Maintaining a healthy body image is something many people struggle with and high school students are no exception.

Newport Beach-based clinical psychologist Lyndsay Elliott and registered dietician Evelyn Tribole spoke to Corona del Mar High School parents, students and teachers Wednesday night about issues related to food, nutrition and body image.

“You [parents] need to keep in mind what your child is exposed to,” Elliott said. “Even if you have infrequent moments with your child, they can still be very powerful.”

Parents were informed about nutrition issues in athletics, the signs of an eating disorder, eating issues among teen boys and girls and “fad dieting.” Elliott and Tribole said the most important thing parents can do for their children is to give them support and promote a healthy body image from a young age. That way, they’ll feel less compelled to alter their bodies as they grow older.

Some warning signs to look out for include when teens say things like, “I’m going to cut all carbs out of my diet,” or, “I’m just eating super healthy.” Those can all be signs of underlying body issues. They also warned parents with children participating in athletics to make sure the youths are getting enough to eat every day. If students are not eating enough to support their athletic activities, they can end up with bone density problems for the rest of their lives.

Elliott also told the audience that she has seen girls younger than 13 in her office that have been diagnosed with eating disorders, and Tribole said studies have shown that dieting in the teen-age years has been proven to increase the risk of weight gain, independent of genetics.

“We need to be focusing on health. Period. Not numbers,” Tribole said.