Table Of ContentWeight Matters
for Young People
A complete guide to weight,
eating and fitness
Rachel Pryke
General Practitioner
Member, Worcestershire Obesity Reduction and Prevention Strategy Group
Foreword by
Ann McPherson
General Practitioner
Chair of the Adolescent Task Force, RCGP
Boca Raton London New York
CRC Press is an imprint of the
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First published 2006 by Radcliffe Publishing
Published 2018 by CRC Press
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© 2006 Rachel Pryke
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ISBN-13: 978-1-85775-772-9 (pbk)
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Contents
Foreword v
Preface vi
About the author vii
Acknowledgements viii
Section 1: Looking at things from a young person's viewpoint 1
1 Does weight really matter to young people? 3
2 Testing times 19
3 Parents are no longer in charge of teenage decisions 33
4 The role of the food industry and government policy 43
Section 2: Nutrition 55
5 Nutritional basics for young people 57
6 The Top Teen Health Plan family guide 83
7 The Food Frequency Framework 97
8 Overcoming teenage inertia 111
Section 3: Weight and eating problems 117
9 All about'diets' 119
10 Eating disorders 135
Anorexia nervosa 135
Bulimia and binge-eating disorder 145
11 An A to Z of conditions that affect weight and eating in young
people 149
Abdominal pain 149
Abdominal migraine 150
Colic 150
Urine infection 150
Acne 151
Allergies to food 152
Egg allergy 153
Peanut allergy 153
Anorexia or loss of appetite 155
Appendicitis 155
Coeliac disease 156
Constipation 157
Contraception 157
Depression 160
Diabetes 163
Diarrhoea and gastroenteritis 166
Inflammatory conditions of the gut 166
Irritable bowel syndrome 166
iii
iv Contents
Polycystic ovary syndrome 167
Premenstrual syndrome 169
Teenage pregnancy and nutrition 170
Thyroid disorders 171
Tooth decay 171
► ►The Top Teen Health Plan^^ 173
Appendix 1: Height and weight charts showing normal growth 191
Appendix 2: Useful resources 199
Index 207
Foreword
This book is very timely as 'obesity' is now seen as the new plague. Dieting is the
new cure all, with tomes high on the best seller lists, promising instant and totally
unproven success: teenage magazines focus on slim models, encouraging eating
disorders and obsession about unfulfilled weight reduction.
It is therefore refreshing to read a book that not only deals with diet, healthy
eating, exercise and weight - but actually sees these from a young person's
perspective. It does not preach; it does not victim blame; it does not claim to have
all the answers.
Instead it looks objectively at the different cogs that make up the fat of the
subject - including the food industry, the way that we eat, the way we buy our
food, the way that food is advertised, and the different social and financial
pressures on young people and their parents.
It puts weight in perspective in terms of 'real life' and takes the broader view. It
deals with the myths and even if it doesn't have all the answers, it is an excellent
basis for asking the questions.
I learnt a great deal reading it, and this book will certainly help me when
answering the many difficult questions on 'diet and weight' that I am emailed on
www.teenagehealthfreak.org, as well as giving food for thought when I am
consulting with young people in the surgery.
Ann McPherson cbe, mbbs, frcgp, frcp
General Practitioner
Chair of the Adolescent Task Force, Royal College of General Practitioners
January 2006
v
Preface
Many people, from parents, health workers to young people themselves, care
about the health and lifestyle of today's youngsters. Weight Matters for Young People
applies to all, because whilst teenagers are in the process of becoming independ
ent and making up their own minds, their family will still have some influence
over lifestyle issues. This practical book contains safe, evidence-based nutritional
information plus the answers to common weight-related queries and plenty of
further resources.
It is not simply obesity that is on everyone's mind - more families fear eating
disorders than the misery of being overweight, not to mention anxieties over
additives, confusion over hard-sell advertising and bewilderment at the national
obsession with dieting. This book looks at the full spectrum and, above all, tackles
the common underlying thread - self-esteem - because if this is missing, any
nutritional advice will seem useless and unworkable. People look after the things
they value, so the best start is to value oneself.
It begins with all the things that influence how young people make choices,
and includes tips on wising up to the persuasive tactics used by the food industry.
It then looks at practical nutrition: the Food Frequency Framework solves family
meal dilemmas, whilst the Safe Dieting Assessment Guide looks at all the
common dieting regimes to see which are safe or worthwhile. There is a chapter
on eating disorders as well as an A to Z of common weight-related conditions.
Finally, the Top Teen Health Plan shows young people how to assess the strengths
and weaknesses of their current lifestyle, with practical advice on adopting
change.
All the nutritional information is consistent with highly respected sources,
including the British Heart Foundation, the Food Standards Agency, the Food
Commission and the World Health Organization. Additionally, this book contains
the essential psychology that lies behind putting this advice successfully into
practice.
Weight Matters for Young People is a complete reference book that can put young
people confidently in charge of their own health.
Rachel Pryke
January 2006
VI
About the author
Rachel Pryke mbbs, mrcgp trained at King's College Hospital, London. She is
now a GP in Worcestershire with particular interests in family medicine, women's
health and weight management. She is a regular contributor to medical
magazines and writes on a wide variety of topics.
In Weight Matters for Young People she has combined the most up-to-date
evidence and advice on adolescent nutrition and psychology with the practical
knowledge that comes from being both a practising doctor and a parent.
Rachel comes from a medical and musical family and is married to a GP. They
have three boys plus a naughty shoe-stealing dog called Tiffin.
vii
Acknowledgements
My sincere thanks go to my family and many friends who have tolerated my one-
track conversation and interest in recent months. In particular, my parents,
husband and children have been unwavering in their support.
Thank you to Jane Deville-Almond for her infectious enthusiasm, to Helen
Mercer for her trusted nutritional advice and to Sally and Lyndon Simkin for
allowing me to mix business with pleasure. Their help has again been crucial.
The input from all the young people who helped with assessing the food diary
was most appreciated and I would like to thank, in particular, Charlotte Cameron
and Phoebe and Jacob Hugh for their ideas and help with the front cover. Deb
Hugh played a crucial role in developing the Top Teen Health Plan, thank you.
I am most grateful to John Short and to Tam Fry of the Child Growth
Foundation for their help with providing growth charts and I felt honoured
that Ann McPherson agreed to write the foreword, thank you.
Radcliffe Publishing have given me tremendous help, in particular Susan
Rabson for her regular tutorials on the publishing world and Jamie Etherington
for editing my writing.
My love goes to my brothers Nick and Tim for their friendship and, above all,
their inspiration. What luck to come from such a family.
viii
In honour and in loving memory of my lovely brother, Steve Hugh.
ix
