Are you aware that the age of onset for an eating disorder is younger than ever?

You may be concerned with what you are eating and how you look in the mirror every once in awhile, but an eating disorder takes your perceived body image to an serious level.

An eating disorder is an illness that causes extreme changes in your everyday diet, such as eating small amounts, overeating or eliminating food altogether. It consumes you.

The age of onset used to be between the ages of 13 and 17; now it’s between nine and 12 years old.

What can you do as parents to prevent your child from developing an eating disorder or help your child if he or she has already succumbed to one?

Whether your child is an adolescent or under the age of 12, you are still the most influential people in your child's life. You lead by example. If you are hyper-focused on your own appearance, it’s likely your child will pick up on your behavior. If you’re counting calories but tell your daughter or son not to do that, what kind of message are you sending?

Our culture is obsessed with weight and diet, which leads to unhealthy behaviors. Suggested research shows that drastically cutting calorie intake and constantly dieting may backfire and cause you to overeat, leading to binge eating or other disordered eating patterns.

With all of this in mind, how can YOU effectively support a non-dieting approach to food?

Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Eating Disorder Specialist, Julie T. Anné, PhD, discusses the early onset of eating disorders in children and ways to teach your children how to have healthy relationships with food and themselves.