Joel Ramdial, a registered dietitian and dietetic internship director at Southeast Missouri State University, will be the keynote speaker Feb. 26 at a presentation highlighting events during Eating Disorders Awareness Week Feb. 26-March 3.
Ramdial will present How to Create a Healthy Relationship with Food at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26. He will investigate some of the many factors that influence our relationship with food and discuss strategies to build or repair that relationship.
Eating Disorders Awareness Week events will begin with the SOCKIT TO ED campaign to raise awareness about eating disorder prevention from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Feb. 26 in the University Center third floor lobby. Participants will decorate fun socks for a SOCKIT TO ED photo. Crafting supplies and socks will be provided. Photos will be uploaded to https://www.facebook.com/groups/SockitToEDglobal/.
An eating disorders recovery panel will discuss recovery experiences of several individuals who have overcome eating disorders and how they are learning to cope from 5:30-6:45 p.m. Feb. 27 in the University Center Redhawks Room. Mary Ann Farmer, a Southeast counselor with expertise in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders, will also be present to facilitate discussion and answer questions.
A documentary titled All of Me will be shown at noon Feb. 28 in Crisp Hall Room 125. This powerful documentary focuses on the lives of women, girls and some boys who are caught in the downward spiral of eating disorders and their struggle to regain a sense of self-compassion and healing.
Nicole Petrillo will present a free BarreBody class at 6:30 p.m. and a Dance Fit class at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 in the Student Recreation Center Group Fitness Studio.
Southeast dietetic interns will give a presentation titled Unraveling Unfamiliar Disordered Eating Behaviors: Discussion and Trivia Challenge at 6 p.m. March 1 in the University Center Redhawks Room. The presentation will focus on lesser known disordered eating behaviors and engage the audience in a trivia challenge.
Concluding the week will be a presentation on Mindful Eating/Portion Control at 11 a.m. March 3 in Robert A. Dempster Hall Room 126. At this session, members of the Southeast Student Dietetic Association will discuss the importance of mindful eating and portion control. Samples of fruit pizza will be provided.
Throughout the week, free and anonymous screenings from University Counseling Services staff and volunteers will be available for those wishing to determine whether they may be at risk for developing an eating disorder. These screenings will be available for 30 minutes before each event, except the two group fitness classes Feb. 28 and the Mindful Eating/Portion Control presentation on March 3.
A life-size Ken and Barbie will be on display at Recreation Services throughout the week. Those who are interested may join the #SEMObodyproud campaign, participate in various activities, get information and enter a drawing for chances to win door prizes.
The weeks events are sponsored by Counseling and Disability Services, the College of Health and Human Services, the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology, the Department of Communication Disorders, the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, the Department of Human Environmental Studies, the Department of Nursing, the Department of Social Work, the Department of Psychology, the Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts, Recreation Services, the Southeast Department of Athletics, the Student Dietetic Association, the Redhawk Health Educators, the Office of the Dean of Students and the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity.
About the Feb. 26 Keynote Speaker
Ramdial is a registered dietitian and an American College of Sports Medicine-certified personal trainer. He has been an instructor in Southeasts dietetics program since fall of 2013. Ramdial became the director of the dietetic internship at Southeast in 2017 after serving as the assistant director in 2016. His passions include providing nutrition education in the community and immersing students in collaborative nutrition education projects. Research interests include benefits of nutrition education, nutrition education strategies, and the relationship between nutrition and school performance and retention. After completing both his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Southeast, Ramdial completed his post-graduate dietetic internship at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in St. Louis, and is currently completing a Doctorate of Education through the University of Missouri.
For further information on the weeks events, contact Dr. Jeremy Barnes, professor of health promotion in the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, who chairs the Eating Disorders Awareness Week Committee, at jbarnes@semo.edu or (573) 651-2782.
**Photo Caption: Joel Ramdial