Chloe Lattanzi gives advice to those w/eating disorders

In the April 21, 2008 issue of People Magazine, recording artist and daughter of Olivia Newton-John, Chloe Lattanzi talks about her struggle with food and how she overcame it. Following is an excerpt of her advice:

Why do you think a person develops an eating disorder? Why does someone choose drugs? It's to find something that helps you escape. [Restricting food] helped me escape. It had nothing to do with food; there were deeper issues in my family I had buried. Don't take eating disorders at face value; there's true dysfunction going on.

So what should parents look out for? Just because you're skinny does not mean you have an eating disorder. The warning signs to look for are the arms--if someone is sick, her arms don't have that nice little coating of of feminine flesh. It's more behavioral things, though--they're really obsessive about things like food, and usually people with a problem will always prepare meals themselves. I think people who are perfectionists can develop issues like that.

What's the best way to help someone who has an eating disorder? It doesn't help to say, "We're scared for you. You're going to die." That just makes the eating disorder thrive, because fear is at the core of it. The more scared my parents got, the worse I got. It's key to let the person know that they're beautiful as they are. It helps to say, "You're strong. We believe in you."

What helped you through recovery? I was reading THE POWER OF NOW [by Eckhart Tolle]. I read I AM THAT [by Nisargadatta Maharaj'. I did a lot of journaling and took a lot of time to go deep within myself. I was medicating during that time too.

Are you afraid of relapses? No. My relationship with food is good now. But I don't like to eat in front of people. Every time I sit in front of someone with food I get anxiety. I feel like they're judging me. So i eat by myself--which I'd like to fix one day.

What's your diet like now? I'm very picky. I eat all organic vegetables, whole-grain bread--stuff that's amazing for you well-being. I value my body so much now, and I want to live a really long time.