Teens may Resort to Unhealthy Eating If Parents Talk Weight Issues With Them

A new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics warns that parents should be careful in how their approach their teenage children when talking about weight control. Researchers at University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis said that a wrong approach could push the children towards wacky diets, binge eating and poor dietary habits.

The researchers added that linking weight control to appearance or size tended to push the children towards unhealthy dietary habits that fluctuates from binge eating to extreme dieting. Instead parents should talk about the benefits of healthy eating and how it can prevent various diseases.

“An example of a [productive] conversation would be, 'Eating fruits and vegetables will make your body healthy and strong,' as opposed to 'Eat your fruits and vegetables because you need to lose some weight”, lead researcher Jerica Berge said.



Source-Medindia