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"We live in a culture that is obsessed with weight. As our waistlines grow, our dieting attempts become more severe, keeping us on a neverending cycle of fasting and binging. But a new study, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, adds another, scarier element to the scenario and that is the damage this is doing to our children. According to LiveScience.com, children younger than 12 who have entered the hospital for an eating disorder increased 119 percent between 1999 and 2006, accounting for more than 4 percent of all childhood hospitalizations. It is estimated that .5 percent of adolescent girls in the U.S. have anorexia nervosa and 1 to 2 percent meet the criteria for bulimia nervosa. Eating disorders in males is also up, representing 10 percent of all cases. What is it about our culture that is making it increasingly difficult for us to have a healthy attitude about food? Whether we are overweight or underweight, overeaters or suffering from an eating disorder, the real issue is Americans&amp;#039; toxic relationship with food. A person should not have to put so much thought and effort into it. Our bodies have tools to measure how much we need and send signals to our brains, and we are clearly overriding those signals. Tall or short, curvy or straight, Americans need to accept their bodies and learn how to eat and exercise in a balanced way, or we are going to raise generation after generation of children who are sick over food. To learn more about children and nutrition, read &amp;quot;14 Secrets to Better-Eating Kids.&amp;quot; - Alexandra Gekas, Associate Editor "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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