The Nutrition Program for students at MSU is focused on supporting all people within our campus community to achieve eating competence. The work we do in nutrition counseling sessions, outreach programming, and health communication promotes a non-diet approach using the eating competence model and a weight-inclusive approach to support health.
The Nutrition Program provides services guided by a belief that students are capable of making wise, well-informed decisions about nutrition when provided the information, education, and support necessary to do so.
The Peer Body Project is a free on-campus workshop designed for undergraduate students with body image concerns who are affected by feminine standards of beauty. The project offers strategies for young women to improve body image and challenge cultural standards of beauty.
Nutrition counseling appointments are available to MSU students through the Student Health & Wellness Health Promotion Department. These confidential appointments with a registered dietitian are tailored to meet personal health needs through an individualized, collaborative approach. Students can receive support for a wide variety of nutrition concerns that may include:
How do I schedule a nutrition appointment?
The best way to make a nutrition appointment is to call the Student Health & Wellness scheduling office at 517.353.4660. If a provider at Student Health & Wellness has made a referral, you will be contacted to schedule that appointment for a time that is convenient for you.
What should I expect?
Appointments are scheduled for 60 minutes. During the initial appointment, information will be gathered to assess health status and nourishment needs. Please bring a list of any nutrition supplements you are currently taking. There will also be time to discuss any concerns or questions you may have with the dietitian.
The recommendations and nutrition education you will receive is based on a weight-inclusive approach to normalize eating and enhance health.
Where do I go?
The Health Promotion department is located on the 3rd floor of the Student Services building at 556 East Circle Drive. Check-in for nutrition appointments is in room 345.
Is there a cost?
For MSU students there is no fee for nutrition appointments.
*If you have a meal plan and have food allergies or intolerances, or need to follow a special diet, email Gina Keilen, RD, Culinary Coordinator for Culinary Services for additional resources and information.
The Peer Body Project is a free on-campus workshop designed for undergraduate students with body image concerns who are affected by feminine standards of beauty. The project offers strategies for young women to improve body image and challenge cultural standards of beauty.
Fall 2023 Schedule Options:
We live in a time when food, eating, and how we feel about our bodies has become incredibly complicated and interconnected. Myths and misinformation abound. What is important to remember and focus on is that how we eat over time is far more important than what we eat at a single meal. If we build a positive relationship with food and our bodies, eating will become more intuitive, healthful, and, even more fun!
Nutrition, by definition, is "The act or process of nourishing or being nourished; specifically: the sum of the processes by which an animal or plant takes in and utilizes food substances" (Merriam-Webster).
If you include the definitions of two terms often associated with nutrition:These definitions seem positive. They make food and eating appear to be fun and enjoyable. Shouldn't we feel good about nurturing our bodies, feeding our minds, and choosing enjoyable foods that help us do so? It would seem so!
What is missing, however, is the incorporation and understanding of the psychology of eating: why we eat the foods we do, in the way we do. And it is the psychology, the feelings, emotions, and thoughts that often drive us in our behavior and relationship with and around food.
The Satter Eating Competence Model is an evidence-based, non-diet approach to achieve good nutrition and support health.
Eating competence emphasizes trust with eating. A competent eater is positive, comfortable, and flexible with eating, and reliable about getting enough to eat of enjoyable and nourishing food.
Are YOU a competent eater?
Achieving good nutrition and developing a positive relationship with food is possible.
Nutrition...
...is not about one food group over another.
...is not about eliminating whole food groups from your diet.
...is not about counting numbers (as in calories, fat grams or points).
...is about internal balance, which includes ALL foods and food groups.
...is trusting yourself (or learning how to) in terms of recognizing what and how much you need.
...is giving yourself permission to eat.
Eating in this manner supports health and well-being.
Normal eating is going to the table hungry and eating until you are satisfied. It is being able to choose the food you like and eat it and truly get enough of it -not just stop eating because you think you should. Normal eating is being able to give some thought to your food selection so you get nutritious food, but not being so wary and restrictive that you miss out on enjoyable food. Normal eating is giving yourself permission to eat sometimes because you are happy, sad or bored, or just because it feels good.
Normal eating is mostly three meals a day, or four or five, or it can be choosing to munch along the way. It is leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow, or it is eating more now because they taste so wonderful. Normal eating is overeating at times, feeling stuffed and uncomfortable. And it can be undereating at times and wishing you had more. Normal eating is trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating.
Normal eating takes up some of your time and attention but keeps its place as only one important area of your life. In short, normal eating is flexible. It varies in response to your hunger, your schedule, your proximity to food and your feelings.
