by Shayndel Jim, Head Writer While university gives students the space to build habits they want and live life the way they want to, it is also an opening that allows people to slip easily into disordered eating because they have the freedom to. Phrases and concepts such as the freshman 15, over-exercising, ‘pulling trig,’ skipping meals, and unconventional meal replacements, are all normalized on university campuses and cause far more harm than people realize. By normalizing these harmful phrases, it heightens the risk of people falling into these unhealthy practices as they feel everyone around them is doing it and that it is fine. According to the Child Mind Institute, around 10-20% of women and 4-10% of men in college will suffer from an eating disorder, with those statistics rising. Let's tackle some of these phrases and shed light on why they should be avoided: The Freshman 15.This is probably one of the most commonly heard phrases in university about unhealthy eating habits. People often fear this dreaded freshman 15, avoiding meals and trying to exercise to overcompensate for when they do eat. The fact of the matter is that university is a stressful time. We are trying to get a handle on this new path we are taking and a new routine that people are often looking for ways to feel in control of. One of the easiest forms of control is by controlling one’s diet. However, people often fail to recognize that with this new lifestyle that students are trying to figure out in university, your diet is key to remaining happy and healthy. Restricting your diet in fear your body will change, can put significant strain on your brain and its development. You need a healthy and balanced diet to be able to function at full capacity; restricting food intake and over-exercising hinders that completely. Over-exercising.As mentioned above, often students over-exercise to compensate for the food they are eating. With stressors such as trying to look how they feel is their best or trying to make weight classes for certain varsity sports, it is not difficult for students to feel as though they must take drastic measures to lose weight. However, this is not necessary at all. Athletes report higher rates of over-exercising but are less likely to seek treatment for eating disorders because of the normalization of it in athletics, as well as stigma and sport-specific barriers. Exercising is very important to keep your body active, especially during university, but everything is healthy in moderation. By exercising for the sake of feeling good in your body and wanting to treat it well, rather than for trying to hit unrealistic goals and pushing yourself too far, the mindset is shifted to a healthier one and can protect you. You already look good in that dress you want to wear on Saturday, and you don’t need to do cardio for hours to drop that weight class before weigh-in tomorrow. Life is short and worth enjoying to the fullest, not spending most of it in the gym trying to push your body towards unrealistic standards. Pulling trig.This is a phrase that is often used in conjunction with excessive drinking. It refers to forcing someone to throw up when they have consumed too much alcohol because it makes them feel better. This is also a term used when referring to bulimia, an eating disorder that takes the lives of thousands every year. About one person dies every 52 minutes of an eating disorder, totalling around 10,200 deaths every year. A term like this should be avoided because it promotes that behaviour and the relief people feel after drinking too much and throwing up can make it seem like it is okay to do in many other contexts as well. Skipping meals.University is very busy, so, understandably, it is hard to find time for everything you want to do. Eating should not be something that is sacrificed because you cannot find the time. As mentioned above, your brain needs food! Making sure you make time to eat food is crucial to succeeding in university and for building healthy habits you can carry on after graduation. Saying that you are ‘too busy’ for meals is not just harmful towards yourself but can also trigger someone around you. Unconventional meal replacements.Too often have I heard people saying that instead of eating food, they were simply running off coffee and/or nicotine. Neither of those are meal replacements, but they do act as appetite suppressants. Nicotine is extremely dangerous for you and can cause many long-term health problems especially. Neither coffee nor nicotine, or any other appetite suppressant, will give you the calories you need to function at full capacity and will leave you feeling tired and lethargic once it has passed your system, creating a negative cycle. As aforementioned, an important thing to keep in mind is that your body needs a healthy and balanced diet to function at full capacity. University is a great time to explore your likes and dislikes and establish habits that you will carry with you throughout life, so it is crucial that you make sure to eat and take care of your body. Not using harmful phrases such as the ones above help avoid normalizing those unhealthy behaviours, for yourself and others. Eating disorders affect thousands of people a year and have many serious long-term effects. I have linked some resources regarding eating disorders if you or someone you know is battling them. Take care, you’ve got this!!! Shayndel is an undergraduate student at the University of Guelph, and a Head Writer on GetPsyched! Are you interested in submitting a post to GetPsyched? Make sure you fill out our submission form and send it back to us so we can showcase your ideas! Edited by Hannah Katzman. References
College students and eating disorders. Child Mind Institute. (2021). Retrieved from https://childmind.org/article/eating-disorders-and-college/ Eating disorder statistics: General & Diversity stats: Anad. National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. (2021). Retrieved from https://anad.org/eating-disorders-statistics/
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