Holistic health expert Loree Taylor Jordan, CCH, ID, began a lifetime of yo-yo dieting at age 12. Her foray into extreme dieting included a near-starvation 30-day stretch of just water. Another one of her attempts to lose weight included injecting the urine of pregnant women into her buttocks, in the false belief it would work. Now the reformed dieter wants to inform children as they return to school this fall that they can only have a healthy body by first developing a healthy body image.

"Teen obesity is growing to alarming proportions today," notes Jordan, "but we don't want to force kids into feeling unreasonable pressures to conform and lose weight. We want them to first uncover the reasons they eat – the stress, the emotions, the poor eating skills – and to explore if a medical condition or genetic factor is playing a significant role as well."

Unfortunately, kids today are bombarded with so many unhealthy images, so it's not surprising they are struggling with weight control and body images. "On the one hand, Madison Avenue and the media conspire to force us into wanting to be unrealistically thin, causing eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia," says Jordan. "On the other hand, you are bombarded by images of food, advertised 24/7 to eat, drink, and consume junk food, leading people to crave what they don't even need."

Jordan gives today's parents and educators failing grades for the unhealthy state kids find themselves in. "We need an across-the-board intervention, early on, that teaches kids about their bodies and in developing a healthy and responsible image for themselves," says Jordan. "Society has already failed to avoid the current epidemic but we can do something so it won't spiral out of control."

Jordan is the author of Fat and Furious, a new book that emphasizes we should not succumb to pressures to be thin and tells us that should we seek a weight loss program, to do so responsibly. She warns educators and children to not:

-Let children do a fad diet just because they think they need to lose weight
-Permit children to consider going on a diet without first contacting a medical professional and getting tested for metabolic, thyroid, or insulin disorders that might inhibit their ability to lose weight
-Allow for them to eat whatever they want, when they want.
-Let them go on a diet without first consulting a nutritionist and learning the facts on how certain foods impact one's health and weight

Children face many pressures from their peers, the media, celebrities and others on how they should look. They also face many pressures to compete and perform in school. Jordan hopes that when children are educated on how to value food and see their bodies that there will be a decrease in the number of children falling victim to eating disorders or obesity.

"In the end," notes Jordan, "we must teach children to love themselves, and as a result they'll develop the confidence, attitude, and discipline to seek out a responsible weight control program."

Jordan recommends and encourages educators and parents to teach children the following concepts by the time they turn ten:

-Children should seek out healthy, intimate relationships with friends.
-They should be urged to ask for help and support when they need it.
-Make them aware that they alone can control their actions.
-Urge kids to maintain a realistic attitude and positive self-image.
-Get them a training or exercise buddy to help hold them accountable.

"When schools open their doors this fall, hopefully the old emphasis of eating less, exercising more and following the food pyramid won't be the only message kids receive," says Jordan. "We need to hear that one diet doesn't fit everyone, that one should only diet responsibly, and most of all, that you are loved and weight control begins when you love yourself."