Food-focused families are a source of dysfunctional eating behavior, according to an article appearing this week in the Gloucester Times. Parents who constantly count calories and fat and exercise compulsively send kids the message that eating is bad. Equally unhealthy are families that use food as a reward or punishment, or to express love or provide consolation.

Families that struggle with other types of dysfunction can also encourage eating disorders. Those that are emotionally dysfunctional, particularly those that suppress feelings and forbid conflict, often have members that seek emotional nurturing and support through food. In families where sexual abuse has occurred, victims often develop eating disorders as a defense; they starve themselves to avoid weight gain associated with sexual maturity, or they overeat to put on protective layers of unattractive fat.

(Source: www.gloucestertimes.com)

Labels: eating disorder, family

Posted By: Aspen Education Group