Let's Go Local!

These days, all the rage for food is local, local, local!  Locally grown food, locally and organically sold meats and poulty, and locally brewed and fermented beers and wine.  So, what is the big deal about all this talk of local?  Are there any drawbacks to trying to purchase locally?  What are the immediate benefits for you?

What Does "Eating Local" Mean?
What a good question!  You can walk into a grocery store and look at a beautiful display of fresh produce that claims it was grown "locally".  When taking a closer look, the watermelons came from Florida, the oranges came from South Carolina, and the onions from Georgia.  Hmmm...not quite the definition I would call "local".  When asking farmers selling produce at the local farmers market, they have a very different meaning to the term "local" as well.  Most consider locally grown food to mean grown within the county or within a 25 to 50 mile radius of where the customer lives.  So, prior to snatching up the last 10 apples at your grocery store because the display claims they are grown locally, check to see where their definition of local resides.

What Are The Benefits?
There are literally countless reasons why buying local food is both rewarding and delicious, including improved health and nutrition, environmental stewardship, support for family farms, and ensuring animal welfare.  There is also peace of mind in knowing where your food is coming from, and knowing where your food was grown and raised.  The answers to those pesky questions of "what went into that loaf of bread?" and "How do we know those jalepenos are Salmonella-free?" can be very easily answered.

Another significant reason to buy local is to keep food miles to a minimum.  "Food miles" refer to the distance a food item travels from the farm to your home. The food miles for items in the grocery store are, on average, 27 times higher than the food miles for goods bought from local sources.  In the U.S., the average grocery store's produce travels nearly 1,500 miles between the farm where it was grown and your refrigerator.  Notably, nine percent of our red meat comes from foreign countries, some as far away as Australia and New Zealand.  Our food is trucked across the country, hauled in freighter ships over oceans, and flown around the world.   A tremendous amount of fossil fuel is burned to transport foods such long distances, releasing carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and other pollutants that contribute to global climate change, acid rain, smog and air and sea pollution.

Lastly, buying directly from the farmers can drastically increase the farmers income. The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardener's Association published a study that demonstrates what would happen if consumers shifted 1% of their purchasing power to buy locally grown products: farmers would see a gain of 5% in their income.  Even better, buying direct from a farmer sends 90% of those food dollars back to the farm.  Increasing farm income means more money can be spent locally by the farmer to run their business and home, helping keep the local economy alive.

What Are The Drawbacks?
The main reason consumers decide not to buy local foods is because of the cost.  Locally grown food is more expensive than most of the food that comes into your grocery store.  This is because your local farmers are smaller, usually family-run, and they do not have the streamlined production that the big grocery store suppliers have. You will have to pay more for their products, but you do get the satisfaction of knowing that you are supporting local business.

Another disadvantage of buying local food is that it tends to be less convenient. You may have to go to the farmers' market for your produce and meat, and then go to the regular neighborhood grocery store for your grains, cereals, and other products that are not available in local varieties.

Local food will obviously only consist of the things that can be grown locally. This means that in the middle of winter, you will not be able to get strawberries, nor will you have pumpkins to make a good pumpkin pie for Easter. You are limited to the produce that can be grown during the season, and in the winter, you will be forced to buy much more at the supermarket if you live in a cold area that cannot grow anything during the winter.

Lastly, if you are buying from a stand at the farmers market that claims to have organic fruit, there is really no way of knowing if this is true. This is because local farmers at small farms are often not certified or regulated. Chances are that they are telling the truth and their food is better than stuff that is shipped in, but you can never know for sure.

So, You've Weighed The Pros and Cons And Decided To Go Local!  What Are Your Options?
Start small and don't expect to change all your eating habits overnight.  Commit to purchasing one thing locally each week or each month.  Once you see how easy it is and you enjoy the great taste, you'll surely go back for more!

