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Eating Disorders & Higher Learning

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College campuses are filled with students who may be battling an eating disorder in silence. They do so in silence because they may not believe that they have a problem or they are afraid to seek help.

According to Eating Disorder Hope, asking for a medical leave from a college or university may be an option for those students who are in immediate need of residential or partial care. The student should make sure he or she is fully informed about the school’s process before, during, and after the medical leave. Insurance may also cover a portion of the treatment which usually spans from 30 to 90 days. The least scary option for seeking treatment is to do so during the long summer break. Perhaps, plan the assessment during spring break and seek treatment during summer break.

Once the school becomes aware of the eating disorder, it may require an assessment by the school’s counseling office or a certain number of therapy sessions to ensure that the student is fit to remain in school. In severe cases, where the student may pose a danger to himself, herself, or others, the school may mandate that the student take a leave of absence. If the school mandates that the student takes a leave of absence, then it is imperative that the student obtains all the information as to the school’s expectations before, during, and after the leave of absence. Knowing what the school expects from the student during the period of absence will likely ensure that the student may successfully return to the school upon completion of the school’s requirements.

For the many students battling an eating disorder in an institution of higher learning, you are not alone and there are many resources on and off campus to help you to overcome the eating disorder. However, you must first admit that you may have an issue and take the first step in seeking help – tell someone who can help.

Breakfast: A Closer Look

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According to Wikipedia, the word breakfast comes from the Old English word disner which means to break a fast. The word was used to describe the first meal eaten in the day. Then, in the 15th century, the word “breakfast” came into use and was known to mean breaking the fasting period of the prior night. Now, we associate breakfast with the first meal of the day that is eaten before noon.

According to Priceonomics, breakfast began as a morning ritual during the Industrial Revolution once people stopped farming and started working as employees; because people were no longer in control of their time, breakfast allowed them to work longer hours for the employer. Then, there was a period of time where breakfast was more like dinner in that it was a heavy meal consisting of meat, potatoes, cakes, and pies. In the 1800s, that hefty breakfast ritual led to complaints of chronic indigestion. A healthier breakfast trend developed with the advent of graham crackers, granula, and corn flakes from 1827 to the 1890s. As you know, however, those healthier options were soon overrun by sugary options.

Arguably, one can say that, at this point in time, breakfast is anything you want it to be. Whether that’s a healthy cereal; oatmeal; pop tarts; country fried potatoes; hash browns; corn beef hash; quiche; eggs; steak and eggs; sausages and eggs; bacon; muffins; bagels; pastries; etc., as long as it is eaten before noon, it is considered breakfast.

However, the food eaten before noon and used to break the fasting period of the prior night does not have to be grain or meat friendly. Why not start the morning with a fruit? Break the fast of the prior night with a healthy and light fruit before eating your cereal, bagel, eggs, fried potatoes, sausages, or bacon. One fruit and then proceed with your “breakfast” ritual.

THA Breakfast Challenge: 1 fruit in the morning before any other food item or your breakfast ritual.

Let’s go!

 

 

 

Home Work

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In an ideal work life balanced world, work is kept at work; one does not take work home in an ideal world, but that is often not the case.

According to Rodale Wellness, taking work home is not only common, but it is also unhealthy. Dr. Ken Nedd states that, when you carry work home, you deny yourself the relaxation and recovery time that your body naturally anticipates at home; instead, by carrying work home, your body is forced to remain in the constant state of stress that it experienced at work. Dr. Nedd believes that the constant stress also overloads your body and causes the body to send messages to release cortisol and other chemicals that tend to increase appetite for fat and sugar as well as decrease the ability to exercise.

If you do insist on taking work home, then Dr. Lyle Kantor suggests following the one-time, one-space only rule. To follow the rule, you should designate a specific area in your house to complete work-related tasks and then put a time limit on performing the tasks. Once your time is up, stop working. Avoid bringing your work into your bedroom, living room, or kitchen. If bringing work home is a part of your work life balance, then you should consider investing in a desk and avoid working while watching television.

The same concept applies to those who work from home. If you work from home, then you should designate a specific area for work and not perform work activities in various parts of your home.

Home work can be a necessary part of life, but following the suggestions above may help you maintain a healthier home work life balance.

Exercise Breaks

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A rest day can turn into a rest week or month, but . . . is that a bad thing?

The truth is that exercise breaks or hiatuses are natural in a healthy lifestyle. Life happens and sometimes exercising has to be placed on a back burner until your mood increases or your personal crisis gets resolved.

However, if you make exercise a part of your life, then a break or hiatus will always end because you know that being your healthiest self means incorporating exercise into your life and you know that there is no better self-treatment than a good sweat session.

So, if it’s been a week, month, or almost a year since your last sweat session, plan your next one. You’re just on a break right now and that’s 100% ok. If you have a personal crisis that will be resolved in two weeks, plan your next sweat session for the following week and keep it simple.

Remember, the journey to health is a personal life journey; there are no rules or deadlines just keep working towards a healthy lifestyle in your own way.

Starchy Vegetables v. Grains

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We all need carbohydrates to function. Starch is a large chain of carbohydrates. Therefore, higher starch means higher carbohydrates. Fruits, vegetables, and grains generally have carbohydrates, but what is the best source?

Overall, fruits tend to have low amounts of carbohydrates.

Starchy vegetables have a high amount of carbohydrates. Examples of starchy vegetables include potatoes, yams (and other root vegetables), carrots, corn, green peas, beans, green bananas, plantains, and peas. According to Verywell Health, a typical half cup serving of cooked starchy vegetables carries about 15 grams of carbohydrates. Preparing starchy vegetables in a healthy way means that you preserve as much of the antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber as possible. Eating starchy vegetables steamed, baked, or roasted is much more beneficial than eating them fried or in the form of chips. If you are unfamiliar with the preparation of starchy vegetables, check out the Veggie Recipes on the THA Recipes page.

Unsure whether a vegetable is starchy or non-starchy? Consider the water content; dense vegetables like potatoes have low water content and, as a result, they are high in starch. On the other hand, vegetables with high water content like cucumber and zucchini tend to be low in starch. These vegetables are generally considered non-starchy vegetables due to their lower starch content. If you are watching your carbohydrate intake, then you should opt for non-starchy vegetables because they carry fewer carbohydrates.

Grains are known to have high amounts of carbohydrates and tend to be one of the densest food items because of their very little water content. However, when it comes to grains, one should choose wisely. According to HealthLine, refined grains like white flour and white rice are considered simple carbs because most of their natural fiber, vitamins, and minerals were stripped during the refining process; as a result, they are considered empty calories. On the other hand, whole grains and minimally processed grains have higher amounts of their natural fiber, vitamins, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and selenium. Whole grains like oats and brown rice are great additions to a healthy diet. However, even if you are not a fan of whole grains, you should still opt for minimally processed grains like unbleached organic flour and organic white rice.

The best source of carbohydrates appears to be starchy vegetables because they have higher water content than grains and contain a comparable amount of starch. Accordingly, for your carbohydrate needs, you should consider eating more starchy vegetables and fewer grains.