As the co-star of the 1980’s sitcom Growing Pains, Tracey Gold’s life was picture perfect on the surface. But by the show’s last season, she was battling anorexia under a bright media spotlight. Now she is coming forward with a fresh perspective on her experience and a newfound passion for helping others. Girls Inc. caught up with Tracey as she crossed the country on her book tour.

Tracey Gold looks serene on the cover of her book, Room to Grow: An Appetite for Life. Her photograph appears against the backdrop of much darker imagery - childlike drawings of girls with hollow eyes and twisted mouths that seem to float on cut out pictures of flowers and ice cream cones. As Tracey explains it, this collage is a mix of past, present and future. It is her message to the world that she is ready to put her best and healthiest face forward. "The pictures on the cover are drawings from journals that I made when I was sick," she says. "Back then, I was so afraid of being identified as the anorexia poster child. But once I accomplished more things in my life, I felt secure enough to embrace the notion that I could be the face of inspiration when it comes to anorexia."

Tracey believes that she would have developed an eating disorder even if she had never become an actress, but she does acknowledge that Hollywood serves up some very dangerous beauty ideals to impressionable young girls. "I think most producers are very skewed in their thinking about what is healthy and beautiful. Not everybody is a size zero. That’s what makes the world such an interesting place!" she exclaims. Room to Grow chronicles the days when she agonized over Growing Pains scripts that seemed to contain a fat joke about her character on every other page. For someone who was already suffering with low self-esteem, this intense scrutiny of her weight was incredibly damaging. In a few short years, Tracey went from being asked to lose a few pounds to being asked to leave the show and check into a hospital.

With the release of Room to Grow, Tracey Gold can finally tell her story in her words. So far, she’s been overwhelmed with the response from women who have flocked to her speaking engagements. "I don’t think this book is just for girls with anorexia. Every woman I talk to has had some issues with food, body or self-image," says Tracey. It is her hope that readers will find encouragement to seek help.

Unfortunately, even as the public’s awareness of eating disorders has grown, treatment still remains an obstacle for many who cannot afford it due to insufficient health insurance coverage. Tracey was fortunate enough to have the resources to pay for her treatment, but she worries about other girls who might not be so lucky. In fact, this issue has become such a problem that eating disorders advocates are pressing for changes at the federal level. Two new bills, the Eating Disorders Education and Prevention Act of 2003 and the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act, have been introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives. Tracey is championing these efforts. "There are so many girls who are slipping through the cracks. They even feel guilty about asking for help. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that," she relates.

It has been a long road to recovery for Tracey, but the rewards have been rich. Now a wife and mother, she is committed to educating other moms about the importance of instilling positive self-image in all children. Tracey’s mother struggled with food and weight issues, and she warns that even words that seem harmless can have a lasting impact. "I think a mother’s self-image directly affects what her daughter thinks of herself," she says. "If the words ‘fat’ and ‘diet’ are constantly bandied about, those words are going to become ingrained in a daughter’s brain. Parents need to keep the focus away from the body and focus more on the person inside." Tracey is thrilled to finally be in a place where she loves who she is on the inside. "Living life as a healthy, strong and thoughtful person is a lot more fulfilling than being sick."

Eating Disorders: A Family Issue. Learn about a grass roots network that is helping families who are dealing with eating disorders.

Read the Girls and Their Bodies Fact Sheet.

Meet Abby Solomon. She’s a former Girls Inc. National Scholar who helped a friend overcome an eating disorder.

Take Action! Get the facts about eating disorders advocacy.