Is Your Child Feeding Off of Their Friends’ Eating Habits?

By Sarah Matheny on August 27th, 2009

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You’ve got another reason to size up your kids’ friends. Literally.

A new study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that your children are most likely influenced as to the type and amount of food they are eating based on the weight of their friends.

The study of kids ages 9 to 15 found that kids not only eat more when with friends, rather than strangers, but that specifically overweight children eat a LOT more and far less healthy when they are with overweight friends.

Peer influence has always been deemed a controlling factor when it comes to teen and pre-teen choices, whether the discussion surrounds underage drinking or teenage sex. However, this study is one of the first to link peer pressure to poor food choices. Unfortunately, the tone of the study sets up parents to discriminate against their children’s choice of friends based merely on body size.

Growing up, I had skinny and overweight friends. Of course my food choices were influenced by my friends. I had one friend whose mom took us to Dairy Queen constantly and, in the seventh grade, nearly every day there was a Blizzard after school. I also had a friend who was vegetarian and whom with I frequently ate veggie dogs or garden burgers. Back then, let’s just say I wasn’t soy much of a fan.

Based on the study, my parents may have chosen to encourage my relationship with my thin friend and discourage me from eating with my heavier pal. Had that been the case, though, I’d have gone through the drive thru a lot more frequently, and had a lot less practice choking down faux meat because my fast food loving friend was skinnier than Kelly Ripa in a bikini and my vegetarian friend had at least one of of Kim Kardashian’s assets.

Parents, and people in general, consequently shouldn’t assume to know a person’s eating habits based on his or her weight. Instead of asking what your child’s friend weighs, ask about their food choices, or better yet, raise your own child to make good, nutritious choices on their own. You never know the influence it just might have.