The Dilemma of Disordered Eaters in an Introductory Nutrition Course

by Julie Walton, Ph.D.

I teach Nutrition in a large Christian liberal arts college.  Each day in class, I look out over 60 young faces, and pray that the day’s focus on eating and food will not batter and badger the 4-8 students who are in the midst of, or freshly recovering from an eating disorder.  How do we teach with sensitivity to these students?  How do we continue, day in and day out our intentional and intense attention on food and nutrition and health in ways that do no harm?

The course begins with an assignment to record and analyze a 3-day diet diary.  It is not uncommon for these diaries to come back with average daily caloric intakes of 1100 calories, dangerously low folic acid and calcium levels, fat intakes that students wrongly think virtuous and high intakes of water, ice, Crystal Light, diet sodas, and other non-caloric items.  Sadly, I am no longer astounded by such eating patterns.  What does stun me is the palpable fear of food in these otherwise wonderful Christian students.