Especially when you consider that the aim of this treatment should be eventually letting these kids control their eating by themselves without starving themselves to death (which is pretty essential if you want to live like a normal person). One symptom of anorexia is the irrational fear of weight gain. The patient will be afraid of gaining weight even when they are eating half of what a normal person would eat, and letting go of this fear is important for recovery.
So what happens when these parents fool their children into thinking they've had x amount of calories when they've actually had the x amount plus half a liter of heavy cream? They're only throwing gasoline to the flames, because now their child can literally see with their own eyes how eating normal food will make you gain crazy amounts.
