Home Economics with Ms. Ludlow - Grade 8 Home Economics



Unit I Eating Disorders

Fad Diets

Weight gain is a gradual process. Crash programs to lose weight are called fad diets. They are appealing because they promise quick weight loss with little or no effort by the dieter. They rarely keep the dieter motivated or slim for very long, and many diets do not work at all. Some are even dangerous to health.

Examples: Scaresdale Diet

Grapefruit Diet

Slimfast Diet

Good Diets:

A diet is good for you only if it helps you reach and maintain a sensible weight. Such a diet requires planning, sound nutrition, and sometimes professional guidance. It often requires a change in eating and living habits, as well. A good diet is really an eating plan.

A Good Diet Meets these Criteria:

1. Builds on principles of good nutrition

2. Matches the 4 food group guidelines.

3. Is not more than 1000 calories above or below your “Recommended Allowance”.

4. Offers appeal, good taste and variety

5. Allows flexibility and choices which match differences in physical, social, and psychological needs.

6. Matches food budget

7. Avoids gimmicks, such as one specific food, a reducing candy or non-food item.

8. Teaches new eating patterns and new ways to select and prepare food.

9. Offers a pattern of eating that can be followed for a lifetime.

Problems Associated with Poor Nutrition:

People come in all shapes and sizes. Bone sizes and shape are determined mostly by heredity.

**Maintaining a desirable weight mainly depends on what we eat and how much we exercise.

- Your ideal weight is the one that makes you feel good and look good.

- You can determine your ideal weight by using:

1) A height-weight table

2) The pinch test and

3) The mirror test

1. A Height-Weight Table

This gives weight ranges according to height. Weights are based on body frame size: small, medium or large.

2. The Pinch Test

This test measures the amount of fat stored below the skin.

- This test can be taken at several points on the body. The best spot is the triceps area (the triceps are muscles located in the back of the upper arm, midway between the shoulder and the elbow)

**To perform the pinch test, grasp a fold of skin between the thumb and the forefinger. For a person of normal weight one layer of fat and skin should measure between ½ to 1 inch. Body structure must be taken into account. But, if the skin measures more than the normal amount, it could be a sign of overweight.

3. The Mirror Test:

Appearance is also an indication of weight problems. Bulges and rolls of fat are signs of overweight. Protruding ribs, hip-bones, and other bones are signs of underweight.

Overweight and Obesity

Many people confuse the terms obesity and overweight.

Obesity is an excess accumulation of body fat. An obese person weighs at least 20% more than the desirable weight for his or her height.

Causes of Overweight

1. A few people are overweight because of medical problems.

2. Most people are overweight because they eat more than their bodies need and they do not get enough exercise.

Some of the reasons people overeat are as follows:

- Social & emotional reasons: society encourages eating

- strong emotions such as anger, frustration, depression, and even extreme happiness, cause overeating.

-others overeat because of habit.

Consequences of Overweight:

being overweight or obese can affect a person physically, psychologically, and socially.

1. Physical Consequences:

- excess weight is a physical burden

-excess weight leads to inactivity which contributes to poor health.

-diseases (heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension)

- surgery is harder to perform on overweight people.

-overweight people may die younger.

2. Psychological and Social Consequences:

-obese people may be ridiculed about being fat-causing them to be withdrawn from social activities and participating in physical activity.

-have a hard time finding clothes that fit.

-jobs they are offered may also be limited.

II - Underweight

Underweight means that some one is at least 10% below the desirable weight for his/her height.

A. Causes of Underweight:

The chief cause of underweight is improper calorie balance. Here, the body takes in fewer calories than it burns.

- physical problems ex: illness, infection, or stress may temporarily interfere with appetite.

- overactive -never stopping to rest and sometimes forgetting to eat.

- another cause is our culture’s obsession with the slender body.

B. Consequences of Underweight

- muscles may not develop, posture may be poor

- skinny people have only a thin layer of body fat, so they have less insulation to keep warm in cold weather.

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder which causes extreme underweight.

- victims of anorexia may lose 25% or more of their body weight.

- many victims of anorexia are females aged 12 to 22. Males may also be afflicted.

- Usually the victims are bright, accomplished young people who seem healthy.

- Anorexia Nervosa does have a common pattern. Victims seem to be obsessed with their weight. They may start dieting to lose a few kilograms. Once on a diet, however, they continue to lose weight.

- Because their self image is distorted, they are dissatisfied when they reach their ideal weight. No matter how skinny they become, they see themselves as fat.

***(Distorted Body Image)

- Food is another obsession. People with Anorexia have a normal appetite. But they manipulate their lives to avoid eating. They may prepare food for others, yet refuse to eat it themselves. Occasionally, they may eat a full meal but vomit it later.

- Anorexia is more than an extreme desire to be thin. The real illness is the way those people feel about themselves. Adolescent conflicts related to independence and physical maturity are common among anorexic people.

- Treatment for anorexia requires more than food. Counseling is generally needed to overcome emotional problems.

Anorexia Nervosa

Early Symptoms:

- Low self-esteem

- Misperception of hunger, fullness, and other bodily sensations

- Feelings of lack of control in life

- Distorted body image

- Overachiever

- Compliant

- Anxious

Middle Stage Symptoms:

- Menstrual cycle stops (amenorrhea) with extreme weight loss

- Increasing preoccupation with food and eating

- Isolates self from family and friends

- Perfectionist behavior

- Compulsive exercise

- Eats alone

- Fights with family

- Attempts to control family’s eating

- Increased amount of facial and body hair (Lanugo)

- Fatigue

- Decreased amount of scalp hair and thin, dry scalp.

