Most people I talk to have heard of bulimia and anorexia. That’s a great thing, given eating disorder prevalence has doubled globally since 2000. What’s not so great is that many parents I talk to have only heard of the ‘top two’. On top of that, very few know that eating disorders don’t discriminate between […]
When I was growing up I heard the comments about my body. Legs up to my armpits. She could wear a paper bag and look great. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to look like that again. I also heard adults tell each other how amazing and healthy they looked because they’d lost weight. Well done! […]
When my first child was born, I promised her she was going to avoid all the body image issues I had. She was going to be slim and fit and eat healthy and everyone would know I was doing an amazing job. So I read everything I could get my hands on about kids’ healthy […]
Recently, after I spoke at a school, a mum came up to me with tears in her eyes and said: “Thank you so much. You’ve got no idea how important this talk is. My daughter is dying of anorexia and has been for months and this is the first time I’ve ever heard eating disorder […]
If you’re anything like me, you’ll have seen many an expert encouraging us to sit down to a family meal on a regular basis. It’s good, we’re told, in all sorts of ways. One particular report, for example, in the journal Pediatrics recently pointed out that routine family meals can even result in adolescents eating more fruits and […]
I have yet to speak at a Young People & Body Image event where I don’t get asked by at least a handful of parents: “What do I do about sugar?” I’m sure you know the themes… …my child is on the bigger end of the size bell curve, how do I stop them eating so […]
1. Eat as a family as often as you can. Try paying more attention to the quality of conversation and emotion at the table than the nutrient content of what’s eaten. It makes for a far happier (and healthier) dinner table. 2. Eat loads of variety. We demonstrate to our kids that all foods can […]
Listen up – Summers coming, which means, we’re going to start seeing the ‘beach body’ ads. You know the ones? The ones that make you feel a bit sh*t about yourself. And then depressed or fearful or anxious when you think about going to the beach… And then the need to cover up while your […]
A friend recently asked if I’d written anything on this topic because she had a friend who wanted answers. I liked the idea of spelling out everything I know about raising healthy kids without a messed up body image, regardless of their size. So here it is… A quick disclaimer. If you hope I’m […]
Recently, I talked at two schools to two bunches of incredible parents. After one of those talks a mum, with tears in her eyes, a shake in her hands and a wobble in her voice said: “Thank you so much. You’ve got no idea how important this talk is. My daughter is on the brink […]
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