After the pandemic, there had been a notable increase in the number of young adults who had to go to the emergency rooms.
The diagnosis found that they needed a hospital for their care because of their distorted relationship with the food they consume.
Many parents took out loans for bad credit no guarantor no fees unemployed to foot the hospital bill, but you can avoid bearing such hefty bills down the line by spreading awareness about eating disorders among your children.
An eating disorder is a condition that involves anxiety and irrational fear of gaining weight from food. However, the disorder is not just limited to this factor. In some cases, it involves binging on food without worrying about its impact on your health.
This is a common condition as one in five women, according to a survey, and one in seven men experience eating disorder symptoms by the age of 40, with 95% of the highest cases in adolescents.
Types of eating disorders
There are various types of eating disorders. Each one may have a different kind of disorder. For instance, some teens may restrict food in fear of gaining weight to the extent that they become malnourished, while others can keep binging.
Whether your children are eating too little or a large amount of food, they can become the victim of the eating disorder in both cases. Here are its types:
- Anorexia nervosa
It is an eating disorder associated with extreme fear of gaining weight by eating food. This kind of eating disorder is generally seen among girls. They see themselves as overweight despite maintaining a healthy weight.
This kind of disorder is further classified into two parts: the restrictive form is characterised by limiting food based on what and how much you should eat o regulate your weight. In the binge-purge type, you consume a lot of food but then quickly get rid of additional calories by excessive exercise. However, you choose what and how much you should eat under this type as well.
- Bulimia nervosa
This kind of eating disorder also involves binging and purging, but you do not limit what and how much you are to eat.
- Binge eating disorder
You keep binging and do not purge and restrict. You will likely put on too much weight. This is the most common disorder across the world.
- Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder
This kind of eating disorder is most common in childhood. You restrict food but not due to the fear of gaining weight. You may have to do so because some kind of food may exacerbate the symptoms of a prevailing medical condition or because they may find the smell and taste of some food very unpleasant. This kind of disorder may be characterised by picky eating that leads to malnutrition.
Myths debunked about eating disorder
Most of the people think that an eating disorder is just associated with being slim. However, the fact is that it can be found in people with healthy weight and overweight. Another thing that people do not know is that it is a mental health condition.
You often do not realise that it can affect your body’s functions, and it can be lethal. For instance, Anorexia nervosa is the most dangerous eating disorder because it can lead to death.
Tips to prevent eating disorders in teenagers
Here are the tips on how children can get rid of eating disorders:
- Do not make perception with a particular diet
It is crucial to understand that your body needs all types of nutrients, and hence you should have a balanced diet. Your health is more than the weight you have.
How about you are skinny, but your bones are rickety? Of course, you need to consume dairy products, eggs, and fatty fish to supply nutrients to your brain and bones. You will likely be malnourished if you choose what to eat based on the only weight factor.
- Improve your knowledge about eating disorder
As you know, there are various types of eating disorders. You should improve your knowledge about the associated symptoms. You will likely be able to understand you are suffering from a particular type of eating disorder and find out ways to get rid of it.
Increase your knowledge about food as it can help you stop being judgemental about food. Fatty fish is salubrious, for instance, when you eat a moderate amount.
- Avoid labelling food
Avoid labelling food as good or bad, safe or dangerous. It is vital to eat a balanced diet. If you excessively consume a particular type of food, it will cause several health problems, so make sure you eat everything.
Each food item offers different nutrients. Therefore it is crucial to have a balanced diet. Experts suggest enjoying all kinds of food in moderate amounts.
- Do not copy others
One of the most common reasons for falling prey to an eating disorder is that the lifestyle of others influences you. When you see a celebrity, you admire on TV with a skim body. You feel that you should try to have a body like theirs.
It is essential to understand that everyone has got a different body. If someone is thinner than another, it is because of their body type, not just because they restrict a lot of calories.
How parents can help their children to prevent an eating disorder
Parents can play an essential role in preventing their children from developing wrong eating habits. Here is how:
- Be a role model
Children learn a lot of things from their parents. You may not realise it, but your thoughts, attitude and perception about your body and weight can influence your children.
- Educate your children
If they do not bother to gain information about food and healthy weight, you should make an effort to improve their knowledge. Tell them how a balanced diet can contribute to their health.
Let them know walnuts are good for skin and brain, and carrots and tomatoes have antioxidant properties that are good for skin, eyes, heart and hair. Tell them the importance of exercise.
- Build your child’s self-esteem
It is a common practice among adolescents that they measure their health only with weight and start spending money on several treatments and supplements, claiming to lose pounds. They do not mind taking out tenant guarantor loans direct lenders to fund them.
Stop your children from doing so. Instead, try to build self-esteem. Let them know they are not just known or identified from their weight or appearance. Their good habits, intellectuals, and positive attitude also play a very important role when it comes to self-respect.
The bottom line
An eating disorder is a very common mental health condition that a large number of children are suffering from and do not know about. It can be stopped if parents help them improve their knowledge about food. Try to improve their self-esteem in them.
Consult a doctor if you need a particular treatment or medication to help your children get rid of it. Eating disorders can be dangerous, and their consequences will be seen in the long run. Therefore, it is crucial to have it treated before it is too late.