Crucial Stage Symptoms:

- emaciated appearance (at least 25% loss of total body weight)

- feelings of control over body

- rigid

- depression and apathy

- fear of food and gaining weight

- malnutrition

- mood swings

- diminished capacity to think

- sensitivity to cold

- electrolyte imbalance (weakness)

- denial of problem (sees self as fat)

- joint pain

- sleep disturbance

What is Bulimia?

* Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by binging and purging.

* Binge eating is eating a large amount of food in a short period of time.

* Purging refers to trying to get rid of the food that has been eaten by vomiting or using laxatives or diuretics.

* People with this disorder may feel they are out of control during their eating binges. They are very concerned about their body weight and shape.

* They may try other ways to prevent weight gain including diet aids, strict diets, fasts or lots of exercise.

* People with Bulimia may plan eating binges. They will buy food to eat during the binge which is often sweet and high in calories. It may also be easy to eat quickly, without a lot of chewing i.e. ice cream.

Bulimia

Early Symptoms:

-low self-esteem

-feeling that self-worth is dependent on low weight.

-dependent on opposite sex for approval

-normal weight

-constant concern with weight and body image

-experimentation with vomiting, laxatives, diuretics.

-poor impulse control

-fear that binging and eating are getting out of control.

Middle Symptoms:

-embarrassment

-anxiety

-depression

-self-indulgent behavior

-eats alone

-preoccupied with eating and food

-tiredness, apathy, irritability

-gastrointestinal disorders

-anemia

-social isolation, distancing friends and family

-dishonesty, lying, stealing food or money

-tooth damage (gum disease)

-“chipmunk” (puffy) cheeks

-drug and alcohol abuse

-laxative and diuretic abuse

Crucial Stage Symptoms:

-mood swings

-chronic sore throat

-difficulty in breathing or swallowing

-general ill health, constant physical problems

-possible rupture of heart or esophagus

-dehydration

-irregular heart rhythms

-suicidal tendencies

Drugs and Eating Disorders

Laxatives seem to move food through the body more rapidly. They may relieve stomach bloating and pain after a binge. However, they don’t prevent the calories in food from being absorbed into the body. Any weight loss is due mostly to loss of water and minerals in the bowel movement and is temporary. THIS WEIGHT WILL BE GAINED BACK.

Some harmful effects of laxatives:

1) They upset the body’s mineral balance

2) They lead to dehydration (not enough H2O in the cells of the body.)

3) They damage the lining of the digestive tract.

4) They let the digestive tract get lazy; someone who uses laxatives regularly may become constipated without them.

Diuretics or water pills increase the amount of urine. This can cause sudden weight loss. But they can also cause dehydration. Diuretics are dangerous, because they can increase the loss of important minerals - calcium, potassium, magnesium and zinc- from the body. In a rebound effect, they can also cause the body to retain salt and water, making it more sensitive to diet changes.

Ipecac Syrup is taken to cause vomiting. It is used in an emergency to treat people who have swallowed poison. It has been linked to the deaths of several people with eating disorders. The active ingredient (emetine) can build up in body tissues and cause muscle or heart weakness. Ipecac is toxic (poisonous), whether taken in large amounts or small amounts that build up over time.

Diet Pills are often taken to help with weight loss. The best known pills are Dexedrine and Benzedrine. These require a prescription from a doctor.

➔Dexatrim, Dietac, and Contac are over-the-counter drugs available without a prescription. These drugs are also misused. They temporarily reduce the appetite. Usually, the appetite returns to normal after a week or two, and the lost weight is gained back. Then the user has the problem of trying to get off the drug without gaining more weight.

%%%% These drugs don’t really help people lose weight and keep it off. They can be dangerously addictive.

Recognition of Need for Help

(for both Anorexia and Bulimia

# acceptance of a psychiatric plan

# participation in a treatment plan that includes the family

# acceptance of illness

# resumption of normal self-control and normal eating

# diminished fears

# relief from guilt and depression

# achievement of personal goals in a wide range of activities

# new friends, new interests

# return of regular menstrual cycles

# acceptance of personal limitations

Review Questions:

1. What is a fad diet? Give examples.

2. A) What is a “good diet”?

B) List six (6) criteria (things) that a good diet meets.

3. List and explain three (3) tests that you can use to determine your ideal weight.

4. A) Define obesity.

B) List two (3) causes of overweight.

C) List three (3) reasons why people overeat.

D) List three (3) physical consequences of being overweight.

E) List two (2) psychological or social consequences of being overweight.

5. A) Define underweight.

B) List two (2) consequences of being underweight.

C) List three (3) causes of underweight.

6. Define Anorexia Nervosa, give symptoms and refer to any video or articles read /discussed in class.

7. A) What is Bulimia? Define it. Define binging and purging.

B) List five (5) symptoms of Bulimia.

8. List four (4) harmful effects of laxatives.

9. Define: Laxatives, Diuretics, Ipecac Syrup, and Diet Pills.

10. List and explain four (4) treatments of Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia .

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