In a scenario that is familiar to many parents, you go out of your way to provide healthy meals and encourage your kids to eat their leafy greens. But all they want to eat is pie, chips or pizza.

Of course you want to encourage your children to eat well. It sets them up for a lifetime of good health and helps them avoid obesity, which we know is a big issue in Australia.

Recent data shows one in four Australian children aged between two and 17 is overweight or obese. However, it is less well known that children who are overweight or obese are at higher of developing disordered eating and binge-eating behaviours.

Disordered eating is broad term used to describe restrictive dieting, compulsive eating or skipping meals. It can be an early warning sign of an eating disorder, such as anorexia #nervosa and bulimia nervosa, and has also been linked to a range of other health issues, such as obesity, depression and anxiety.

While people who are dieting are at increased risk of developing an eating disorder, Butterfly Foundation CEO Christine Morgan said it was too simplistic to say that dieting causes eating disorders.