Dr Anna Colton: How to talk to children about food, the impact of GLP-1 weight-loss jabs and helping teens navigate body image

This week’s guest is Dr Anna Colton, clinical psychologist and author of How to Talk to Children About Food. Anna has spent more than 20 years working with young people and families in eating disorder services, from outpatient settings to inpatient units supporting the most severe cases. In her book, she unpicks how the way we speak about food, dieting and bodies - often without even realising - shapes our children’s relationship with eating and with themselves.

We talk about the anxiety many of us carry around what our children eat, the pressure parents feel in the face of childhood obesity headlines, and why Anna believes we should be far more focused on protecting our children’s relationship with food than policing it.

We also discuss the rise of GLP-1 weight loss jabs and what their growing normalisation means for teenagers who are forming their own body image. Anna shares her concerns about the current lack of regulation, the seductive messaging around rapid weight loss, and how parents can approach the topic at home.

Anna and I also chat about: What a genuinely healthy family relationship with food looks like The “division of responsibility” and how to apply it without mealtimes becoming a battlefield Why food neutral language matters (and what to say when schools send home “healthy vs unhealthy” worksheets) How to respond when your teenager says they hate their body or want to go on a diet The impact of parents modelling dieting - including GLP-1 use Social media, “Skinny Tok” and building resilience in teenagers Why eating disorders - not occasional McDonald’s - are the real fear

You can find Dr Anna Colton on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drannacolton Her book How to Talk to Children About Food is available now from all major booksellers: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Talk-Children-About-Food/dp/1785120557

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Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

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