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As young people in the world today, we are so surrounded by images and concepts centered around the idea of striving to “be thin.” Ideal body size is equated with beauty, and the media has created such a narrow margin of body sizes and shapes which are considered to be normal or acceptable. Because of this, young women especially are always striving to obtain some particular body type by whatever means necessary. Even if this might mean doing so in an unhealthy way. With such an internalized standard of beauty in such formative years where every opinion but our own seems to be the end all be all, many women fall into habits of disordered eating in hopes of achieving this thinness that we are told implies beauty.

The National Eating Disorder Association predicts that nearly 30 million Americans suffer from some type of eating disorder, with about a third of these being women. Even more, eating disorders cause more deaths than any other mental illness. In cases where death is not the result, people can suffer from various other complications, including malnutrition, heart and kidney disease, osteoporosis, gastric rupture, and more. With an incident so prevalent and with such dire impacts, it becomes so urgent for us to pay attention to the signs of eating disorders not only in ourselves but those around us who might not even know that their behaviors are unhealthy. That being said, here are some common signs to look out for in yourself and others concerning your relationship with food and your body:

-Skipping meals often

-Eating alone or in secret

-Habitually making excuses for not eating

-Constant obsessiveness with talk of healthy food, exercise, weight, etc.

-Going to the bathroom during or after most meals

-Feelings of guilt, shame, or depression about eating

-Checking mirror extremely often and pointing out flaws

-Restricting various food groups

-Chronic dieting

-Labelling foods into categories of good and bad

If any of these symptoms sound like something you or someone you know might be experiencing, visit www.nationaleatingdisorders.org or call the helpline at (800) 931-2237. It’s so important for us to look out for one another before these toxic ideals and behaviors go too far. Our society has morphed us into believing that we have to look a certain way in order to be happy with our bodies, but changing the concept of body talk is up to us. If we start to uplift one another and have a conversation about the struggles we face, we’ll begin to realize that we’re not alone. We all face feelings of self consciousness at one point or another, some more intensely than others, and supporting one another through it is the only way out. It’s gone on far too long, and it’s time for us to change the way we talk about and view our bodies regardless of what the media may show us.

 

 

Sources:

https://eatingdisorder.org/treatment-and-support/therapeutic-modalities/nutritional-therapy/

https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2017/11/when-food-consumes-you

Click to access HealthConsequencesofEatingDisorders.pdf

https://www.mirasol.net/learning-center/eating-disorder-statistics.php

http://www.anad.org/education-and-awareness/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline

https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/eating-disorder/college-trigger-eating-disorder

http://www.med.unc.edu/www/newsarchive/2008/april/survey-finds-disordered-eating-behaviors-among-three-out-of-four-american-women

https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/programs/colleges-and-universities/why-are-college-students-vulnerable-to-eating-disorders

 

 

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Considering our nutritional intake is always important on a personal level. Striving for a healthy lifestyle is a common goal, especially among young people beginning to make decisions for themselves for the first time in their lives. Our efforts towards total wellness, though, are not complete on an individual level. We can’t achieve a true state of health without understanding the effects that go far beyond our day to day lives. Everything we eat directly impacts the environmental state that we live in.  The sooner we realize the environmental impacts that our food choices have, the sooner we will be equipped to choose the most efficient and healthy diet and lifestyle.

According to Inside Climate News, the average American consumes about three times the amount of meat than someone in any other part of the world. The steps of meat production, from the fertilizer production all the way to the transportation of the products require so much energy that over twenty-five percent of human produced greenhouse gas emissions globally come out of the food system.  Land is converted to grazing land, water is pumped in the feeding of livestock, animals are fed materials which they then release into the air as methane, and at the end of it all, products are then transported. Each step causes an increasingly drastic environmental toll. With the high amount of processed food in the U.S., production often requires all of these steps and often more. As a result, what we eat is directly contributing to the pollution of the air with greenhouse gases, an event which can lead to serious incidences of climate change.

 

 

So what can we do? We have found our ourselves in a predicament in which much of the food sold to us is a detriment to the environment, but we are not at a loss for solutions. To start with, we can choose locally-grown, organic food options. These foods have required far less energy simply by proximity. Fresh, locally-grown foods off of the shelves also require far less preservatives than the frozen bags. To find an extensive list of organically certified foods, visit www.greenerchoices.org/eco-labels/. Adding more fruits and vegetables to our diets and limiting our meat intake is also a fair solution. An entirely plant-based diet is the ideal option to achieve complete environmental efficiency, but even cutting down on meat by a small amount each week can make a big difference. Another important step is to cut down on food waste. The more we add to our landfills, the more heat-trapping gases these landfills release, only further leading to our dire environmental predicament. Each of these small steps can add up to greatly reduce our carbon footprint.

We can’t change the world we live in. A world centered around processed foods which greatly tax the environment and threaten our Earth. We can, however, choose to eat sustainably by choosing fresher, more organic options and being aware of the ways in which what we eat really do matter far beyond ourselves.

