Parents' Guide to

Starving Secrets with Tracey Gold

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Eating disorder docuseries is informative and supportive.

TV Lifetime Television Reality TV 2011
Starving Secrets with Tracey Gold Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 2 parent reviews

RachelB
RachelB Adult
January 7, 2012
age 18+

Good show but not for kids

This is a good show for understanding eating disorders, but not for kids. It could potentially teach them how to have an eating disorder.
Stopthemadness
Stopthemadness Adult
November 30, 2011
age 13+

A View of Eating Disorders that is unexpectedly realistic for reality TV

Intense and scary - but paints a picture of a disease that's moving and thoughtful

This title has:

Great messages
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

STARVING SECRETS WITH TRACEY GOLD features people who are suffering from eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Actress Tracey Gold, who has successfully battled these diseases, reaches out to others who are battling their own disorders in hopes of getting them the help they need. Cameras follow as individuals binge, purge, over exercise, and engage in other behaviors that are a result of their eating disorder. With Gold's help, they enter treatment and continue their difficult journey towards overcoming their illness one step at a time. Throughout it all, Gold, specialists, and those in the grips of their disease offer some insight into what living with an eating disorder is like, and shed light on the physical and emotional impact of the disease. At the end of each episode, viewers get to see how the recovery process is going for the people who entered treatment.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (1 ):

The series takes a troubling look at how eating disorders, which affect approximately 25 million Americans from every walk of life, manifest themselves in different ways. It highlights the various triggers that can lead to life-threatening behaviors like consistent fasting, over-exercising, and binging. It also underscores how difficult the process of recovery is, and how insurance companies can fail patients who desperately need help and/or relapse.

It has lots of voyeuristically uncomfortable moments, especially when sufferers of the disease begin to purge or openly resist treatment as a way of coping with their pain. But it is also designed to take a quick, supportive look at these experiences so that viewers unfamiliar with eating disorders can learn something from them. Others may find themselves thinking about their own relationship with food, exercise, and their bodies.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the media contributes to kids' and teens' sense of a healthy body image. How much influence do you think magazines, movies, and celebrities have on how teens view their bodies? What kinds of stereotypical images of so-called healthy bodies does the media perpetuate?

  • What does this show teach about eating disorders that you didn't already know? Does someone have to be extremely skinny to have an eating disorder? How can we recognize the symptoms? If you think that you or someone you know are struggling with an eating disorder, who can you turn to for help?

  • Why do you think people agree to be on this show? What do they stand to gain or lose?

TV Details

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