Eating Disorders

10 Pages 2483 Words

urvive the personal hell these women went through. The three biggest influences on young women are parents, schools, and the media. I focused my research and reflection on these areas.
Parents
Parents are the biggest influence on food and nutrition. The reason that so many kids are overweight is because they are not getting proper nutrition or information on portion sizes and fat. Being overweight is a huge “trigger” for eating disorders. So is feeling you need to be perfect to be loved. Many kids use the control an eating disorder provides because their parents have a chaotic relationship. A few believe that it is a way to get the love and attention they are missing. There is always a reason why the eating disorder started. It doesn’t just happen. Or does it?
Marya’s parents used food as a control and as a way to show the lack of nurturing in each other. Marya was the pawn and food was the control. Her food obsessions started out as an emotional cause. Each parent had special food items that only he/she could give to her and all were comfort foods. Her dad often was in charge of breakfast and after school snacks. Her mom was the queen of special treats, afternoon teas, and secret trips to Burger King. Marya stated that she never felt hungry for food, but rather that asking for treats would bring her the love she so badly needed. She would stay home often so she could be taken care of by her parents.
In the book Wasted Marya wrote about a study that is based on the assumption that there is a biological basis for eating disorders. A study was done with a group of healthy men whose daily caloric intake was cut to just less than 1000 calories a day. Soon the men began displaying behaviors typical of an eating disorder. They began to stash food, talk about food, chew gum and mints constantly, and what is really interesting is that they began to talk about their bodies, weight, and in turn began to diet. T...