Food Wars:

In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition this year (2000:71:1054-10061) a study looked at mother’s who excessively controlled their young daughters’ food habits.

The 156 mother’s were asked about their own eating habits, and perceptions of their 5-year old daughter’s risk of being overweight.

Girls whose mothers’ excessively limited their diets ate more sweets and goodies than other girls their age even though they had just eaten a satisfying meal. This was seen in more than one experiment.

The greater the mother’s control the greater difficulty her daughter had at controlling her own eating habits.

As we have placed more and more importance on our exteriors and less on our interiors, our unchanging value of who we are in Christ has been lost. Unfortunately, our children have gotten the message loud and clear. Just 5 to 10 years ago anorexia and bulimia were unheard of in children under 10 years old. Now girls in kindergarten and 1^st grade worry about being "fat." We treat preschoolers for depression. These little ones self worth is tied to this external appearance.

The messages of "your value is as good as you look" are all over the place. In fact as I write this column, a plastic surgery center and finance office is advertising on the radio! "For as little as $38 a month you can have the body you deserve."

I plead every week for us parents to do things differently, but this week I speak with urgency. If you are a Christian parent, may the image you reflect to your child be that of our Lord’s, not the world’s.

You may ask how do I do that? Take time everyday to read ½ to a whole chapter from you Bible. The Gospels are a great place to start. Why? If your mind is full of His words of love, acceptance, forgiveness, healing, then you will be less likely to be overly critical of the gift of your life and body.

Also take time to ask the Lord to help you be more like Him everyday. Ask Him to help you love your children as He loves us. Ask Him ways to show this love. Why? Only with His help and ideas will you fill your children with the truth that they are His beloved children, created in His image – not the world’s.

If you take these 2 steps you will find you spend less time worry about your image because you like yourself a lot more. When this happens you won’t have to stringently control your eating habits because you naturally eat better and care for the gift of life He has given you. When this happens, your little ones who watch and listen to everything will hear loud and clear "you are valued because He loves you."

Contact Focus on the Family for names of ministries that help deal with eating disorders.