Many resources on campus can help you practice healthful and mindful eating, which means paying attention to what you eat and making smart choices. There is also support for disordered eating and body-image concerns.
Learning to eat well
- Nutrition and Fitness: Community Wellness at MIT Medical offers this course for physical education credit through the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (DAPER). Topics include the components and benefits of a healthy diet and physical activity, as well as tips on achieving personal goals and boosting productivity.
- Contact: 617-253-4291
- Email: mitpe@mit.edu
- Nutrition Coaching, MIT Recreation: Whether your goal is weight management, improved athletic performance, or managing a medical condition, MIT Recreation’s nutrition program can provide you with the tools you need to sustain a meal plan that fits your lifestyle.
- To register for nutrition coaching, login to your DAPER account, select the “Account Information” box, then select the “Buy Series Sales” box from the options that appear. On the Purchase Sales Series page, select “Nutrition” from the second dropdown menu.
- Community Wellness Group Health Coaching Classes: Community Wellness at MIT Medical offers a group health-coaching class seven times a year. “Creating the Healthy Life You Want” provides opportunities for reflection and help with breaking down your goals into realistic, incremental, weekly experiments. Number of participants is limited, and each class member chooses the goals they want to work on.
- For more information and/or to register, visit our Classes & Programs page.
- Student wellness consultations: MIT students may meet with a Community Wellness health coach for up to three sessions of health and wellness coaching.
- To request a student wellness consultation, email wellness@med.mit.edu.
Resources for eating and body-image concerns
- Primary Care Providers: Contact your primary care provider (PCP) or another MIT Medical clinician about the role of nutrition in managing an eating disorder, diabetes, blood pressure, or other health conditions.
- Nutritionist: An MIT Medical registered dietitian/nutritionist can provide consultations for eating disorders and other dietary and medical needs. You will need a referral from a primary care provider (PCP) at MIT Medical.
- Eating and body image support groups for students: For more information about groups at MIT Medical, email wellness@med.mit.edu
- Student Mental Health & Counseling Services: Make an appointment with a mental health clinician to discuss issues with disordered eating and body image concerns.
- MyLife Services: MyLife Services provides free, confidential services for life concerns to faculty, staff, post-docs, and their family members. Services include short-term counseling and nutrition consultation, as well as referrals to counselors in your community.
Weight-management reimbursement
Members of all three employee health plans—the MIT Traditional Health Plan, MIT Choice Plan, and MIT High Deductible Health Plan—are eligible for reimbursement of expenses related to participation in qualified weight-management programs. Qualified programs are Weight Watchers meetings, Weight Watchers at Work, and hospital-based weight-management programs. Learn more and download the reimbursement form.
Certain Community Wellness classes may also be eligible for the weight-management reimbursement. To find out if a particular class qualifies, call Blue Cross Blue Shield Member Services at 1-800-882-1093. No classes prior to January 1, 2019 are eligible.
