Healthy At Every Size (HAES) and Intutive Eating

What is HAES?

  • HAES, or Health at Every Size, is a research-based trans-disciplinary movement and clinical apporach that challenges the value of promoting weight loss and dieting behavior and argues for a shift in focus to weight-neutral outcomes.
  • Instead of focusing on weight management, the focus of HAES is health promotion
  • HAES says that weight alone is not an indicator of health.
  • Primary intent of HAES is to support improved health behaviors for people of all sizes without using weight as a mediator.

What HAES is not:

  • NOT saying that all people are healthy
  • NOT saying that nutrition and exercise have no impact on health
  • NOT anti-weight loss
  • NOT saying that weight never has an impact on health
  • NOT a means to "have an excuse" and "give up"
  • NOT just about intuitive eating
  • NOT ONLY for those in larger sized bodies and/or those with Binge Eating Disorder

Intuitive Eating

What is intuitive eating?

  • A well-defined evidenced-based model with a validated tool and 10 principles
  • Health-based model, not a weight centered model
  • Studies on intuitive eating show indicators of:
      • Great physical health: glycermic control, lipid levels
      • Better relationship with food and body
      • More joy in eating
      • More body appreciation
      • Wider variety of food
      • Correlates opposite to ED/Disordered eating
      • Lower BMI without idealizing the thin ideal
      • Better self-care: more proactive coping mechanisms
      • Higher interoceptive awareness

Intuitive Eating Principles

1. Reject the Diet Mentality

2. Honor your Hunger

3. Make Peace with Food

4. Challenge the Food Police

5. Respect Fullness

6. Discover your Satisfaction Factor

7. Honor Feelings without Food

8. Respect your Body

9. (Intuitive) Exercise - Feel the Difference

10. Honor your Health (with Gentle Nutrition)