Copyright © 2012 by Ellyn Satter.
Food can easily become a source of stress and concern, especially when we attempt to resolve cultural messages that urge us both to achieve the “perfect” body AND to consume food mindlessly. Misinformation is constantly saturating our culture about nutrition and ‘healthy eating’. The reality is there is no one solution when it comes to good nutrition, and no foods are ‘bad’ foods.
To successfully achieve a healthy body, you must first accept your natural body type, enjoy moderate physical activity, and eat a balanced diet. Most importantly, food can be such a wonderful thing! It can bring friends and family together, symbolize traditions and fond memories, and remind people of home. Remember that food and eating are supposed to be pleasurable.
Living in our culture, it's not surprising if you feel you have to look a certain way to be happy or healthy. You may think that dieting is a normal or even a necessary part of life. However, constant concern about body weight and shape, fat grams and calories can start a vicious cycle of body dissatisfaction and obsession that can take a toll on your mental, emotional and physical well-being.
While they may seem harmless, those "innocent" habits you're counting on to make you thin — and supposedly happy — can quickly spin out of control and leave you facing a serious and potentially life-threatening eating disorder.
Eating disorders — such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder — include extreme emotions, attitudes and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues. Eating disorders are serious emotional and physical problems that can have life-threatening consequences for females and males of every age, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
Eating disorders are complex conditions that arise from a combination of long-standing behavioral, psychological, interpersonal, biological and social conditions. Scientists and researchers are still learning about the underlying causes of these emotionally and physically damaging conditions.
While eating disorders may begin with preoccupations with food and weight, they are most often about much more than food and the control of food in an attempt to compensate for feelings and emotions that may otherwise seem overwhelming. For some, dieting, bingeing and purging may begin as a way to cope with painful, emotional health, and/or self-esteem issues; and find it provides a sense of competence and control.
Anorexia Nervosa (anorexia) is a condition characterized by significant weight loss due to an intentional attempt to restrict eating. Some people find that they lose their sense of hunger, but other people with anorexia just develop a tolerance for feeling hungry all the time.
A formal diagnosis of anorexia is made when someone:
Refuses to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height (< 85% of ideal body weight)
Has intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though their weight is normal or low
Has a disturbance in the way his or her body weight or shape is experienced
Experiences undue influence of body weight or shape on self-esteem
Denies the seriousness of current low body weight
Bulimia Nervosa is a condition characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating that may have little or nothing to do with actual physiological hunger. These episodes of bingeing are then followed by recurrent compensatory behaviors intended to prevent weight gain.
A formal diagnosis of bulimia is made when someone:
Female Athlete Triad is a syndrome of three interrelated conditions that exist on a continuum of severity.
Our society puts a great deal of emphasis on body image. Advertising and the media equate certain physical images with happiness and desirability in order to sell products. Millions of people risk their health to get "the look" they see in ads and the media.
People May Be at Particular Risk if they are:
Why is Restrictive Eating a Problem?
Are you concerned about your eating? This free screening tool can help you determine if it is time to seek professional support.
Support available at MSU Student Health & Wellness:
BMI or body mass index is a number that is generated by dividing someone’s weight in pounds by their height squared and multiplying the result by 703. This simple ratio of weight and height is now used as a measure of health, and that’s a problem. Historically, Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet devised the BMI equation in 1832. He created the formula to be used as a statistical tool across large populations, but he never intended for the number to be used as a measure of individual health. The truth is that BMI is not a measure of health at all.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
“BMI is used as a screening tool to identify possible weight problems for adults. However, BMI is not a diagnostic tool. To determine if excess weight is a health risk, a healthcare provider would need to perform further assessments. These assessments might include skinfold thickness measurements, evaluations of diet, physical activity, family history, and other appropriate health screenings.”
These assessments are not always readily available, and they are either expensive or need highly trained personnel, which may be why BMI is so widely used.Emotional: How do you feel about your body?
Visual: How do you see your body?
Movement: How does your body feel in space?
Historical: What messages have you received about your body?
"Will Powers" for Improving Body Image
Adapted from 10 "Will-Powers" for Improving Body Image. Written by: Michael Levine, Ph.D
Why Dieting Doesn't Work:
Dieting (making a radical change in eating habits to lose weight quickly) not only is not healthy, it just doesn't work. In fact, 95% or more of people who diet to lose weight regain all the weight back within 1-5 years. Two-thirds of dieters will regain more weight than what they lost.
