1. Nutrition
Lesson 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders

2. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
BIG IDEA
You can maintain a healthy weight by balancing the food you eat with physical activity.
Building Vocabulary
body image
The way you see your body
Extreme eating behavior that can lead to serious illness or even death
eating disorder
An eating disorder in which a person strongly fears gaining weight and starves herself or himself
anorexia nervosa
Lesson Home

3. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
BIG IDEA
You can maintain a healthy weight by balancing the food you eat with physical activity.
Building Vocabulary
An eating disorder in which a person repeatedly eats large amounts of food and then purges
bulimia nervosa
An eating disorder in which a person repeatedly eats too much food at one time
binge eating
More than 20 percent higher than what is appropriate for their height, age, and body frame
obese
Lesson Home

4. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
BIG IDEA
You can maintain a healthy weight by balancing the food you eat with physical activity.
Health eSpotlight Video
Watch the video and complete the questions.
Explain how you think your weight might affect your body image.
Describe how images in the media of models and athletes might affect your body image.
1. Answers will vary but should include that a person who is either too thin or too heavy may have a poor body image.
2. Suggested answer: Media images may show people with unusual body types. People with normal body types might feel bad about themselves because they don't match the ideal.
Lesson Home

5. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
BIG IDEA
You can maintain a healthy weight by balancing the food you eat with physical activity.
Study Organizer
Use the study organizer to take notes as you read the lesson.
Lesson Home

6. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
BIG IDEA
You can maintain a healthy weight by balancing the food you eat with physical activity.
Real-Life Issues
Your Health Inventory Open a new page in your online Notebook and add the title Body Image and Eating Disorders. For each statement in the Lesson Resources panel, record your response in your online Notebook. Response choices are “Yes,” “No,” and “Sometimes.” When you finish reading the lesson, check your responses. Would you change any responses?
1. I accept that bodies come in all shapes and sizes. 2. I understand that the models and athletes shown in magazines do not have common body types. 3. I avoid eating patterns that would make me dangerously underweight.
Lesson Home

7. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
BIG IDEA
You can maintain a healthy weight by balancing the food you eat with physical activity.
Body Image
People who have a poor body image may try to change their weight in extreme ways. This can damage their health and may even be life threatening
New Vocabulary
body image The way you see your body
Lesson Home

8. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
BIG IDEA
You can maintain a healthy weight by balancing the food you eat with physical activity.
Developing a Positive Body Image
To develop a positive body image, you need to:
Accept yourself as you are.
Focus on the things you like about yourself.
Maintain a healthy body by eating an appropriate amount of food and getting enough exercise.
Spend time with people who like you and appreciate you for yourself.
Show that you value yourself by taking good care of your body and mind.
Lesson Home

9. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
BIG IDEA
You can maintain a healthy weight by balancing the food you eat with physical activity.
Eating Disorders
A person with an unhealthy body image may be at risk of developing an eating disorder.
Eating disorders can affect anyone, but are more common to appear first during the teen years. Males and females can develop eating disorders.
A person with an eating disorder is not getting enough nutrients to help his or her body grow. Eating disorders are very dangerous, and can lead to death. Often, though, people with eating disorders may deny that they have a problem. If you think that someone you know has an eating disorder, discuss the problem with an adult whom you trust. You can also help by encouraging your friend to ask for help.
New Vocabulary
eating disorder Extreme eating behavior that can lead to serious illness or even death
Lesson Home

10. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
BIG IDEA
You can maintain a healthy weight by balancing the food you eat with physical activity.
Anorexia Nervosa
People with anorexia nervosa may feel a need to be very successful or be accepted by all people. They eat far fewer calories than they need to stay healthy. They may also exercise excessively.
People with anorexia nervosa can become dangerously underweight. Their bones may become thin and brittle from lack of calcium. Their blood pressure and body temperature may drop. If they do not get treatment, people with this disorder can literally starve to death. They may also die from heart failure, kidney failure, or other medical complications. In addition, the depression that often comes with anorexia may lead to thoughts of suicide.
New Vocabulary
anorexia nervosa An eating disorder in which a person strongly fears gaining weight and starves herself or himself
Lesson Home

11. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
BIG IDEA
You can maintain a healthy weight by balancing the food you eat with physical activity.
Bulimia Nervosa
People with bulimia nervosa purge food in several ways. One way is to vomit, or throw up. Another way is to use laxatives. People with this illness may have a normal weight, but still feel the need to go on an extreme diet.
Unlike anorexia, bulimia usually does not lead to extreme weight loss. Its signs are usually subtler. For instance, people with this disorder may often go to the bathroom after eating a large meal. While in the bathroom, they may run the water to cover the sound of vomiting. Another sign is swollen cheeks caused by vomiting.
Bulimia can damage the colon, liver, and kidneys. The coating on the teeth may wear off, because frequent vomiting exposes the teeth to the acids from the stomach’s contents. The linings of the stomach and esophagus can also be hurt. The body may become dehydrated, meaning it does not have the water levels it needs. Also, the heart may be harmed.
New Vocabulary
bulimia nervosa An eating disorder in which a person repeatedly eats large amounts of food and then purges
Lesson Home

12. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
BIG IDEA
You can maintain a healthy weight by balancing the food you eat with physical activity.
Binge Eating
People with binge eating disorder eat even when they are not hungry. Binge eating can lead a person to become obese.
New Vocabulary
They eat enough to make them feel physically uncomfortable. They may eat alone so that others do not see how much food they eat. They may hide food for the same reason. In some cases, binge eating may be an attempt to deal with depression.
binge eating An eating disorder in which a person repeatedly eats too much food at one time
New Vocabulary
obese More than 20 percent higher than what is appropriate for their height, age, and body frame
Lesson Home

13. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
BIG IDEA
You can maintain a healthy weight by balancing the food you eat with physical activity.
Males and Eating Disorders
Eating disorders may be less noticeable in males and more difficult to diagnose. However, they are just as harmful and require similar treatment.
Muscle dysmorphia can also affect anyone, but it is more common in males. During the teen years, a girl may mistakenly think she needs to lose weight. A boy the same age may see himself as being too small or not weighing enough. As a result, he may want to gain weight and add muscle. In addition to compulsive eating, this disorder often involves the use of steroids or other dangerous drugs in an effort to bulk up.
Lesson Home

14. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
BIG IDEA
You can maintain a healthy weight by balancing the food you eat with physical activity.
Treatment for Eating Disorders
Health care providers who work together to treat eating disorders include doctors, counselors, and nutritionists.
A hospital stay may be needed to treat serious physical problems or severe depression.
People with eating disorders often cannot admit that they have a problem. Family members and friends can help them to recognize the problem and seek treatment. If you are concerned that you or someone you know may have an eating disorder, talk to a trusted adult. A person with an eating disorder needs to get help right away. The sooner a person gets treatment, the better his or her chances of recovering.
Lesson Home

15. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
Lesson 4 Review
After You Read
Vocabulary What is another name for binge eating disorder?
compulsive overeating
Lesson Home

16. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
Lesson 4 Review
After You Read
List What are two health risks associated with anorexia nervosa?
Bones may become thin and brittle from lack of calcium; blood pressure and body temperature may drop; People with the disorder can literally starve themselves to death.
Lesson Home

17. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
Lesson 4 Review
After You Read
Explain How can friends and family members help a person with an eating disorder?
Family members and friends can help them to recognize the problem and seek treatment.
Lesson Home

18. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
Lesson 4 Review
Thinking Critically
Analyze How are the symptoms of anorexia nervosa similar to the symptoms of bulimia nervosa? How are they different?
Both disorders, when left untreated can cause health problems and possibly death; A person with anorexia nervosa experience severe weight loss, while a person with bulimia may look normal.
Lesson Home

19. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
Lesson 4 Review
Thinking Critically
Advocacy With a group, write and perform a short dramatic sketch about the body image and eating disorders. In it, show how negative body image and eating disorders are linked. Present your sketch for the class.
Sketches will vary, but students should demonstrate an understanding of the material covered within the lesson.
Lesson Home

20. Body Image and Eating Disorders
LESSON 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders
Lesson 4 Review
Applying Health Skills
Communication Skills Suppose you think a friend might have an eating disorder. Write that friend a letter giving her or him facts about the problem and suggesting that he or she get professional help.
Students’ letters will vary.
Lesson Home

21. Nutrition
END
Lesson 4
Body Image and Eating Disorders