MSU graduate student Deb Bassett said she didn't know anything about RUBI before her dinner was cooked by a member of the group Monday night at BD's Mongolian Barbeque.
As Respecting and Understanding Body Image members took over the long grilling swords and began flipping meats and vegetables, they also were raising consciousness and money for National Eating Disorders Awareness Week at the end of February.
In addition to cooking at the restaurant, 2080 W. Grand River Ave. in Okemos, RUBI members educated customers about the group's efforts to help people improve their body images and their relationships with food.
All tips and donations went to the group's awareness week events, such as Wednesday Without Worry, when RUBI members distribute Twix bars to students on campus. Group members say the idea of a healthy diet is eating in moderation.
"It might seem counteractive, but a healthy diet and healthy balance can include things we like and eating out," said nutritional sciences senior and RUBI President Tina Metropoulos. "If we restrict ourselves, we end up miserable."
These kinds of groups are crucial for people struggling with eating disorders, who often feel they are alone, said Bassett, who has a friend with an eating disorder.
"The woman I know still struggles with it, and she's 40," she said. "One of the biggest things people deal with is when they go out with people to eat."
In fact, according to RUBI's Web site, between six and eleven million women and men in the United States struggle with eating disorders, and 35 percent of "normal dieters" progress to pathological dieting.
In an MSU study four years ago, at least 5 percent of females and 2 percent of males reported being diagnosed with an eating disorder, and the number of people with unhealthy attitudes about food is much higher, said Ronda Bokram, adviser for the group and nutritionist at Olin Health Center.
People need to hear the message about positive body images, said RUBI member Tracy Smith.
"It's a huge issue right now, with everyone's New Year's resolutions," the nutritional sciences sophomore said.
"Everybody's grabbing on to the latest fad diet, and they just don't work."
But DeWitt resident Nancy Bareham, who dined at the restaurant with her family, said although the group might help older people, healthy eating needs to be learned at an earlier age. Bareham said she already is teaching her two young children about nutrition.
"It all starts at home with how kids are raised to respect their bodies," Bareham said. "People abuse their bodies, whether it is by eating too little or too much."