Community Supported Agriculture Programs (CSA's) provides a direct link between local farmers and consumers. Each season, members purchase a share of a farmer's crop before it's planted. This allows the farmer to pay for seed, water and equipment upfront, so s/he is less reliant on banks and loans. Each week during the harvest time, usually June through October, the farmer delivers great tasting, healthy food to the members at pre-determined locations. In some instances, members pick up their share directly from the farm.  It's a great way to try vegetables you might not normally eat—or might never have heard of! Most CSA programs provide vegetables and fruit, though many also offer meat, dairy, eggs and fish.  To find a CSA program in your area, visit the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.

Another great way to buy local is to shop at farmers' markets, where you can ask the farmer how the food was raised and produced.  If you can't find a farmers market in your area, start one yourself, or get a group of people together to help you!

Lastly, just grow your own food.  Whether it's a plot in your backyard or a small window herb garden, growing your own food is a richly rewarding experience. Many towns have gardening classes, but it's easy to simply buy some seeds and experiment. You might even consider raising your own chickens for meat or eggs.  If you live in an urban area and don't have land to plant on, you can often find community gardens that offer plots in exchange for some volunteer time. Visit the American Community Gardening Association for more information.

Good Luck and Let's Go Local!!

Its Not ME Making Me Fat...It's My Personality!!

In theory, losing weight should be easy. Take in less calories than you expel. It’s a simple mathematical equation. So why is it so difficult? It could be that it is embedded deep into the human psyche.

A growing body of research is finding interesting new connections between personality traits and habits that can lead to obesity. It is connected with the same parts of the brain that control emotions and stress response. In addition, the research has found early life experiences can set the stage for overeating years later.

The link between emotions, food and weight control seem to begin at a very early age. Toddlers who have a low quality emotional relationship with their mothers are twice as likely to be obese at age 15 as those who have closer bonds, according to a study of 977 children published in the journal Pediatrics this month.

Registered dietitians, nutritionists, and cognitive-behavior therapists have long warned against eating for emotional reasons and urged people who overeat to identify eating triggers. Untangling emotions about food can seem daunting, but some therapists say it can be very effective in the long run.

So what sort of personality traits seem to set people up for weight gain? Lets take a look:

The Night Owl

Unless they have the luxury of sleeping late, night owls are very often sleep deprived. Being sleep deprived decreases the levels of leptin, the hormone that signals fullness, and increases the levels of ghrelin, the hormone that fuels appetite, especially high for carbohydrate and high calorie foods. Even short-term sleep deprivation can make individuals process sugar as if they were diabetic. Night owls also tend to skip, or sleep through, breakfast, and snack far into the night. That can set up the stage for “night-eating syndrome”, which is when people consume a significant portion of their daily caloric intake after dinner.

The Fix? Start by foregoing caffeine after noon, keeping lights, TV and other electronics on low in the evening and scheduling appointments early in the day. Or declare the kitchen off limits after 9pm!

The Stress JunkiePeople who thrive on high-stress situations have more than drive running through their veins. Its mostly adrenaline and cortisol. Those stress hormones supply quick bursts of energy in fight-or-flight situations, but when the alarm is ongoing, they can cause health problems, including obesity. Cortisol stimulates a brain chemical called neuropeptide Y, which boosts carbohydrate cravings. It also makes the body churn out excess insulin and accumulate fat, particularly in the belly. People who are chronically stressed often use food for energy and comfort and rationalize that they’ve earned it.

The Fix? One of the best ways to burn excess cortisol is exercise. And almost anything that pampers, distracts, or relaxes you can serve as a reward.

The Mindless Multitasker

People who habitually work, read, drive, watch TV, or do anything while eating often consume more than they should. Anything that takes the focus off the food makes it more likely for people to overeat without knowing. Research shows that few people overeat because they are hungry, rather most people overeat because of a myriad of other subconscious cues, from family and friends to plates and packages.

The Fix? Keep track of everything you eat for several days, then make a commitment to only eat sitting down, and giving food your full attention. Eat slowly and put your fork down between bites. You will likely eat less without ever trying to diet.

