Grow Up Well Nourished -- Treat Eating Disorders Early
When a child's eating habits, attitudes about food, perception of weight and body shape, and weight management practices show signs of becoming unhealthy and distorted, he or she may be developing an eating disorder.
The early stages of an eating disorder can be especially hard to detect, because the behaviors can often seem normal for a health-conscious kid. In fact, more than 50% of all cases go undetected. However, the sooner you can recognize and address dysfunctional eating patterns, the better the chance for a full recovery. How do you know when your child's eating habits have become dysfunctional? Look for abnormal eating behaviors, such as:
- Drastically reducing calories and skipping meals
- Eating alarming amounts of food in one sitting
- Hiding food in peculiar places
Seek treatment before the disorder spirals out of control. With early intervention, proactive parenting, and aggressive treatment, children and adolescents with eating disorders can recover and avoid potentially life-threatening physical consequences and severe psychological and behavioral problems.
If dysfunctional eating patterns persist and develop into second-nature behaviors, your child will have a much harder time changing the behaviors later in life.
If left untreated, eating disorders can have devastating, long-term consequences, including stunted growth; delayed onset of menstruation; damage to vital organs, such as the kidney and brain; increased risk of heart attack, stroke, arthritis, and osteoporosis; and difficulty with relationships.
