National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

The last week of February every year is deemed National Eating Disorders Awareness week. During this week, organizations, clubs, work places and schools try to educate people about eating disorders and prevent them. About 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lifetime, and 4 out of every 10 people have suffered or know someone who has suffered from an eating disorder. That's right, anyone at any age can get an eating disorder.  These include anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, or an eating disorder not otherwise specified.

So what are anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder?
Anorexia is considered a psychiatric disorder characterized by an unrealistic fear of weight gain, self-starvation, and conspicuous distortion of body image. Patients starve themselves because they see a number as determining their self worth. This can lead to death in the most severe cases.
Bulimia is also life threatening and very dangerous. The person will consume large amounts of food then try to rid themselves of the food or calories by purging, excessive exercise, fasting or  laxatives. Bulimia results from an excessive concern about weight control and self-image.
Binge Eating Disorder is similar to bulimia, but without the excessive exercise, vomiting, fasting or use a laxatives. A person will eat excessive amounts of food in one sitting. The person will eat uncontrollably, eat when not feeling hungry,  or eat when the are feeling down, depressed, sad or bored.

Treatment for such eating disorders can cost up to about $1000 a day if sent to an inpatient clinic. Treatment often includes seeing a doctor regularly, receiving psychiatric or psychological help, seeing therapists like an art or music therapist, and seeing a dietitian. This network of support can really help a person get back on their feet and get them to a healthier relationship with foods

I am really passionate about helping those with eating disorders, not only because of me being a nutrition student and learning about them, or being the Vice President of my university's chapter of Project Heal ( A nonprofit organization which raises awareness and money to send patients to receive the treatment they need and that the insurance will not cover), but also because I suffered from an eating disorder when I was in high school. I saw my weight as something that determined my self-worth and ability to be an athlete, which ended up getting in the way of me being an athlete. I went from 149 to weighing 106 pounds in 3 months.  I had to see a doctor regularly to check up on my progress, talk to a therapist to get to the root of my problem and see my true self worth and loving who I am, and had to visit a dietitian regularly to help with my relationship with food. That is where I was inspired to become a dietitian; she made me feel so welcome, accepted, and comfortable. I wanted and was willing to change my lifestyle and work with others to change theirs. I like to workout and eat right, but still like to treat myself with goodies that mom and dad like to make. I am now 5 years free of an eating disorder and am accepting of myself and my flaws. That's what makes me unique and what makes me beautiful.

Eating disorders are a serious thing and can be tough to deal with. But loving yourself and not listening to what the media says is the perfect body type or if we should have a thigh gap or not  (definitely not), can lead to your success and being able to help others succeed.

 

 

 

For more information about eating disorders, here are some good sites to look at-
http://theprojectheal.org/


http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/diseases-and-conditions/eating-disorders/understanding-eating-disorders

Knowing Your Labels

One of the biggest issues in the nutrition field  is that not many people know what all the nutrition jargon means on the packaging of the foods they buy and eat. I have read multiple articles about this, and with each article I read, I learn something new about what different things mean on these labels. Like what the different is between all natural and organic. Or antibiotic free or hormone free. Here's a few labels and their meanings I think are important to know and to help you know what you are buying

For meats, these are common labels and their meanings:
- American Grass Fed Certified-No antibiotics are used at all during the animals life time
- Animal Welfare Approved-No antibiotics are used for growth or disease prevention. Animals are only given antibiotics if they are sick. Welfare and hygiene are fully addressed
- Certified Humane- No antibiotics are used for growth or disease prevention, some welfare and hygiene practices are used
-No Antibiotics/Raised with no antibiotics- drugs are not used for any purpose, but if they do not have the USDA seal, then they cannot be fully relied on to be antibiotic free
-Organic- Animals have not been given antibiotics, and sick animals that have been treated with antibiotics, cannot be considered organic. They can be given Antibiotics before they have hatched, or on the day they were born and still be considered Organic.
-Grass-Fed- not all meat that has been grass fed has been raised without antibiotics. Look for the AGA certified label stating at that they have no been raised with antibiotics
-Natural/All-Natural- Has nothing to do with antibiotics, hormones or any other drugs that may be used at all. This label just means that no artificial ingredients have been used and was minimally processed
-No hormones- Does not have anything to do with antibiotics used for growth. Pork and Chicken cannot have any hormones added to them, so whether the package is labeled with this or not, there are no hormones used or added.
- Raised without Antibiotics for growth promotion- Antibiotics are used for disease prevention and treatment
( Info obtained from Consumerreports.org)



Here are some that show up on many different labels, across many food groups along with their definitions:
-"Free of..." or "Fat Free"- only trivial amounts in each serving
- "Good Source"- has at least 10-19% of the daily value per serving
- "Less"- contains 25% of less of a nutrient or calories than the reference food
- "Light"- 1/3 less calories and 1/2 the fat
- Light in sodium" - amount of sodium in one serving has been cut in half
- "More"- contains at least 10% more of the Daily Value per serving than the normal food. Other words used to describe this are fortified, enriched, added, extra and plus
- "Reduced"- Food has been altered to have 25% less of a nutrient or calories than the normal food

What's for dinner?

I decided to mix it up for this post and talk about and share a recipe I made for my boyfriend and I the other week. I love to cook, and that is very important when you're in school for nutrition. Especially when you have to take 3 cooking classes and labs in order to graduate! However, I discovered my love for cooking and baking long before college started. I regularly help my parents with dinner prep at home, and at least cook dinner once a week while at school for my boyfriend and I. Dining hall food gets pretty old pretty fast. When boyfriend suggested the other week that we should make dinner at his apartment before I went home for the weekend, I immediately when on Pinterest to see what tasty, easy and nutritious meal ideas I could find. He suggested something with chicken and rice because he had been making a lot of pasta lately, and had a lot of chicken in the freezer his mom bought his before he came back for the second semester. I found many, many recipes that sounded really appealing, but most looked like they would take over an hour to make. I was losing hope of finding a chicken and rice dish until I found One-pot Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice. It sounded easy and really tasty, especially with the broccoli and cheese in the recipe. We both agreed on it and headed to the store after we were both done with class. This recipe was really easy, super quick, cheesy, and we both loved it! Lots of leftovers, and it has something from every food group!

Easy One-Pot Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice

Ingredients           

• 1 lb Chicken breasts, boneless skinless                                                           
• 2 1/2 cups Broccoli florets                                                    
• 2 cloves Garlic                                                    
• 1/2 Yellow onion, medium                                                       
• 2 1/2 cups Chicken broth, low-sodium                                      
• 1 cup White rice, long grain                                 
• 1 tsp Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper                                                  
• 3 tbsp Olive oil, extra virgin                                                    
• 2 cups Reduced-Fat Shredded Cheddar cheese, sharp

Instructions

1. In a large skillet or pan, sauté onions in two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Once onions soften, increase the heat to medium high and add chicken to the pan.
3. Brown the chicken pieces and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 more minute.
4. Push chicken to one side of the pan and add additional tablespoon of olive oil to other side.
5. Add the uncooked rice in the olive oil and saute it for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pan with a lid.
7. Cook chicken and rice mixture covered for about 12 minutes.
8. Sprinkle the broccoli evenly over the chicken and rice mixture and stir to combine.
9. Continue to cook covered another 8 minutes on low, or until broccoli and rice are both tender.
10. Remove from heat and stir in half a cup of cheese.
11. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover with a lid, letting it sit for 1-2 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve.