"Mom, I'm going to try crack cocaine!"

Even baby rats know that dieting leads to bingeing - and that's the healthy response. If you don't correct under-nutrition, either your brain or some other part of your body is going to give.

And a growing child who doesn't get enough food and variety of foods is on a diet. A child who is active and not eating freely is on a diet. A child who says he or she wants to eat "healthy" and cut out food groups is on a diet.

We have to start treating the words "I'm thinking of going on a diet" with the same alarm and engagement as "Mom, I'm going to try crack cocaine."