1.) Examine the ways in which your beliefs and attitudes about your body and other's bodies. Educate your children about (A) the genetic differences in body types; and (B) the nature and ugliness of prejudice.
2.) Examine the dreams and goals of your children and other loved ones. Do you overemphasizing beauty and body size? Avoid conveying an attitude that says "I will like you more if you lose weight, don't eat so much, look more slender like the models in the ads, fit into smaller sizes of clothing, etc." Decide what you can do to stop teasing , criticism, blaming, staring... that will reinforce that the putting down of overweight people and the praise of slenderness.
3.) Learn more about and discuss with your children the dangers of trying to alter one's body shape throughout dieting, the value of moderate exercising toward cardiovascular fitness, and the importance of eating a variety of foods in well-balanced meals at least three times a day. Do not refer to foods as "good/safe/no-fat or low fat vs. bad/dangerous/fattening". Be their role model in sensible eating.
4.) Make your own commitment to exercise just for the joy of feeling good, not to purge fat from your body or to compensate for calories eaten.
5.) Make a commitment not to avoid activities such as swimming, sunbathing, dancing, etc. simply because they call attention to your weight or to your shape. Also, do not refuse to wear certain clothes that are uncomfortable or that you do not like, just because they do not draw attention to your weight or shape.
6.) Take people seriously for what they say, feel and do, not for how slender or how well they appear.
7.)Make a commitment to help children appreciate and resist the ways in which television, magazines, and other media can distort the true
Resource: "10 Things Parents Can Do To Help Prevent Eating Disorders" at http://members.aol.com/edapinc/10Things.html