Icarus
Private Member
Posts: 2,572
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Post by Icarus on Feb 22, 2007 9:01:31 GMT -5
Family Meals Fight Eating Disorders! From: Denise Austin's Morning Stretch Newsletter
Want to help your children, especially daughters, avoid developing an eating disorder? A new study by researchers from the University of Minnesota says making time for regular, sit-down family meals may be the best prevention tactic.
They found that girls who ate with their family at least five times per week had a 75 percent less chance of turning to unhealthy behaviors like extreme dieting, purging, or abuse of diet pills to control their weight. Boys who ate with their families also had a reduced risk, although the effect was not as great.
The researchers speculated that family meals offered children a chance to learn healthy eating habits and helped parents keep an eye out for early signs of problems. Have trouble getting everyone together at supper? Try starting the tradition of family breakfast instead, they suggest. It didn't seem to matter what time the family meals occurred — just that they happened on a regular basis.
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