Alumna to speak on healthy eating habits, body image
Amid the greasy foods that fill college dining halls, an alumna of Syracuse University’s nutrition program is working to emphasize the body image of healthy eating habits.
Cynthia Sass, a nationally acclaimed registered dietitian, will lead the discussion ‘Stop Counting, Start Living’ on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Heroy Auditorium. The discussion will center on taking food’s focus off calories to produce healthier eating habits and on the American culture’s relationship with body image, according to an SU New Services press release on Feb 22.
At the discussion, Sass will also highlight her newest book, ‘Cinch! Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches,’ which helps readers understand the effects healthy eating habits have on bodies and minds, according to the release. The discussion is sponsored by the Nutrition Education and Promotion Association, the Joan Christy Food and Culture Program, and the College of Human Ecology.
College is a constant nutritional challenge with dining hall meals and fast-food chains often providing most students’ meals, said Angela Fish, president of the Nutrition Education and Promotion Association. Pressures to maintain a certain body image can lead to extreme dieting and excessive calorie counting, Fish said.
Thursday’s discussion aims to challenge popular body images and educate students of the various ways food can provide nutrients and health if it is consumed smartly, Fish said. She said she also hopes Sass will show nutrition students how to use their education in new ways after graduation.
‘I think Cynthia Sass shows how much you can do with a background in nutrition,’ Fish said. ‘It’s important for students to know their options as nutrition majors.’
A three-time New York Times bestselling author, Sass co-authored ‘Flat Belly Diet!’ and ‘The Flat Belly Diet! Cookbook’ before writing ‘Cinch!’ Currently she works as a contributing editor, blogger and columnist for Shape magazine and regularly contributes to publications such as Remedy magazine, Tennis magazine and Athlete’s Quarterly, according to the SU news release.
Sass is also one of the first registered dietitians to earn board certification as a specialist in sports dietetics, and she serves as the sports nutritionist for the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays, according to the release.
Sass’ discussion at SU and the information from her book should give insight on how students can implement nutritious eating strategies into daily routines, said Marissa Donovan, fundraising chair for the Nutrition Education and Promotion Association.
‘We thought Cynthia Sass would be a good role model to explain how healthy eating can fit into any lifestyle and how it can become a natural thing people don’t always have to think about,’ Donovan said.
Laura Hollahan, a sophomore psychology major, said she thinks Sass’ discussion will be a useful forum for students to learn the connections between body image and food. The discussion will also be useful for students to learn how to get the most from meals rather than just totaling calories, Hollahan said.
‘I think if you focus on eating nutritionally, you’re more likely to have a better body image,’ Hollahan said. ‘You gain a better outlook on what you’re eating if you think of food as nutrients rather than just a bunch of numbers and calories.’
Published on March 2, 2011 at 12:00 pm
