Don’t Put Your Child on a Diet!

If your child is overweight, I can almost guarantee that your pediatrician
will prescribe a diet—but as a parent and a physician, I urge you to question
this advice. In some cases there are valid medical reasons for children to follow
restricted food plans; for instance, a diabetic child needs to avoid excess
sweets and follow regular eating habits. But diets rarely lead to long-term
weight loss, as the research cited in this book makes clear, and they’re usually
even more harmful for children than for adults. Because children’s bodies
are still growing, strict diets can lead to early osteoporosis11 and stunt
growth.12 They can also precipitate depression,13 and very-low-calorie diets can
interfere with thinking and learning, especially if they reduce iron levels in
girls and cause anemia.14 Remember this key rule: in a growing child, weight
maintenance, not weight loss, is the goal.
Moreover, all eating disorders begin with dieting, and even moderate dieting—
the kind that most doctors mistakenly believe is safe—puts teens at
risk for dangerous eating disorders. A 1999 study found that girls who go on
severe diets are eighteen times more likely than other girls to develop anorexia
or bulimia and that even those who go on “sensible” diets are five times more
likely than nondieting girls to develop eating disorders.15 In addition to the
psychological damage done by these eating disorders, they often are deadly:
one recent study followed up anorexic patients and found that two decades
after diagnosis 16 percent of the patients had died from anorexia-related
causes.16 Children who become trapped in the diet mentality are also at riskfor taking up smoking or using illegal drugs in a desperate attempt to take
off pounds.
In short, diets probably won’t help your child lose weight, very possibly will
jeopardize his or her health (possibly for a lifetime), and will dramatically
increase the risk of deadly eating disorders—not to mention creating body
image problems and a warped relationship with food that can lead to lasting
psychological problems. So don’t ask your child’s physician for any type of diet
plan unless it’s medically necessary. Instead, request a thorough checkup to
spot any medical conditions that could contribute to your child’s excess
pounds. Also tell the pediatrician if your child shows signs of anxiety or
depression, which can lead to overeating. If the checkup reveals that your
child is healthy, I recommend following the advice in this chapter to help your
child become fit naturally and healthily.
One more thing: throw out your scales or keep them where your child
doesn’t have to face them every day. You’ll be able to tell if your child is gaining
or losing weight, simply by looking. Asking a child to weigh in every day,
or even once a week or once a month, places an unhealthy emphasis on
weight.
Note: If your child is significantly overweight, always consult with a medical
professional to determine the causes of this weight problem. A number
of medical disorders (see Step Six) can cause obesity, and some affect children
as well as adults. Also, if a doctor recommends dietary restrictions for valid
medical reasons, be sure to follow these restrictions.