Podcast Summary

Good Inside with Dr. Becky
Episode: When Food Feels Scary: Eating Disorders in Kids & Teens (Early Signs & What Helps)
Host: Dr. Becky Kennedy
Guest: Dr. Erin Parks (Clinical Psychologist, Eating Disorder Specialist)
Release Date: February 24, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode coincides with National Eating Disorders Awareness Week and delivers a compassionate, non-fear-based conversation about eating disorders and disordered eating in kids and teens. Dr. Becky Kennedy and Dr. Erin Parks—both professionals and people with personal experience—address the rising rates of food-related struggles, including “healthy” eating obsessions, and offer practical guidance for parents. The focus is on understanding underlying emotional experiences, recognizing early signs, and taking empowered, connected steps forward as parents.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Current Landscape: What Families Are Seeing

[03:11-04:07]

• Increase in both picky eating and eating disorders post-2020; “the rates… have been steady for about 100 years, and since 2020 have been going up, up and up.” (Dr. Parks, 03:41)
• Growing confusion for parents: Is “healthy” eating a positive or a sign of problematic control?
  • Kids mimicking diet culture, internalizing “good” vs. “bad” foods.
  • Social media and peer content fuel rigid ideas about eating.

2. Morality and Rules Around Food

[04:33-11:38]

• “Morality is often the thing we want to avoid… is it kale and spinach, or is it no carb…” (Dr. Becky, 04:33)
• When parents ask, “Should I be worried?”—almost always, the answer is yes.
  • “If your gut says something is off about food, we don’t listen to it right away… By the time I finally say it out loud… yes, you should be trusting your gut.” (Dr. Parks, 05:21)
• Healthy change adds variety and flexibility; restriction and rigidity are concerning.
• Parents are encouraged to talk about food rules often and with curiosity, not panic:
  • “I usually ask, well, tell me what that means. I’d love to help… why?” (Dr. Parks, 07:36)
• Family-specific beliefs (e.g., gluten-free) must be navigated without shaming or moralizing food for kids.
• Behaviors matter as much as words: Model flexibility and reflect on messages you communicate by action.
  • “They’re always observing, even when we think they aren’t.” (Dr. Parks, 11:56)

3. Control, Perfectionism, and Who Is At Risk

[12:58-16:41]

• Signs tied to eating disorders often overlap with anxiety, perfectionism, and rigidity.
• Notice “tunnel vision” kids—those who push past pain, skip meals to work, or over-exercise.
  • “If you take that tunnel vision and direct it towards changing your body… that’s exactly what I think is so hard as a parent.” (Dr. Parks, 14:06)
• Eating disorders are highly heritable, but not through specific genes—through brain-based traits like interoceptive awareness.

4. Gender, Secrecy, and Family Involvement

[16:41-25:11]

• 40% of people with eating disorders are male; boys may be missed because over-exercising is often praised.
• Eating disorders thrive in secrecy; by the time you think there’s a problem, there often is.
• Teens may resist parent involvement, but under their resistance is relief and a wish for support:
  • “I don’t want them to know how bad it is, and I don’t want them to worry.” (Dr. Parks, 24:11)
• Almost all recovered teens said they wished their parents had acted earlier.
• Key Principle: Long-term well-being over short-term ease—“I love you enough to make those types of decisions.” (Dr. Becky, 26:13)

5. What’s Underneath Disordered Eating Behaviors

[18:51-23:19]

• Eating disorders are about emotion regulation—coping with big emotions by restricting, binging, or purging.
  • For some, restricting offers a sense of calm or control; for others, behaviors like purging deliver emotional numbness.
  • “They really are about regulating emotions… they work until they don’t.” (Dr. Parks, 18:51)
• Direct confrontation (“Why are you doing that?”) is unhelpful; instead, get curious about “what purpose is this serving?”
• When the child can’t “pilot the food plane,” the parent must take over with love and structure.

6. Parenting Approaches: Boundaries, Repair, and Hope

[23:19-36:10]

• Setting boundaries is not done to the child, but for them and with them—recovery requires active parental involvement.
• When in crisis, pare back other family expectations, focus on the essentials.
• If you missed signs or feel guilt, practice self-compassion. The culture, not you alone, seeds these struggles.
  • “Calling it out is the best thing you can do for your whole family.” (Dr. Parks, 32:21)
• Powerful repair means admitting you missed something and shifting path: “There’s so many more years ahead than behind.” (Dr. Becky, 34:24)
• Encourage kids to accept body dissatisfaction as a passing feeling, not a central identity:
  • “The goal isn’t for our children to always like their bodies. Our goal is for our children to navigate the world and find joy more of the time than not.” (Dr. Parks, 37:12)

7. National Eating Disorder Awareness Week & Calls to Action

[37:44-39:41]

• Awareness week is crucial for expanding understanding: eating disorders can affect anyone—any gender, age, shape, or race.
• Early intervention is paramount—these disorders progress rapidly in kids (“No such thing as getting treatment too early.”)
• Parents should trust their instincts and ask direct questions, even if they fear the answer.
  • “Trust your gut. No one knows your kid as well as you.” (Dr. Parks, 39:28)

Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If your gut says something is off about food… By the time I finally say it out loud to someone, the answer is yes. Yes, you should be trusting your gut.”
  — Dr. Erin Parks [05:21]

• “Kids want to do the right thing. …The number one thing you need is calories. Period.”
  — Dr. Erin Parks [09:53]

• “They’re always observing, even when we think they aren’t.”
  — Dr. Erin Parks [11:56]

• “When the child can’t be the pilot of their food plane anymore, and they’re showing me that, I’m stepping in because I love you and I want to keep you safe.”
  — Dr. Becky Kennedy [23:30]

• “Almost all recovered teens said they wished their parents had acted earlier.”
  — Dr. Erin Parks [24:11]

• “Setting boundaries and assertion of what I think is parental authority without aggression is not something you do to your kid, it’s something you do for your kid.”
  — Dr. Becky Kennedy [30:49]

• “It is all within their control. They’ve got this. Bring in a village… Your child will get through this just like they get through anything else.”
  — Dr. Erin Parks [40:17]

Important Timestamps

• 03:11 — Dr. Parks describes increasing rates of picky eating and eating disorders
• 05:21 — Trusting parental gut about children’s eating changes
• 09:53 — Challenges of food morality in diet culture
• 14:06 — Signs of vulnerability: perfectionism, anxiety, interoceptive awareness
• 18:51 — Eating disorders as emotion regulation strategies
• 23:19 — The parent’s role: piloting the food plane
• 24:11 — Teens’ real feelings about parent involvement: relief and longing
• 26:13 — Long-term parenting over short-term comfort
• 32:21 — Self-kindness and modeling repair
• 37:12 — The real goal: joy and self-acceptance, not constant body positivity
• 39:28 — Call to trust your gut and act early

Closing Thoughts

Dr. Becky and Dr. Erin Parks deliver a powerful, grounded message: if you’re worried, you aren’t alone, and acting early is an act of love, not alarm. Eating disorders are not about food, but about regulating overwhelming emotions, and require both curiosity and parental authority. There is always an opportunity to repair—even if you’ve missed earlier signs—and you, as the parent, hold an essential role in your child’s road to health.