It’s hard to decide which is more frightening--the “food” teenagers enjoy, or the things they say about their bodies. Whether it’s your son’s passion for chips and soda or your daughter’s announcement that she “feels fat,” kids’ attitude about how they look and what they should eat often seem devoid of common sense. In a world where television and school cafeterias push super-sized sandwiches while magazines feature pencil-thin models, many teens feel pressured to starve themselves and others eat way too much. Blending her experience as the mother of four with results from a survey of nearly 5,000 teens, Dr. Diane Neumark-Sztainer shows you how to respond constructively to “fat talk,” counteract negative media messages, and give your kids the straight story about nutrition and calories, the dangers of dieting, and eating right when they’re away from home. Full of examples illustrating the challenges teens face today, this upbeat and insightful book is packed with great ideas that will help kids everywhere feel better about their looks and make healthier choices about eating and exercise.
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"The pages of this book are packed with one good idea after another. In a scientifically sound and caring way, Dr. Neumark-Sztainer addresses topics that are central to the health and happiness of all girls and boys in their teenage years.”--Kelly D. Brownell, PhD, Director, Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders; author of Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry, America's Obesity Crisis, and What We Can Do About It
"Dr. Neumark-Sztainer is an internationally recognized expert on body image and eating problems in teenagers--and few scientists are able to communicate their insights in such a warm, understanding, and empowering manner. At every step, she offers realistic and thought-provoking suggestions for changes you can make to help enhance your teen's self-esteem and well-being."--Susan J. Paxton, PhD, School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Australia
"Dr. Neumark-Sztainer is a widely published researcher, a successful prevention specialist, and a gifted teacher. She is also a mother who has learned on the job how to strike a balance between active parenting, bite-your-tongue silence, and constant support for her children. This is an incredibly wise and helpful book for anyone struggling to give kids healthy messages about food, weight, shape, and exercise."--Michael P. Levine, PhD, Department of Psychology, Kenyon College; coeditor of Preventing Eating Disorders
"Dr. Neumark-Sztainer has integrated an impressive wealth of academic and practical knowledge into this comprehensive guide for parents. This is an exceptional and highly readable resource for dealing with the whole spectrum of eating and body shape preoccupation in teenagers. Suggestions for parents are sensible, doable, and grounded in current realities of family life. In an era of much confusion about body shape and weight, this book can serve as a powerful guide to raising children with a positive connection to healthy eating and their bodies."--Niva Piran, PhD, Counseling Psychology Program, University of Toronto, Canada
"For parents seeking to raise children who feel good about themselves and their bodies, this book is chock-full of helpful, practical information and insights. It will also be a valuable resource for health professionals and educators. Based on the research and wisdom of one of the country's leading adolescent nutrition experts, this book can help make a difference in the lives of teens and families."--Mary Story, PhD, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
"This remarkable 'how-to' guide can be characterized in one word: balance. Dr. Neumark-Sztainer balances practical advice for parents with scientific evidence to support it--and shows how to help teens take a more balanced approach to food and fitness. Delightfully clear, uplifting, and empowering."--Richard E. Kreipe, MD, Chief of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center
"It is too late to help my daughter, Anna, who died of an eating disorder at 21. I wish this book had been available when she was younger, because I might have been better equipped to help prevent her illness. I suggest all parents of teens read this book--the result would be far fewer teens suffering from weight-related problems."--Kitty Westin, President, The Anna Westin Foundation
"A tour de force. Neumark-Sztainer breaks down the latest academic research findings on teenage dieting, fitness, nutrition, and eating disorders in a way that parents can feel empowered to talk with their teens about weight and body image issues without alienating them. Her hands-on advice to parents of teens is extremely uplifting without being dogmatic. This book is a keeper; one of those core books on parenting that is destined to become a classic."--Sharlene Hesse-Biber, PhD, Department of Sociology, Boston College; author of Am I Thin Enough Yet?
"Dr. Neumark-Sztainer is an internationally recognized expert on body image and eating problems in teenagers--and few scientists are able to communicate their insights in such a warm, understanding, and empowering manner. At every step, she offers realistic and thought-provoking suggestions for changes you can make to help enhance your teen's self-esteem and well-being."--Susan J. Paxton, PhD, School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Australia
"Dr. Neumark-Sztainer is a widely published researcher, a successful prevention specialist, and a gifted teacher. She is also a mother who has learned on the job how to strike a balance between active parenting, bite-your-tongue silence, and constant support for her children. This is an incredibly wise and helpful book for anyone struggling to give kids healthy messages about food, weight, shape, and exercise."--Michael P. Levine, PhD, Department of Psychology, Kenyon College; coeditor of Preventing Eating Disorders
"Dr. Neumark-Sztainer has integrated an impressive wealth of academic and practical knowledge into this comprehensive guide for parents. This is an exceptional and highly readable resource for dealing with the whole spectrum of eating and body shape preoccupation in teenagers. Suggestions for parents are sensible, doable, and grounded in current realities of family life. In an era of much confusion about body shape and weight, this book can serve as a powerful guide to raising children with a positive connection to healthy eating and their bodies."--Niva Piran, PhD, Counseling Psychology Program, University of Toronto, Canada
"For parents seeking to raise children who feel good about themselves and their bodies, this book is chock-full of helpful, practical information and insights. It will also be a valuable resource for health professionals and educators. Based on the research and wisdom of one of the country's leading adolescent nutrition experts, this book can help make a difference in the lives of teens and families."--Mary Story, PhD, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
"This remarkable 'how-to' guide can be characterized in one word: balance. Dr. Neumark-Sztainer balances practical advice for parents with scientific evidence to support it--and shows how to help teens take a more balanced approach to food and fitness. Delightfully clear, uplifting, and empowering."--Richard E. Kreipe, MD, Chief of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center
"It is too late to help my daughter, Anna, who died of an eating disorder at 21. I wish this book had been available when she was younger, because I might have been better equipped to help prevent her illness. I suggest all parents of teens read this book--the result would be far fewer teens suffering from weight-related problems."--Kitty Westin, President, The Anna Westin Foundation
"A tour de force. Neumark-Sztainer breaks down the latest academic research findings on teenage dieting, fitness, nutrition, and eating disorders in a way that parents can feel empowered to talk with their teens about weight and body image issues without alienating them. Her hands-on advice to parents of teens is extremely uplifting without being dogmatic. This book is a keeper; one of those core books on parenting that is destined to become a classic."--Sharlene Hesse-Biber, PhD, Department of Sociology, Boston College; author of Am I Thin Enough Yet?