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Sources:

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/31052018/environmental-impacts-food-production-climate-change-meat-vegetarian-vegan-diets-global-warming-study

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/12/your-kitchen-and-the-planet-the-impact-of-our-food-on-the-environment

Click to access Environmental_Nutrition_HCWH_September_2014.pdf

Click to access eatgreenfs_feb2010.pdf

 

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Conscious behaviors are the key to making healthy decisions on food consumption. The media and large food brands are full of facts used to maximize their profit, but it’s worth asking: how true are these “facts”? Here are five of the most common ones:

1. Store bought wheat bread generally has all the nutrients to satisfy the whole grain component of a healthy diet.

Many guidelines recommend 3-8 ounces of whole grains per day, which people often receive through bread. Food labels deceive consumers though with titles such as “made with whole grain” or “multigrain.” While appearing to contain nutrients, what this really means is that the whole grain used in the bread could be anywhere from 1% to 100% of the composition. Often, only bread which advertises as “100% whole grain” is truly whole grain.

2. You should avoid fat at all costs.

Certain types of fats have little to no benefits to health. Trans fats and saturated fats found in things like cheese and butter, are associated with LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and artery blockages leading to heart disease. Many fats, though, are considered to be healthy fats and are recommended to make up 20 to 35% of calories eaten in a day. Avocados, nuts, and sunflower oil are good examples of ways to work these healthy fats into your diet.

3. Skipping meals helps you lose weight.

Actually, the opposite of this is true. Skipping meals, in fact, sets your blood sugar off track, which is why it’s recommended to split your daily calories up evenly throughout the day in order to stabilize blood sugar and glucose levels and prevent fatigue and irritability. Skipping meals also often lowers metabolic rate, making it harder to burn calories, and increases likelihood of overconsumption.

4. Eating late at night leads to weight gain.

Calories are calories no matter what time of day you eat them. We are constantly burning calories, even while sleeping, so eating close to bedtime doesn’t make any physical difference. If anything, this misconception stems from a psychological concept, suggesting that people tend to eat more unhealthy foods at night. Whether this is related to stressful days or simply mindless snacking is unclear, but it is evident that there are no physical disadvantages of eating at a certain time of day.

5. You should stop eating even if you’re still hungry to avoid overeating.

Your body is on your side. It tells you exactly what it needs, exactly when it needs it. Rather than attempting to ignore your stomach growling, it might be more beneficial to listen to these cues. A better solution is to eat more slowly, as it takes at least 20 minutes for your body to know that it’s satisfied with the amount of food it has. It’s essential that you not only be connected with what your body wants but to also satisfy those wants.

Being aware of these misconceptions is an important first step in avoiding falling for them. Understanding where and how they exist can allow you to in turn become a conscious consumer and improve your own health habits.

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Sources:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/healthy-tips/2009/06/aisle-by-aisle-buying-healthy-bread

https://www.choosemyplate.gov/grains

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/myths-nutrition-physical-activity

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-truth-about-fats-bad-and-good

https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/what-happens-to-the-body-when-you-skip-meals

https://www.geisinger.org/health-and-wellness/wellness-articles/2017/08/03/17/20/does-eating-late-at-night-cause-weight-gain

https://hr.umich.edu/sites/default/files/wm-listening-to-your-body.pdf

 

 

 

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With an increasingly dire environmental state globally and a concern for the ethics of animal production, many people have begun to adopt vegan and vegetarian lifestyles. Maintaining a diet which matches your value system can be very appealing, and is especially important to consider for those going to college and beginning to make their own food choices for the first time in their lives. Doing so without being aware of its implications and demands, though, can be more of a detriment to individual health than many people considering these diets are conscious of.

One of the biggest challenges of a strictly plant-based diet is often strategically plan meals to still get all the necessary nutrients, especially protein. General guidelines suggest that we need about 0.36 grams of protein per pound we weigh. On average, sedentary men generally need 56 grams per day, and sedentary women 46. Active men and women, however, should double this intake. Incorporating meatless protein into a diet is very possible to do in a healthy way, but you must know what you’re looking for. Some of the most common sources for protein include peas, beans, quinoa, nuts, chickpeas, tempeh and tofu, leafy greens, or any kinds of seeds.    Simply including these foods in each meal will allow for a protein sufficient diet while upholding the values of the ethical and environmental impacts of eating meat.

Another thing to consider is the different levels of vegetarian and veganism and what’s reasonable for you in consideration of individual health concerns and food availability. According to the Vegetarian Society, a vegetarian is someone who “does not eat foods that consist of, or have been produced with the aid of products consisting of or created from, any part of the body of a living or dead animal. This includes meat, poultry, shellfish, insects, by-products of slaughter, or any food made with processing aids created from these.” Within this category, there are different extents to which people adhere to the standards. Lacto-Vegetarians eat dairy but don’t eat eggs. Ovo-Vegetarians eat eggs but don’t eat dairy. Lacto-Ovo Vegetarians eat both dairy and eggs. Finally, at the most pure level, vegans don’t eat eggs, dairy, or any other animal product. On a more flexible level, while not technically considered vegetarian, pescatarians eat no other meat besides fish, and pollotarians eat no other meat besides chicken.

Now knowing the varying levels of vegetarianism and strategies for approaching a plant-based diet in a healthy way, it’s important to pick a diet that is realistic for you. As college students who generally eat on a meal plan, for example, such restrictive diets might not make sense to follow while also getting enough protein and remaining healthy. When considering the transition, always talk to a nutritionist to see what would be best for you. There are always ways to eat more sustainably and advocate for animal rights while continuing to eat meat, but should you consider cutting out such a large food group, it’s important to be aware of what this might mean for your health.

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Sources:

https://www.vegsoc.org/definition

https://vegetarian-nation.com/resources/common-questions/types-levels-vegetarian/

https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.php

https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20718479,00.html

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/food/a22173490/how-much-protein-per-day/