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While I was in graduate school for Nutrition I worked as a Child and Adolescent Health Coordinator for a major health system. It was a dream job in many ways, and taught me so much. I was in this position during the height of the “War on Childhood Obesity” and our team was on the front lines of a new iniative to provide BMI’s in public schools. We provided schools with scales and stadiometers, trained school nurses/staff, and sent home letters in the children’s bookbags notifying their parents of their child’s BMI, along with possible consequences of such. The goal was “noble”- help identify kids who were at risk of what many feared/assumed was a disease (Obesity) and help families connect into the health system to access resources for said disease.

I am embarrassed and deeply sorry for having been a part of that well meaning but deeply flawed and often harmful process. I give the above background to offer my apologies and to let people know I am not judging them if they have also been apart of similar processes AND know they can now be a part of the change. Some schools still participate in BMI programs, but the number seems to have decreased in this particular project. However, what seems to be increasing are the diet-rich, fat-phobic messages kids receive from what I assume are well meaning schools. I have spent over 10 years working with adolescents and their families who struggle with disordered eating, and have seen kids come in with growing fear foods that have lead to clinical symptoms of an eating disorder. For some kids it starts with a message in class that sugar is bad and the root cause of disease. Other clients have been in classes that required food tracking or were given mis-nutrition information and promoted diets that are not recommended for most of the population, but especially kids. While other patients are triggered by intense physical conditioning in front of their peers which leads to body hate, possibly body dysmorphia and disordered eating/exercising. I 100% know that schools are not the only place kids are getting these messages, but I do believe the classroom should be a safe place from them.

Children are concrete thinkers. They often believe what they are taught without challenge or exception and scary half truths about food and exercise can quickly become distorted beliefs in their minds. Schools can provide students with information that protect both their physical and mental health. When preparing lesson plan for nutrition and conditioning seek professional input on developmentally appropriate messages, assignments and policies. Look for reliable providers and organizations such as the Body Postive Fitness Aliance ,pediatric dietitian in your area, trained intuitive eating practicioners- intuitive eating directory , & rememeber, most health professionals are passionate about what they do and are often willing to come into the class as a guest speaker for these units.

Teachers and school staff, health care professionals and parents can all play a role in protecting kids from harmful messaging. Parents can create a neutral space at home to discuss food, nutrition and fitness. Diet culture is a breeding ground for eating disorders, and it is affecting our kids. A study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that 22% of children and adolescents showed signs of eating disorders. Signs could include a variety of things such as, fear of “bad” foods, restricting certain foods to lose weight or due to fear of health consequences, negative thoughts of body shape/size, and more. Create a safe space at home and encourage your kids to share what they are learning, even in classes like physical education and health.

Create a safe space by:

1. Avoiding labeling foods as good or bad
2. Encouraging kids to be intuitive eaters by paying attention to how food and exercise make their bodies feel
3. Practicing being non-reactive to information your children confide in you
4. Asking permission to share age appropriate scientific information on the subject, and if you don’t know the answer admit it and model how to find a reputable source to get the answer.
5. Recognizing your own bias and beliefs about food, body and exercise that may not be helpful for kids. Model a healthy relationship with your own body, food and exericse and if you are not there yet fake it until you make it, and work with health professionals to heal your own relationship with food and exercise.Finally, learn to advocate for your child when messages come from a teacher or the school. For example, if your student is required to track their food and calories for a class, ask the teacher if the student can do a similar project but around intuitive eating. Or, if the PE teacher asks students to track “healthy behaviors” including cutting out certain food groups you can let the teacher know this black and white thinking is concerning to you for your child, ask instead if they can track what movement activities are fun/feel good for their bodies, to track new foods they tried and if they liked them, etc. Have open conversations with teachers and administrators and provide resources on the subject from places like the American Academy of Pediatrics, scientific studies & the National Eating Disorder Association. Remember, we can only do better when we know better.