Nutrition lessons — largely driven by state education standards — can be damaging because they unintentionally convey the same messages as an eating disorder: cut out certain foods, limit calories and fear weight gain. Here’s what to do instead.
Editor’s note: Oona Hanson is a parent coach in private practice and a family mentor at Equip, an eating disorder treatment program. She specializes in supporting parents to raise kids who have a healthy relationship with food and their body. Children across all grade levels are taught nutrition concepts aimed at improving health, but I find these well-intended lessons can end up backfiring, harming kids’ eating habits and their overall well-being.
“Research shows most of our kids are already experiencing body dissatisfaction,” Cruz said. Following typical “healthy eating” guidance to try to lose weight can mean “missing much-needed nutrition at a time when teens have a high need for calories and nutrients for growth and development.” Triggering an eating disorder isn’t the only unintended impact of nutrition lessons. The textbook picture of a “healthy” food simply isn’t the same for every child.
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