To Eat or Not to Eat?

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Imagine finding your sister passed out on the floor. Imagine being told that your sister was going to be sent away to a “special hospital.” Imagine missing your sister so much that you didn’t want to wake up on your own birthday. This is what happened to eight year old Emily Moore. It is estimated that a whopping eight million Americans have an eating disorder- seven million women and one million men (Stern). An eating disorder is an obsession with food and weight that harms the person’s well being (Ciotola). Eating disorders aren’t just going on a diet and losing a few pounds, it’s an illness. Some of the most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. A solution to eating disorders is to educate students about eating disorders and about the importance of taking good care of yourself. Eating disorders are a problem because people can die from them. They affect the person both physically and mentally and recovery takes a long time. In fact, a study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that only thirty to forty percent of anorexics ever fully recover (Levine and Maine). A person that has an eating disorder sees themselves as overweight, even if they are just skin and bones. Eating disorders affect mainly adolescents. Ninety five percent of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25 (Stern). Fifty percent of girls between the ages of 11 and 13 see themselves as overweight (Levine and Maine). Anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents (Ciotola). The first step to take is to teach kids all about eating disorders. Education, knowledge, and consequences are key to understanding this illness. Eating disorders can oft... ... middle of paper ... ...me=bela83282&version=1.0>. 3. Sohn, Emily. "Anorexia May Have a Biological Basis." At Issue: Anorexia. Ed. Karen F. Balkin. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Harford Technical High School - MD. 25 Mar. 2010 . 4. Stern, Leonard. "Society's Unhealthy Obsession with Thinness." Contemporary Issues Companion: Eating Disorders. Ed. Shasta Gaughen. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Harford Technical High School - MD. 25 Mar. 2010 .

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