Nutritional Wellness at Dartmouth College
Our Nutritional Wellness team is comprised of Dartmouth College dietitians, medical providers, athletic trainers and counselors who work together to provide integrated support for students with nutritional concerns or eating disorders.
Our philosophy of care
We believe that the best way to improve health is to honor your body. We assist students in adopting healthy habits for the sake of health and well-being. These principles include:
- Accepting and respecting the natural diversity of body sizes and shapes
- Eating in a flexible manner that values pleasure and honors internal cues of hunger, satiety, and appetite
- Finding the joy in moving one's body and becoming more physically vital
Nutrition Services
Our Dartmouth College Health Services (DCHS) dietitian provides nutrition counseling for students seeking information and guidance about their dietary needs and practices, and students who need (or want) to adhere to a special diet.
Our Registered Dietitian can support you in your efforts to:
- Evaluate and understand your dietary and nutritional needs
- Develop nutritional strategies to your support health, fitness, or athletic goals
- Better understand the connection between fueling, metabolism, and physical and mental health
- Navigate barriers to healthy eating such as managing time, stress and anxiety, complicated food environments (dining halls, learning to cook for oneself), and competitive and recreational sport training and competition
- Eat well while following a special diet (related to a medical condition, or to a personal choice such as vegetarianism, etc.)
- Cultivate a positive body image
For more general nutrition information visit our Nutrition Resource page.
Support for disordered eating concerns
If you are struggling with disordered eating or an eating disorder – or if your feelings and behaviors related to body image and eating begin to impede your ability to participate in and enjoy life– it's important to seek help.
Even occasional binging, purging, restricted eating, excessive exercise, or body obsession can negatively impact your health and your ability to study and learn.
- You can make an appointment with any of the providers at DCHS to discuss any concerns related to your nutrition, eating, or body image. When necessary, your provider can connect to additional support. To make an appointment, book online or call 603-646-9401.
- You can also connect directly with our Nutritional Wellness Support team members to evaluate your current health and habits, and – when appropriate – provide medical care, counseling, and ongoing support to help you optimize your health and well-being. We can also provide specialized referrals for treatment outside the scope of DCHS.
If you are concerned about someone else: You can speak with a member of the Nutritional Wellness Support team to consult about a student, and brainstorm about how to refer someone to treatment. Call us at 603-646-9401 and ask to speak with a Nutritional Wellness Support provider. Learn more about disordered eating, and about how to help a friend. If you have a history of disordered eating and have been actively working with a treatment team at home we are happy to work with your team to ensure seamless coordination of care.
(The Dartmouth NWST model of care is informed by the Health at Every Size philosophy with credits to Cornell Health).