People who are thin don't eat less food. Studies have consistently failed to find a difference in eating patterns between thin and heavier people. Genetics and early family habits of eating and activity have a powerful influence.
Dieting can have both physical and psychological health consequences, including decreased metabolic rate, potential loss of lean muscle tissue, decreased energy, increased preoccupation with food, difficulty concentrating, and inadequate sleep.
Top Ten Reasons To Give Up Dieting
10. Diets don't work. Even if you lose weight, you will probably gain it all back, and you might gain back more than you lost.
9. Diets are expensive. If you didn't buy special diet products, you could save enough to get new clothes, which would improve your outlook right now.
8. Diets are boring. People on diets talk and think about food and practically nothing else. There's a lot more to life.
7. Diets don't necessarily improve your health. Like the weight loss, health improvement is temporary. Dieting can actually cause health problems.
6. Diets don't make you beautiful. Very few people will ever look like models. Glamour is a look, not a size. You don't have to be thin to be attractive.
5. Diets are not sexy. If you want to be more attractive, take care of your body and your appearance. Feeling healthy makes you look your best.
4. Diets can turn into eating disorders. The obsession to be thin can lead to anorexia, bulimia, bingeing, and compulsive exercising.
3. Diets can make you afraid of food. Food nourishes and comforts us, and gives us pleasure. Dieting can make food seem like your enemy and can deprive you of all the positive things about food.
2. Diets can rob you of energy. If you want to lead a full and active life, you need good nutrition, and enough food to meet your body's needs.
1. Learning to love and accept yourself just as you are will give you self-confidence, better health, and a sense of well-being that will last a lifetime.
Normal eating is going to the table hungry and eating until you are satisfied. It is being able to choose the food you like and eat it and truly get enough of it -not just stop eating because you think you should. Normal eating is being able to give some thought to your food selection so you get nutritious food, but not being so wary and restrictive that you miss out on enjoyable food. Normal eating is giving yourself permission to eat sometimes because you are happy, sad or bored, or just because it feels good.
Normal eating is mostly three meals a day, or four or five, or it can be choosing to munch along the way. It is leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow, or it is eating more now because they taste so wonderful. Normal eating is overeating at times, feeling stuffed and uncomfortable. And it can be undereating at times and wishing you had more. Normal eating is trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating.
Normal eating takes up some of your time and attention but keeps its place as only one important area of your life. In short, normal eating is flexible. It varies in response to your hunger, your schedule, your proximity to food and your feelings.
Copyright © 2012 by Ellyn Satter.
With so much information available about nutrition, it is hard to sort the fact from fiction.
The reality is that your body needs fats, carbohydrates, and protein to function at its best. Here are the facts:
Why do I need carbohydrates?
They are the body's main energy source and help to maintain a normal blood sugar level. They are stored in our muscles to be used as energy between meals and snacks. Carbohydrate-rich foods are important sources of fiber and B vitamins. They help us to feel satisfied and full.
What are some sources of carbohydrates?
Why do I need protein?
It is needed to build and repair muscles. It is the building block of major organs. All of our enzymes, antibodies, and many hormones are made up of protein. Protein-rich foods are important sources of iron, zinc, and niacin.
What are some sources of protein?
Why do I need fat?
Fat is an important energy source and helps to maintain our immune system. It is a building block for estrogen, cortisone, and thyroid hormones. It is a necessary component of all cells in our bodies. It helps us to feel full and it adds enjoyment to foods.
What are some sources of fat?
Contributed by Page Love, MS, RD, LD 2004 National Eating Disorders Association.
Supplements in the form of pills, powders, or liquids are used to try to achieve certain goals. Sometimes people who restrict their intake of food think they can take a supplement (such as a vitamin pill) to cover their nutritional needs. This isn't true.
"Supplement," means "in addition to." Supplements are not meant to be and cannot serve as a replacement for food. Sometimes people look to supplements for a quick fix to an eating problem. A good rule is, "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is." If a product promises to "burn away fat" or "build up muscle," steer clear.
Strength, stamina, and health come from good nutrition and appropriate activity. You can't buy them in the drug store, health food store or from a magazine.
Vitamin, mineral, fiber or caloric supplements can be useful in promoting health. But it's best to discuss when and what to use with your health care provider. Getting too much of a supplement can be much more harmful than not getting enough.
ETR Associates; Series Editor: Barbara A. Cooley, MA, CHES; Text: Jane Simonson, MD
Anne (Annie) Buffington, MA, RDN, CSSD
buffing9@msu.edu
517.355.7593
Karen Giles-Smith, MS, RDN
gilessmi@msu.edu
517.432.8324