The Giver

People who always put other people’s needs ahead of their own often become emotionally depleted and seek solace in eating. Food works as a solace because it’s close, it doesn’t require burdening others, and it signals comfort and love. But because it doesn’t really fill the emotional void that givers have, they keep eating more and more.  

The Fix? Set reasonable limits on your time and energy. Identify your frustrated yearnings and find new ways to take care of yourself. Venting unpleasant emotions (in a journal or mirror) will diffuse them faster than food.

The Perfectionist

Like Givers, most people who drive themselves to be perfect use food to relieve the pressure. And many set themselves up for failure with impossible weight and fitness goals. Bariatric surgeons say they see a high correlation between perfectionism and obesity; experts in eating disorders say perfectionism is often at the root of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulemia Nervosa. Many perfectionists also engage in “all-or-nothing” thinking that leads them to discouragement easily when dieting and seek solace in food again.

The Fix? Set realistic goals, and strive for progress, not perfectionism. Remember that many people are loved just as much for their flaws as for their best attributes.

Before you automatically blame your personality for packing on those extra pounds for you, take a look at the fixes provided above.  You can still be fit and healthy, even with a few personality quirks!

Color Your Plate Healthy!

A great way to make sure your getting a healthy plate of food is to check out how many different colors are present.  A bright, colorful plate of food usually means you have a wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables packed full of essential vitamins and minerals.  But did you also know that certain colors correspond with certain great health benefits as well?  Lets take a look at the color guide below:

Food Color Guide:
Green: Green produce indicates antioxidant potential and may help promote healthy vision and reduce cancer risks.

• Fruits include: avocado, apples, grapes, honeydew, kiwi, and lime.
• Vegetables include: artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, green peppers, and leafy greens such as spinach and kale.

Kale Krisp
6 cups fresh kale
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese

1.)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Wash and chop kale into bite-sized peices.
2.)  Spread chopped kale evenly onto baking sheet and drizzle on olive oil.  Bake for 10 minutes, checking every 2-3 minutes.
3.)  Sprinkle on paremsan cheese and put back in oven for 1 minute to melt cheese.

**1 Serving = 1 cup

Calories: 33 kcal
Carbohydrates: 7g
Protein: 2g
Fat: 4g

Orange and Deep Yellow: Orange and deep yellow fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that promote healthy vision and immunity and reduce the risk of some cancers.

• Fruits include: apricots, cantaloupe, grapefruit, mango, papaya, peach, and pineapple.
• Vegetables include: carrots, yellow pepper, yellow corn, and sweet potatoes.

Banana Nut Smoothie
2 bananas, ripe
2 cups pineapple juice
2 Tbsp Creamy peanut butter
2 tsp plain yogurt
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
6 ice cubes
nutmeg

1.)  Combine all ingredients, except nutmeg, in blender. Cover and run on high until smooth and well-blended. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

**1 serving = 1 cup

Calories: 177 kcal
Carbohydrates: 17g
Protein: 5g
Fat: 5g

Purple and Blue: Purple and blue options may have antioxidant and anti-aging benefits and may help with memory, urinary tract health and reduced cancer risks.

• Fruits include: blackberries, blueberries, plums, and raisins.
• Vegetables include: eggplant, purple cabbage, and purple-fleshed potato.

Roasted Eggplant Dip
1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound)
9 green onions (white portion only)
3 tablespoons reduced-fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons minced chives, divided
Pita breads (6 inches), cut into 6 wedges
Carrot sticks, optional

1.)  Pierce eggplant several times with a fork. Place eggplant and onions in a shallow foil-lined baking pan. Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Cool. Peel and cube the eggplant.
2.)  In a blender, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper, eggplant and onions. Cover and process until almost smooth. Add 2 tablespoons chives; cover and process until blended.
3.)  Transfer to a serving bowl; sprinkle with remaining chives. Serve with pita wedges and carrots if desired.

