Campus facilities combat fad dieting
The diet businesses' actual motives are a focus of discussions.
March 6, 2007
March is National Nutrition Month, and different groups on campus are voicing opinions about fad dieting, fad exercise and the importance of nutrition.
Pam Hinton, associate professor of nutritional sciences in the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences, discussed fad diets, in a Feb. 26 MU news release.
"Fad diets appeal to people because they focus on weight loss and not on overall health," she said in the release. "People need to realize that there are benefits to be gained from a healthful diet besides just weight loss."
The Wellness Resource Center takes the same view on fad dieting as Hinton. It asks for men and women to "improve their relationships with food, learning to enjoy being active and improving body image," according to its Web site.
On its Web site, the Wellness Resource Center helps students to not only understand the unhealthiness of limited diets and the apparent lack of exercise involved in many of the diet plans but also diet businesses' actual motives and how they take advantage of customers to sell their latest products.
Along with the Wellness Resource Center, Campus Dining Services does not condone fad dieting or serve meals in accordance to any fad diets.
"We try to meet broad but healthy demands that satisfy our customers," Campus Dining Services Director Julaine Kiehn said. "For example, if students wanted more grapefruit, we would supply more grapefruit but not because we are encouraging the latest grapefruit diet. There is no bad food, but you have to think about how much of it you are eating. Too much of any one thing can be bad for you. This relates to exercise too."
According to an MU news release, Steve Ball, assistant professor of exercise physiology in the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences, believes fad exercise has its place.
"It is fine to take part in a fad fitness program," Ball stated in the release. "But make sure to include enough variety in your exercise regimen that all components of fitness are targeted."
Kiehn said it is important to focus on nutrition education so people can make wise choices that fit their individual lifestyles.
The Wellness Resource Center offers students a free meeting with a registered dietitian as well as general information and knowledge regarding dieting and nutrition to help students make healthier decisions.
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