A difficulty encountered in discouraging the parents from feeding milk to the exclusion of other foods is dispelling the popular myth that milk is a ‘‘perfect food.’’ Many parents believe that milk is best for the infant and equate the weight gain with a “healthy child” and “good mothering.” The nurse can also stress that overwDiet education of teenagers is especially difficult, especially because teenage girls are particularly prone to following weight-reduction diets. Emphasizing the effect of anemia on appearance (pallor) and energy level (difficulty maintaining popular activities) may be useful. (See Mineral Imbalance, Chapter 11, and Table 11-2 for sources of iron-rich foods.eight is not synonymous with good health.