Your Dieting Daughter

The extraordinary popularity of books like Mary Pipher's Reviving Ophelia signals an important movement in this country; the tales of adolescent girls struggling to grow up and contend with powerful cultural forces that shape their world strike a chord in America. Equally compelling are the struggles of parents trying to raise healthy daughters amid the bombardment of distorted societal icons and symbols of insidious influences on the self-esteem of young girls -- the link between body weight and personal worth. Your Dieting Daughter focuses on the essentials of nutrition, offering clear guidelines for healthy eating and dispelling many of the myths promoted by the diet industry. A concise and informative review of the most popular diet programs helps set the record straight on what's behind all of those promotional campaigns to which adolescent (and younger) girls are regularly exposed. The goal here is to help parents understand the kinds of pressure their daughters are under and to provide them with the necessary knowledge to work with their daughters, rather than against them, in forming a strong, positive, and clear sense of self. A specialist in the field of eating disorders for 17 years, Carolyn Costin also clarifies for parents how dieting can lead to the potentially fatal conditions of anorexia and bulimia nervosa. The exceptionally rich case material -- including excerpts from actual therapy sessions -- provides a window into the patients' world so that parents can better appreciate the depth of concern regarding body image and self-esteem. In addition, Your Dieting Daughter asks that parents look at their own values and beliefs related to food and body weight, so thatthey can begin to explore the inadvertent legacies they may be passing on to their children. An unusually helpful combination of sound nutrition advice and firsthand perspectives from dieting daughters -- and their parents -- highlight the well-rounded discussion of the issues and create a solid foundation for opening lines of communication and support by parents and professionals.