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By Sanskruti Tomar – Senior and Zags Help Zags Education and Engagement Assistant; Office of Health Promotion

For some of us, eating food is a time of pleasure, breaking bread with community, and something we can do without even thinking. However, high numbers of college-aged students are finding themselves struggling to maintain healthy relationships with food. An estimated 10 to 20% of women in college & 4 to 10% of men in college are living with an eating disorder. Another study tells us that 4 out of 10 students have experienced an eating disorder or know someone who has.

But even before full-blown eating disorders develop, it’s easy for your Zag to fall into habits that are unhealthy in both the short-term and long-term. This includes unreasonable limitations, binge-eating, and obsessive calorie counting. Male students are often ignored in this regard, but extreme dieting or bulking alongside constant exercise falls in the same category as other well-known disordered eating behaviors.

Unfortunately, these habits often stem from the home. It’s easy to forget that children remember a lot of what they hear from their family, even if it’s not directed at them. Family members who are overly concerned with the shape of their body or their calorie intake create an atmosphere of shame about their natural body, and that mindset is easy for a child growing up in that atmosphere to internalize. The COVID-19 pandemic may also have an impact on student eating habits. We know the pandemic has negatively affected student mental health, leading students to feel like things are “out of control.” Feeling that lack of control is often a dynamic that contributes to mental illness and development of eating disorders as a coping strategy.

Building a healthy relationship with food doesn’t mean that everyone should eat everything they want all the time. That is just as dangerous as the other extreme. Instead, encourage your Zag to find neutral or positive language to use for their own body. Practice recipes that are healthy and easy to make in college dorms together. Make mealtimes joyful (and yes, delicious) for everyone involved. Your Zag should be able to give their body what it needs without fear of judgement.

There’s no how-to manual in determining exactly what your Zag may need, since every single body needs something different. Still, you and your Zag can enjoy some quality time together exploring the beautiful world of food and nutrition in a way that makes meals exciting!

In cases where you have reason to believe your Zag may need more support than you can provide, direct them to the resources on- and off-campus. The Center for Cura Personalis and the Health and Counseling Center are great on-campus support options. The Emily Program, an off-campus resource, is specifically designed to support people experiencing eating disorders. You can find more resources at other healthcare websites, or the National Eating Disorders Association.

Your Zag deserves to look at themselves with love. Help them find the tools to do so! Maybe it’ll be a chance for you to look at your own relationship with food and your body alongside your Zag for all of you to be the healthiest you can be.