Study Shows Teen Eating Disorders Linked To Mother’s Diet

A recent study has shown a link between teen eating disorders and their mother’s diet. Teenagers learn at an early age about food from their primary care taker – their mother. Even if the mother is not always watching what she eats and or dieting but has “issues” with certain foods, the child sees this behavior and her/his mothers reaction to food. Children also learn that what foods are healthy and “forbidden” and as they grow up the often times this learned behavior becomes distorted and can easily develop into eating issue which almost always lead to an eating disorder if it is not caught in time.

The Mother’s Role & The Study

During a survey one out of five teenage girls said they have been criticized for their weight, the food they eat and the amount of food they consume. In another study one out of three teenage girls said that their mother’s often complained about their own weight issue even when they did not have one. This behavior only encourages teenagers to evaluate their own eating habits.

Conclusion

Often times mothers do not realize how important their opinion of themselves are when talking about or displaying negative behavior in front of their children. This can lead the children down a dangerous path.

Source: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/136960/Teen-eating-disorders-linked-to-mums-diets