – improving behavior and learning by improving the school food program.
Crime Times publication – a quarterly publication of The Wacker Foundation concentrating on the links between brain dysfunction and disordered/ criminal/ psychopathic behavior.
HRI-Pfeiffer Treatment Center – a not-for-profit medical research and treatment facility specializing in research and treatment of biochemical imbalances.
Autism Research Institute
Developmental Delay Resources – a resource network integrating conventional and alternative approaches for parents and professionals who support children with special needs.
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) Foundation
December 21, 2008
Tags: ADD, ADHD, At Risk Teens, Depression, Feingold Diet, Feingold Program, Parenting, Parenting Teens, Parents Universal Resource Experts, Sue Scheff, Teen Diets, Teen Drug Use, Teen Health
