I think it's possible the Psych Today article was walking on tiptoes around a child rearing scheme based on religious principles. There is a book called To Train Up a Child. "The book advises parents to use objects like a quarter-inch plumbing tube to spank children and "break their will". It also mentions withholding food and putting children under a cold garden hose"

Michael Pearl - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are other similar child-rearing schemes out there. There are a number of families in the area where I live who believe in this crap. They believe in it sincerely. Some of these parents have been prosecuted for child abuse. Most don't come to anyone's attention. These parents do not come across as monsters. They're friendly, keep orderly homes, are liked by their neighbors and seem to be devoted to their children.

The Psych Today article ends with this paragraph: It's easy to be angry at adults who harm children by limiting their diets, however beneficent their intentions may have been. Rather than being ineffectively angry, though, we would do better to be aware of food-withholding practices and be ready to "say something if we see something". Teachers and neighbors have been responsible in a number of cases for helping rescue children whom they saw eating from garbage cans.

That's the point. Keep your eyes open because some of these kids need rescuing from their sincere parents.