**1 serving = 1/4 cup dip with 6 pita chips

Calories: 158 kcal
Carbohydrates: 28g
Protein: 5g
Fat: 3g

Red: Red indicates produce that may help maintain a healthy heart, vision, immunity and may reduce cancer risks.

• Fruits include: cherries, cranberries, pomegranate, red/pink grapefruit, red grapes, and watermelon.
• Vegetables include: beets, red onions, red peppers, red potatoes, rhubarb, and tomatoes.

Louisiana Red Beans and Rice
4 1/3 cups water, divided
1 1/2 cups brown basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, or pink beans, rinsed
6 ounces sliced Canadian bacon, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery, plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped celery leaves
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, or cayenne pepper

1.)  Combine 3 1/3 cups water, rice and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low, cover and cook until all the water has been absorbed, about 45 minutes.
2.)  About 10 minutes before the rice is ready, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is lightly colored and tender, about 3 minutes.
3.)  Place 1 cup beans in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add the mashed and whole beans, the remaining 1 cup water, Canadian bacon, celery, celery leaves, bell pepper and ground chipotle (or cayenne) to taste to the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has thickened into a gravy and the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Serve in shallow bowls, spooned over the rice.

**1 Serving = 1 1/3 cup

Calories: 342 kcal
Carbohydrates: 57g
Protein: 17g
Fat: 5g

White, Tan and Brown: White, tan, and brown foods sometimes contain nutrients that may promote heart health and reduce cancer risks.

• Fruits include: banana, brown pear, dates, and white peaches.
• Vegetables include: cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, turnips, white‑fleshed potatoes, and white corn.

Marinated Mushrooms
1 pound small fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mustard

1.)  In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, uncovered, for 6 minutes, stirring once. Cool to room temperature. Transfer to a large bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight.

**1 Serving = 1/4 cup mushrooms

Calories:  69 kcal
Carbohydrates: 3g
Protein: 1g
Fat: 6g

Keep these guidelines in mind when your making your colorful plates of nutrient-dense foods!  Colorful plates of food are both beautiful and beneficial!

Failing Diets: New Research Can Explain Why

We all know eating foods high in fat can lead to so many health complications, from obesity to heart disease.  It has been drilled into our minds over and over again, and yet, somehow we don't want to give up those tantalizing treats.  But according to researchers at the University of Washington, a high fat diet can lead to one more scary ultimatum: brain damage.

Dr Michael Schwartz, a professor of medicine at the University of Washington, has lead a series of clinical studies in rodents and humans looking at the relationship between a high fat diet and the evidence of brain damage.  He is the senior author of a paper published Wednesday, January 4, 2011 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The study has shown that after eating a high-fat meal, evidence of brain injury begins to appear after only 24 hours.  If individuals keep eating those high-fat foods continuously, the area of the brain that regulates weight, the hypothalamus, will show evidence of serious inflammation and structural damage.  The researchers say they've found the very first evidence that "hypothalamic neuron injury" (basically, this means injury to hypothalamic nerves) is associated with obesity caused by a high-fat diet in humans.  But what does this injury mean?  What are the side effects?

First of all, let me repeat what I mentioned prior.  The hypothalamus regulates body weight.  This means injury to the hypothalamus could potentially cause an individual to be unable to internally regulate their own weight.  Every person is born with a genetic "set weight" that your body tries to maintain during the duration of your life.  This is why it is literally impossible for everyone to be the size of a fashion model, some people's set weights just won't allow them to be that skinny.  This inflammation that occurs in the hypothalamus disrupts that ability, so it is that much more difficult to get back to that set weight.

Obese individuals seem to be biologically defending their elevated body weight.  It seems that the injury that occurred in the hypothalamus not only causes them to be unable to regulate their genetic set weight, but that injury also proposes a new set weight, one that is elevated to be comparable to their obese nature.  It may help explain why dieting and exercise often lead right back to a higher weight for obese individuals.

The best diet is the one you don't know your on.  This research proves that eating a healthy diet and leading an active lifestyle can help you stay out of the yo-yo dieting spiral.  What can we do to make sure we don't get caught in the spiral?  Prevention, prevention, prevention!!!  Once you get to that obese point, it seems there is no bouncing back.

Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken
Try this lowfat and brain-boosting chicken recipe!

Makes 4 servings:

1 pound skinned and boned chicken breast halves (4 breast halves)
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
1/2 of an 8-ounce package reduced fat cream cheese
3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, divided
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Vegetable cooking spray
6 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1.)  Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

2.) Stir together cream cheese, two-thirds of minced garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over one side of each chicken breast, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Sprinkle 1/4 cup basil and Parmesan cheese evenly over breasts; roll up, jellyroll fashion, and secure with wooden picks, if necessary. Arrange in an 8-inch-square baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3.) Bake at 350° for 30 to 45 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes.

4.) Stir together chopped tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, remaining one-third minced garlic, and remaining 1/4 cup basil.

5.) Cut chicken into slices. Serve with tomato mixture.

Per Serving:
Calories = 284
Fat = 11g (Saturated fat = 5g)
Protein = 33g
Carbohydrate = 14g
 

For more information visit: 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017122171_brain30m.html

http://www.jci.org/articles/view/59660

Dying to be Thin

 

The friend who has lost over 20 pounds in the past month.  The mother who is criticizing her daughter about every empty calorie she eats.  The brother who obsesses over the scale for the wrestling team.  All these scenarios are more real and more prevalent than most people may think.  Most of you reading this probably know a person who suffers from an eating disorder.  The question is...are you catching the signs?  Or are you pushing the red flags under the rug?  Its easier to pretend it doesn't exist than to face it head-on.

Obsessions with body image are beginning at younger and younger ages every year.  The median age of onset for eating disorders across the population ranges from 18 to 21 years, depending on the condition, with the earliest onset at 10 years for anorexia nervosa and 15 years for other disorders.  Up to one in four 11-year olds has already tried to diet once.  Can you imagine your 5th grade daughter coming home from school and refusing to eat day after day because someone made fun of her for being fat?  That's the recipe for a parent's worst nightmare.

What Specifies an Eating Disorder?
Just because you see someone walking down the street who is extremely thin, does not necessarily automatically indicate that person suffers from an eating disorder.  According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV), the following are the specific criteria:

Anorexia Nervosa

• Exaggerated drive for thinness
• Refusal to maintain a body weight above the standard minimum (<85% of expected weight)
• Intense fear of becoming fat with self-worth based on weight or shape
• Evidence of an endocrine disorder

 Bulemia Nervosa

• Overwhelming urges to overeat and inappropriate compensatory behaviors or purging that follow the binge episodes 
• Similar to anorexia nervosa, individuals also display psychopathology, including fear of being overweight 

Although there is no perfect "concoction" of traits an individual has that causes an eating disorder to develop, there are some risk factors that have been identified as being common with the majority of individuals who suffer.  Some include: being female, family history, family influences, dieting, change/transitions in life, or emotional disorders.  Keep in mind, some individuals may have many or all of those risk factors and never develop an eating disorder, and some individuals may only have one risk factor and suffer from an eating disorder their entire life.  It is entirely subjective.

I know what most of us are thinking...how does anyone really get sucked into that black hole of a disease??  How would you not realize what that person was going through?  How are you not able to shake them until they start making some sort of sense?  Below is an exerpt written by an individual suffering from an eating disorder, it may shed some light into the dark corners of how an eating disorder thinks:

How It Feels...

Eating disorders are diseases of silence. We are all silently screaming for something: attention, love, help, escape or forgiveness. Although we might be looking to fill different voids, we never ask for the things we need. We feel unworthy, that for some reason we don't deserve them. So, we play the game of guess what I need from you. You're inability to guess just feeds our feelings of worthlessness.

When you finally realize there is a problem, it is much too late. We will now fight, lie, and cheat to hold on to the one thing that has given us support. You see the symptoms, weight loss, weight gain, or depression. You watch us starve, eat, purge, and isolate. You tell us to eat or not eat, to sleep or to get up and do something, you can't understand why we can't just get better.