"The strong research basis of the book is impressive. Neumark-Sztainer brings the research findings and strategies to life with numerous examples and personal anecdotes from her own experience raising teenagers. The book is an interesting and easy read as the text is broken up by excerpts from researchers in the field, case examples, and text boxes containing specific strategies and tips for parents to try....This book is an excellent resource for parents looking for strategies on how to help their teenager (male or female) cope with eating or weight-related problems. It is relevant for all parents as it provides beneficial information for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and positive body image more generally."--Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Book Reviews
(Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Book Reviews 20050610)"The author packs the book with concrete, practical tips. However, she also takes care to avoid making parents feel overwhelmed....Neumark-Sztainer also encourages a flexible approach....This is an excellent book on an extremely important and timely topic, and a compassionate and practical guide for parents. I would highly recommend this book to any parent of children or teenagers, and I believe it could also be of interest to a range of health care professionals working with families who are seeking ways to improve their children's eating behaviors and physical activity."--The Academy for Eating Disorders Forum
(The Academy for Eating Disorders Forum 20050610)"In this thorough and sensible book, Neumark-Sztainer shows parents how to help their teens make wise food choices-now and in the future. With the blunt advice that one should never 'go on a diet,' the author stresses lifestyle changes, not quick fixes. Parents can be positive role models by providing healthy breakfasts and dinners, reducing kids' time watching TV images of thin people, and helping kids make wise choices of food on the go. Teens need to know (and they don't) what a portion is, what a calorie is, and why these are important. The approach here is practical and not authoritarian; the author knows it's difficult to ask teens to give up fries and large sodas; she knows families eat out, but it doesn't need to be a high-fat, high-calorie experience...Excellent..."--Library Journal
(Library Journal 20050610)"The book's overall message emphasizes size acceptance and self-acceptance. Whether one needs eating disorder support groups, centers, websites or other books, both the bibliography and resource section are thorough. It's a great resource."--Eating Disorders
(Eating Disorders 20050610)
About the Author
Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, is a researcher and professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, where she also serves as the principal investigator for Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), one of the largest and most comprehensive studies of adolescent eating behaviors to date. She has published over 150 scientific articles, book chapters, and educational programs on topics related to adolescent health and nutrition, with a particular focus on preventing eating disorders and obesity. Dr. Neumark-Sztainer is a sought-after speaker and lecturer who has been cited in The New York Times and USA Today, and has appeared on The Montel Williams Show.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Clad Winston
Format:Paperback
This book addresses the struggle in our society between the social pushes for weight loss, and the many driving forces backing our ever so evident obesity problem. The author writes in a casual manner displaying her experience as a mother herself, but supports her ideas well with research she has encountered on a professional front. Although the title is quite bold and may mislead some to believe the book to be a self-help guide to losing weight, it is not quite that, but rather on the contrary. The book interestingly explores the many apparent pulls in our surroundings encompassed by the broad topics of weight and self-image while not necessarily pushing for dieting as a means for dealing with weight issues. A must read for anyone interested in the prevalence of these topics and especially a good book for parents of teenagers.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By KLT
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Excellent book. My daughter had to do a project for school on eating disorders in teens. Quite frankly, I think she was a little "borderline eating disorder" herself. She took the quiz and it really opened her eyes. The book was informative and well written.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By CWard
Format:Paperback
This book is for anyone who realizes that you can not tell your teen what to do and not do. You can, however, inform and direct their understanding and awareness.
This book shows parents how to help their teens make healthy eating decisions contrary to what the advertising man would have them eat (or not eat!).
It is well presented, and offers a respectful way to help your teen.
This book shows parents how to help their teens make healthy eating decisions contrary to what the advertising man would have them eat (or not eat!).
It is well presented, and offers a respectful way to help your teen.
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 41
books:
See all 41 books this book cites
- The Teenage Body Book by Kathy McCoy on page 28, and Back Matter
- Abnormal Psychology by Davison in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Growing and Changing (Revised) by Kathy McCoy on page 28, and Back Matter
- Abnormal Psychology: AND Student Guide to WebCT by Gerald C. Davison in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Body Wars by Margo Maine Ph.D. on page 68, and Back Matter
See all 41 books this book cites
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