Teenage life comes with its own share of problems and challenges – problems like peer pressure, love life problems, education, growth spurts, etc, problems that some may find quite difficult to deal with. Eating disorders among teens is therefore on a constant rise, as for many “eating” is a way to cope with stress. This brings us to the very basic question of our contemporary age – “Eating Disorders Among Teens – Is Fast Food The Real Culprit?”

To a great extent, the answer is “Yes”. Fast food is the real culprit that causes eating disorders in teens. Fast foods, most often than not, contain high fat, high calories and high sugar content and is nutritionally inadequate. At the same time, they are quick, easy and convenient to grab or consume, time saving and good to eat. This lethal combination is what makes fast food a growing craze among us, especially among teenagers who have their own busy schedules everyday. The absence of fresh fruits and vegetables in the fast food that we order make them all the more “non-nutritional”. At the same time, because they are nutritionally inadequate, you feel hungry frequently, which in turn, leads to over-eating, thereby causing a potential eating disorder.  

Thus, eating disorder and obesity are a few major concerns of modern age. The good news is, however, that eating disorder is just a “habit” and not a disease. Thus, like all other habits, this is controllable too. There are a few basic tips to control your eating disorder:

•    Ensure a balanced family diet that consists mostly of complex carbohydrates. Fresh fruits, vegetables, wholegrain breads and cereals are a must in almost all the meals of a healthy family.
•    Calorie intake is good for your body since it fuels high energy levels and growing bodies. However, it is important that you know where these calories come from. Not more than 30 percent of the calories should come from fat. Hence, ensure that your meals have less saturated fat, less of butter and cheese, less chocolates, ice creams, aerated drinks, desserts, etc.
•    Cultivate low-fat eating habits. Thus, serve cooked potatoes without butter. Go for the skimmed milk (1 percent milk) instead of the regular ones and so on.
•    Avoid fast food restaurants on all occasions. If it has to be a family outing or a family get-together, go to a proper restaurant that offers not only good food, but also lots of time to spend with your family and a good ambience.
•    Last but not the least, drink lots of water. A pre-meal water consumption is a long term control strategy. Research had proved that drinking water before a meal significantly reduces your energy intake by nearly 15 percent.

Thus, if you can consciously follow these basic rules, then eating disorders in teens can easily be controlled.

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