Each year, from Feb. 26 to March 3, the National Eating Disorders Association promotes Eating Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW). EDAW is an annual campaign dedicated to spreading knowledge about eating disorders to educate individuals on how to support those who are affected by eating disorders.
The Nutrition Association at Oakland University was created by students to show their love of food. The group intends to provide a safe, supportive space for discussions about negative food relationships.
Ava Gottschling, currently enrolled in the dietetics program, is the president of the Nutrition Student Association.
“The Nutrition Association is a group of students who all share a passion for nutrition. While some members are nutrition majors, others simply have an interest in nutrition,” Gottschling said. “We all share a love for food and have hosted many potlucks where members bring and share their favorite dishes with others.”
The Nutrition Association learned of Eating Disorder Awareness Week when talking to a nutrition professor.
“The idea for the eating disorder [awareness week] was brought up by one of the nutrition professors. She suggested having a showing for a documentary centered around eating disorders.” Gottschling said.
After the idea was brought up, Gottschling pitched the idea to the NSA board.
“Everyone was in agreement that it would be a meaningful and insightful event,” Gottschling said.
The group decided to host an event in solidarity with the campaign. After all, eating disorders are not uncommon. According to the National Eating Disorders website, 9% of the U.S. population, or 28.8 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.
“The main message that we were trying to get out to OU students and facility was body positivity. While the idea seems very broad, as nutrition students, it is important to us that people not only eat healthy but enjoy eating and feel confident in themselves and their bodies,” Gottschling said.
Reports have shown that people who eat a healthy diet are known to live longer and have a lower risk of certain cancers, heart disease and obesity.
“Eating disorders still continue to be a major concern all around the world and we wanted to use our platform to continue to bring awareness to eating disorders and body positivity,” Gottschling said.
The Nutrition Association has lots of resources to help those who either have issues with eating disorders or someone they may know who has issues as well.
“Fortunately there are many resources out there to help people and their loved ones overcome eating disorders,” Gottschling said. “It is important to note that every person is different and may require different help and resources to overcome their eating disorder.”
Some organization websites with more information about eating disorders are the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), Eating Disorder Hope, the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), the National Alliance for Eating Disorders and the Academy for Eating Disorders.
For individuals struggling with an eating disorder and looking for help, they may visit Eating Disorder Hope’s eating disorder and mental health 24/7 help hotlines.
