This week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

Eating disorders are illnesses with symptoms of compulsive eating habits often related to weight management or emotion control. More than 24 million Americans suffer from eating disorders — the majority are between ages 18 to 25.

The two main types of eating disorders are anorexia, in which a person consumes small amounts of calories each day and exercises to lose even more weight, and bulimia, in which a person binges and purges. According to National Eating Disorder Association, 25 percent of college women will participate in binging and purging as a method of weight loss. Both disorders are very dangerous to a person’s physical, emotion and mental well-being, with consequences that can stretch years after the person has abandoned the disorder.

For National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, the Technician is going to bring you a series of articles that will bring to light the effects and causes of eating disorders and their consequences. Each day, a new article in the Features section will touch on another element of eating disorders.

Staying healthy, without going to extremes

Eat a big breakfastBreakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day for a reason.

According to Registered Dietitian Lisa Eberhart, breakfast raises and maintains the body’s energy throughout the day.

“Consume most of your calories when it’s light outside,” Eberhart said.

Eberhart’s dietetic intern Lizzy Wenzell shares the same beliefs.

“You should make breakfast the biggest meal, think about how many calories you burn during the day,” Wenzell said.

The number of calories burned during the day versus the number of calories burned at night is why Stephanie Sobol of Healthy State said she believes that everyone should eat breakfast.

“Skipping breakfast usually means eating more calories later on,” Sobol, associate director of health promotion, said. “Our metabolism naturally slows down at night, and your body will start to store food as fat.” Stay hydratedStaying hydrated is a key to proper fitness. Both Sobol and Eberhart said everyone should consume 64 ounces of water a day.

“People who don’t drink water overeat at night,” Eberhart said.

Eberhart also said students should limit their alcohol consumption.

“Calories from alcohol are stored as body fat,” Eberhart said.

Sobol shares the same sentiment, but in reference to juices and sodas.

“Juices and sodas are empty calories, so you want to limit consumption to about 12 ounces a day,” Sobol said. Make smart food choicesWhen it comes to eating, Linda Friend, the program assistant for fitness, said there are no bad foods — only bad choices.

Sobol said she believes that along with eating a combined five cups of fruit and vegetables each day, there are various simple choices students can make to improve their overall eating habits.

“If you’re eating at Chick-fil-A, substitute something grilled for something fried, eat Wolf-approved choices in the C-Store and vending machines, and eat foods such as fiber and protein that make you feel satisfied,” Sobol said.

Eberhart also offered simple ways to eat healthier.

“First, be aware of what you’re eating,” she said.

Eberhart said making time to sit down and eat your meals is a great place to start, and also suggested using the University Dining Web site’s nutrition calculator to be aware of calories consumed. Exercise“Exercise is beneficial throughout your entire life, so you want to get 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week,” Natalie O’Farrell, assistant director for fitness, said.

And Sobol said the benefits of exercise are not only physical, but mental as well.

“Exercise is a great stress reduction technique, and it improves brain functioning,” she said.

Although exercising with a friend and choosing workouts that appeal to each individual can help students incorporate exercise into daily routines, students should not be discouraged if they can’t complete a full workout.

“Something is better than nothing when it comes to moving your body,” Sobol said. Sleep at least seven hoursEberhart recommends getting at least seven hours of sleep each night — if students fall into a pattern of little to no sleep, they could consume more calories.

The amount that one sleeps plays into the amount of calories they consume because of hormone levels, Wenzell said.

“Because your hormones get thrown off, it causes people to eat more,” she said. Utilize on-campus resourcesAccording to Friend, there are cheap or free resources on campus for those wanting healthier lifestyles.

“You would be surprised how often we are just here, we have so many resources at such a good value,” Friend said.