Nutrition Services at Student Health Service

Why make an appointment?

bananas The Dietitian in the Office of Health Education & Promotion is available to discuss a wide range of topics including but not limited to eating well on campus, eating well off-campus, weight management, vegetarian and other special diets, disordered eating, concerns with eating, and sports nutrition.

Appointments are carried out one-on-one to allow the student’s unique lifestyle to be fully appreciated. A variety of resources are used to meet the student’s needs. Nutrition consultations are
confidential.

Am I eligible to see the Dietitian? How do I make an appointment?

Nutrition consultations are available to all full-time University of Pittsburgh students as well as part-time students who have paid the Student Health Fee. Appointments are available by calling Student Health front desk at 412-383-1800 or the Office of Health Education & Promotion at 412-383-1830.

First time visits are scheduled for 40 minutes. Please arrive early to complete a brief questionnaire prior to your appointment. Follow-up visits are scheduled for 20 minutes.

Please make every effort to arrive on time. You have 9 minutes from the time you are scheduled to check-in at either the Student Health Clinic or the Office of Health Education & Promotion. After ten minutes you will be unable to check in for the appointment and will need to reschedule.

What is Normal eating?

Perhaps the answer to this question can best be summarized in the quote below:

What is Normal Eating?

Normal eating is going to the table hungry and eating until you are satisfied. It is being able to choose 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 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 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.

I Want to Change my Eating Habits or Lose Weight. How do I Start?

That is entirely dependant upon who you are as an individual. Each of us is unique; our needs are true to no one but ourselves. Take some time to shake the “one-size-fits-all” way of looking at eating and dieting. By taking into account your wholeness as a person that eats, moves, feels, sleeps, socializes, etc. your best eating style can be met. There’s a tremendous amount of information out there; however, a good deal can be misleading or inappropriate. A great place to start looking at overall dietary recommendation would be the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. To begin an appropriate individualized eating pattern visit the My Pyramid interactive site.

Should I go on a diet?

Most diets will not take into account your unique needs and style of eating. Diets are often written in a way that these needs are considered “secondary” to the author’s needs for you to believe him or her. A better approach would be to look at your food intake, not per item or per meal or per day but over a week and look for common themes. Also look at the rest of your life, at things like eating, sleep, stress management, and social networks for clues for change.

Top 10 reasons not to diet

Diets don’t work. You lose weight and gain it right back, often regaining more than you lost (weight cycling).

Dieting is dangerous and causes many deaths and injuries every year.

Diets are expensive and without value.

Dieting cause fatigue, lightheadedness, saps your energy and strength.

Dieting disrupts normal eating, causing bingeing, overeating, and chaotic feeding patterns.

Dieting increases food preoccupation, so half your day or more is spent thinking about food and weight.

Dieting diminishes women, subverting their dreams and ambitions, keeping them playing the anticipation game. There’s more to life than this.

Dieting stunts the growth and development of young people, mentally, emotionally and physically.

Dieting increases size prejudice, making people more judgmental and critical of themselves and others.

Dieting lowers self-esteem, feelings of well-being. Instead, accepting and respecting yourself as you are brings confidence, health and a sense of wellness and wholeness.