It is no wonder that as many as 8 million US women suffer from eating disorders in the United States alone. Just sitting in front of the television for about five minutes or picking up any magazine on the newsstands will help to shed some light as to why. Just about every actress or model you see is flaunting her bony shoulders and spine protruding back in a skimpy dress while walking the red carpet and receiving accolades such as fame and fortune because of her supposed good looks. The media and society in general has adopted the mentality that thinner is better when it comes to the sexiness and beauty of women. This ideology is a scary thing and it is beginning to affect more and more young women in the US and abroad.

But some women don't fall into this trap at all and lead healthy, normal lives and have never succumbed to an eating disorder or had any trouble with self-esteem or body image at all. It seems that many of them share some common traits and in this article we want to take a moment and list four of the top ones so that others could work to follow their example and avoid the horror that is eating disorders.

1. Respect who you are - Respecting who you are and what you look like is incredibly important when it comes to avoiding eating disorders. We are all created differently and if you can embrace those differences and accept them, it is much more likely that you'll have a healthy and normal life.

2. Eat a healthy balanced diet - If you are used to a healthy and balanced diet and have been eating one throughout your life, then simply mimicking your food choices in the past as you move through life will help you avoid an eating disorder as well. Often times, eating disorders stem from drastic and sudden changes that we make with our diets to try to achieve fast and significant weight loss.

3. Find your talent and focus on it - It has been noted that women with talents such as playing sports or musical instruments are often much less likely to develop eating disorders. This can be because they have something else to focus their time and energies on rather than focusing them inward on themselves and how they look and feel about their bodies. It is important for young people to investigate the different activities that are available for them to take part in so that they may discover a talent of their own to spend their time with.

4. Look for and choose healthy role models - We often become what we emulate and this is a statement that holds incredibly true for young impressionable minds. Young women that think about and idolize TV and movie stars often emulate their activities and looks. This can make them more susceptible to developing unhealthy attitudes toward food and their ways in order to try to look like these famous starlets.




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