If it were only that easy! Some of us have been living with this, like this, in this hell for half our lives or more. We honestly believe it is the thing holding us together. Even when all others see it as the thing that's making us crumble to pieces. It is not just a part of us, but it has become us. It is our identity and who are we without it? Many of us are afraid to find out. Fearing without it we are nothing.

It becomes our sole companion. It is the thing that makes us strong, so that we don't need, don't want and don't feel. It is our cape of invisibility. With it on you can not see us, you can not see our pain and shame, we begin to disappear. Slowly at first and then before you know it we are gone. Lost in a world of pain. Always fighting for control that we never seem to get.

In the beginning the control is easy and the high from it incredible. I can not eat for 4 days, I can exercise for 4 hours a day, or I can throw up everything I eat. I am in control. But somewhere along the road we lose that control and the eating disorder takes on a life of its own. We no longer control it. It controls us. We wake in the morning hearing it's voice and can't sleep at night because that voice is too loud.

We stop listening to anybody except our eating disorder. We believe we are fat, useless, unworthy, unlovable, and weak. We honestly believe that losing weight will on some level make things better. We wake up with thoughts of food; they consume us all day long, and often cause sleepless nights. It becomes all that matters. We listen to the voices that constantly tell us we are not good enough, thin enough, strong enough, a little more and then we can stop. But there's always a little more and it doesn't stop.

Although we say we hate the voices and the disorder. We don't hate it all. We love the high of seeing the number go down. We long for that empty, numb feeling that comes with starvation. We thrive on what begins as compliments and turns to worry about our weigh loss. Nothing gets rid of feelings the way throwing up does. The disorder is the thing that makes us feel strong and special, while at the same time letting us disappear and run away from life.

We will say we don't want your help. Sometimes because we are in denial and actually believe things are fine, sometimes we feel guilty receiving help, because we feel unworthy, and sometimes it has just gone on so long that we have given up hope and accepted that "I will live with this until it kills me".

When we say we don't want your help, those are the times we need it the most. We need you to stand up for us when we can barely stand, love us when we hate ourselves, hold our hope when we feel hopeless, and never give up on us, the way we give up our ourselves.

Wow...Scary Stuff, Right??

But if these individuals really don't want to change (as evidenced by the commentary above), or are trying to convince themselves that they don't, what can we actually do to help them?  Is there any hope? 

Prevention is the key word in this situation!  If there is a way to prevent the onset of an eating disorder prior to the disordered behavior and thinking, that makes all the difference!  Parents talking with young kids about the importance of nutrition AND modeling the good behavior, having topics relating to eating disorders in health classes in elementary schools, and being focused on prevention in the young girls in weight-related sports (i.e. ballet, gymnastics, and ice skating) should be stressed.  This may sound way too aggressive (why put thoughts into a child's head that weren't there before?) but it is essential.  Some specific steps to help prevention are:

1. Enlist your child's doctor for help. At well-child doctor visits, pediatricians may be in a good position to identify early indicators of an eating disorder and prevent the development of full-blown illness. 
2. Encourage healthy-eating habits. Family dining habits may also influence the relationships children develop with food. Eating meals together gives you an opportunity to teach children about the pitfalls of dieting, and encourage healthy eating.
3.  Keep an eye on computer use. Because there are numerous Web sites that promote anorexia (commonly called "pro-ana" sites) as a lifestyle choice rather than an eating disorder, it's important to monitor your child's computer use.
4. Cultivate and reinforce a healthy body image in your children, whatever their shape or size. Talk to children about their self-image and offer reassurance that body shapes can vary. Encourage your own children or family members to refrain from joking about other children or adults who are overweight or have a large body frame. 

 About 10-20% of individuals suffering from an eating disorder will never recover, and those who do will most likely relapse at some point in their life.  Unfortunately, around 5-10% of individuals will die.  Be proactive and a healthy role model for our young kids.  You might be their only hope.