For the month of November, the Andreasen Center for Wellness hosted a series of Tuesday co-curricular classes at the Beijing Classroom about disordered eating and normal eating habits. The courses were led by Rachel Keele, Director of the Andreasen Center for Wellness and University Wellness, who also has personal experience with disordered eating. Director Keele “believe[s] that the relationship people have with food is far more important than the individual things they may or may not eat. Learning [how] disordered eating and normal eating look can be the first step in addressing that relationship and improving it.” The co-curricular courses were initiated to help students make that first step!
Elizabeth Dovich (junior, communication), who attended the disordered eating short courses, said she "really enjoyed" the series and learned "that eating shouldn't be a chore. While I should still make sure I'm eating good portions of the right food groups, I shouldn't stress about getting it right every time. I also liked how they showed that normal eating will have its ups and downs, and I shouldn't expect it to be perfect all the time."
Like Elizabeth, I also found these sessions useful as I tend to overeat when feeling stressed, or opt out from eating for a couple of days when extremely anxious. Even in my "normal" mood, I would doubt a lot about whether my diet or eating habits are truly normal and healthy or somewhat problematic. Knowing that both of them can affect not just my appetite, but also the development of serious diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems, or cancer in the long term, I saw the need to make an improvement, but did not know where to start. Nonetheless, listening to Director Keele's personal story, the tactics she used to help her stay on track with her eating, and going over the definitions and checklists of disordered eating and normal eating was helpful and practical to apply in my own life.
According to her presentation, disordered eating includes any type of eating that interferes with maintaining a healthy life, which includes physical, psychological, and social aspects. Disordered eating tends not to match our physiological needs, and can also come in different forms of eating. You might be eating too much, and other times, not enough. And once in a while is not a big problem, but if it happens on a regular basis, that could be a form of disordered eating. Regularly eating to relieve stress is also a form of disordered eating. Needless to say, eating that causes stress is disordered eating. Director Keele also stressed that it is important to note the difference between eating disorders and disordered eating. She said, “While an eating disorder is defined more by pathology and clinical dysfunction with some very specific and extreme behaviors, disordered eating consists of generalized, common behaviors that happen consistently.” That means this practice can be present in anyone’s life, even those we perceive fit and healthy. As Alex Hess (senior, English) has mentioned:
“I think that disordered eating is definitely something we should talk about more, but in more nuanced ways. In my personal experience, most of what I read and hear about disordered eating focuses on how social media and the beauty industry enforce toxic beauty standards on women and girls specifically. While this is extremely true and important to recognize, I think that we need to give equal attention to the rampant disordered eating within gym bro culture and sports. To truly dismantle disordered eating and to live healthier lives, we need to open our eyes to how some forms of disordered eating are pathologized while others are celebrated, and how it interacts with certain gender roles and stereotypes.”
Jaylene Koon (senior, nursing) also agreed that disordered eating is something everyone has to be educated about, especially due to social media. She said, “As a nursing student, it is important to be aware of the patient population we serve! Recent studies have shown that the continual rise of social media has been directly linked to the increase of disordered eating. Trends such as #WhatIEatInADay may have a negative influence on some young people’s perception of nutrition. In addition, disordered eating has been more normalized with the plethora of ‘weight loss diets’ and ‘guilt-free recipes.’ These alarming statistics have encouraged me to not only educate myself, but also to practice healthy eating habits so that I can provide resources to my future patients.”
So what is normal eating? From what I understood from the presentation, normal eating is a behavior that does not require much stress—you are not overthinking about your food, moralizing your food choices, or feeling guilty about not perfecting your choices. Instead, you would be taking in the food as a source of pleasure and energy, which would help you to feel and perform better (notice the word better, not best) throughout the day. And although food will help you feel better, it is essential to note that you are not reliant on your food to enhance your emotional state. Another important thing to remember is that although you are not overthinking your food choices during normal eating, you would still be mindful of several factors, such as your eating pace, the taste, and your feeling. Taking time while eating, processing the taste of the food, and being aware of your feelings or satiety is crucial.
If the description of normal eating sounds alien to you, try adopting these tips that Director Keele introduced during the session:
Identify what it would look like for you to eat “normally.” What would specific normal behaviors be that you don't currently practice?
1. Acknowledge what you will LOSE by taking this journey.
2. Select some small steps that will move you in the right direction. (ex. Eat slowly, record diet)
3. Enlist the help of family and friends.
4. Progress with patience, flexibility, and adaptability.
5. Don't select an end date. Build consistency over time, although there will be moments you will be on and off.
The National Eating Disorders Association also runs a website containing helpful information, screening tests, and a helpline (text and calls), so check the website out if you want access to additional resources. Another great news for the Andrews students is that telehealth provides free nutritionist counseling sessions. This means you can receive practical and personal approaches to your disordered eating from professionals! So, I encourage you to take full advantage of this opportunity, while applying the tips and advice listed above.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.