91% of women recently surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting, 22% dieted “often” or “always.” This shocking statistic shows that eating disorders, body image and dieting is a huge part of college women’s lives. Eating disorders include: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.
1. Fear of the Freshmen 15
The Freshman 15 is an urban legend that many students entering college fear. This phrase is commonly used in the United States to describe the weight gained during a student’s first year at a college or university. In magazines, health articles, and resources found all over the internet there are pieces of writing titled “How to Avoid the Freshmen 15” or “Beating the Freshmen 15.” But nowhere in those articles does it say or touch on subjects like “How to Avoid Eating Disorders” or “Beware of Eating Disorders.” Having so much hype on avoiding the Freshmen 15 can sometimes lead women to obsess about not gaining weight or even losing weight. On a positive note the “Freshman 15” has been proven to be a myth. Research shows that the Freshman 15 is actually more like the Freshman 6 or 7, and most of that has to do with drinking too much and has nothing to do with food.
2. Alcohol
After coming home from a night out of drinking at Libby’s, or a party at the Greens all you want to do is EAT. Drunk eating or the drunchies is another thing that could cause an eating disorder. Waking up the next day after consuming large amounts of calories can make you feel awful and very upset with yourself. If you are going out more than 2 times per week and following the same ritual of the drunchies you know that something has to change because you’re packing on some extra pounds. Some college students turn to drunkorexia. Drunkorexia is a term to describe a college-aged woman who is a binge drinker, that is starving all day in order to get drunk at night. To fix this problem there is one simple word, “moderation.” Moderation is the key to everything. Too much or too little of anything on a regular basis is not healthy for your body. Therefore, try cut back on the over-indulgence of food and alcohol, but remember on occasion over-indulgence is a normal part of life!
3. The Dining Hall
The Dining hall is a place where there is an unlimited amount of food. This all you can eat buffet can create many temptations. Because of the feeling that the food is “free” students tend to get up and get that extra bowl or plate of food. Not only does the all you can eat style affect eating patterns but so does the people you have your meals with. Watching others consume more or less than you at meal time can definitely affect how much you feel comfortable eating.
4. Participation in Sports
Athletics are a huge part of the UNH community. All UNH students love going to watch the games, going to the pregames and after parties but do students really realize all of the work these athletes put in? Participation in sports can lead to loads of stress on athletes’ bodies and brains. Because of the strict schedules they must follow, sports players often have less time to focus on taking care of themselves in other areas of their lives. Studies have shown that participation in sports that emphasize appearance and lean bodies are at a higher risk for developing eating disorders. So when walking by an athlete on campus make sure to thank them for all the work they do!
5. Stress
When cramming for exams, working 20 hours a week, doing group projects, and trying to have a social life stress levels can become extremely high. Increased levels of stress can create food cravings for high energy foods that contain lots of calories, sugar, and fat. Frequently consuming large amounts of food, when it is done to cope with stress and negative emotions, can also be known as, binge eating disorder. On the other hand some students who find themselves in stressful situations forget to eat or just do not have an appetite. The best advice I can give is to utilize UNH Health Services and try to find ways of coping with stress that work for you! Don’t let stress get in the way of healthy eating patterns.
Well, there you have it: five things that can contribute to why college women developing eating disorders. UNH has many programs that can increase your knowledge about eating disorders, nutrition and stress management. Health services offers nutrition counseling, nutrition education, the eating concerns mentoring program, and stress management counseling. For more information please visit http://www.unh.edu/health-services/.