Currently, the methods to lose weight and detoxify the body have gained a lot of popularity among adolescents and young adults who seek to lose weight quickly without considering the consequences that this may mean for their eating behavior and their health.
Some experts affirm that fasting can be a risky behavior, since it can tend young people to acquire deficient eating habits and favor the appearance of some disorders such as bulimia, and conditions such as being overweight or anorexia.
Now, this practice initially comes from religious traditions and/or personal beliefs, but for some time now, through social networks, it has been promoted as a miraculous diet method that apparently did not require expert supervision, the truth is that as adults and parents have a fundamental role in this case.
Social influence
Through electronic devices, minors are exposed to all kinds of information, whether useful or not. It is no secret to anyone that we are going through a global epidemic of obesity and other conditions related to food, so some organizations focused on nutrition have been creating strategies to deny miraculous diets that, beyond fulfilling their function of losing weight, they increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, developing different types of cancer, kidney problems, liver deficiencies, among others.
In addition to this, we also deal with the need of young people to spread an unreal image of their lives, their bodies and their thoughts, all this caused by unnecessary stereotypes in the society in which we live. This only increases the risk of triggering eating behaviors that can be harmful to health, such as the use of laxatives, restrictive diets and fasting without guidance, because losing weight is not about not eating, but about eating well.
Eating habits
The eating habits that are acquired during childhood are of vital importance, since they are the fundamental basis of eating behavior in adolescence and in adult life. As parents we have the work and the duty to provide support to our children in all the changes they decide to make and that involve their health.
In the event that it is necessary for the child to lose weight, the healthiest thing to do is consult with a nutritionist about the existing alternatives to achieve the ideal weight without compromising their physical and emotional health.
Consequences of bad fasting practices for young people
•There is no guarantee of permanent weight loss in the body
• Increases the risk of eating disorders
•Exposes young people to kidney, intestinal and cardiovascular disorders
•Contributes to weakness, excessive tiredness, lack of concentration
• Causes alterations in the female menstrual cycle
•Retards or stagnates growth
•Interferes with the proper function of the body’s organs
