Health At Every Size (HAES)
The Health At Every Size (HAES) approach promotes eating and exercise as means to well-being and prioritizes individual needs, pleasures and preferences over external diets or weight control plans. This approach is in line with research indicating that restrictive diets focused on weight loss are often correlated with negative health outcomes and even eating disorder diagnoses.
The HAES approach is a tool for combating weight stigma and decreasing discrimination based on a person’s weight. It offers a framework for healthcare and public policy that respect and value all bodies, and that do not view weight as a primary determinant of health. (1)
The 5 Principles of HAES
1. Weight Inclusivity: People come in all shapes and sizes, and size does not equate to health.
2. Health Enhancement: Practices that promote health are those that increase access to services as well as promote spiritual, physical, economic, social, emotional and other needs.
3. Life-Enhancing Movement: Movement should be accessible to all bodies, and people are free to choose to what extent they engage in it.
4. Eating for Well-Being: Eating in an intuitive manner is more pleasurable, healthful and sustainable than a rigid “diet” focusing on controlling weight.
5. Respectful Care: Be aware of biases and provide an environment that helps decrease weight stigma and discrimination.
Debunking Common Myths
Myth #1: Heath At Every Size is against weight loss.
HAES is a weight-neutral approach, meaning weight is not used to measure health. It does not encourage intentional weight loss nor does it criticize unintentional weight loss in response to healthy behavior changes. HAES’ primary focus is on supporting healthy behaviors rather than focusing on weight loss, such as eating nourishing meals and enjoying physical activity.
Myth #2: Health At Every Size encourages obesity and unhealthy habits.
HAES is centered on eating for well-being. It accounts for nutrition, but from a place of balance and adding nourishing and satisfying foods to meals instead of restricting certain foods. HAES does not support dieting. Nutrition is still important to HAES as it is a health-promoting behavior.
Myth #3: Research shows that weight loss is the cause of improved health.
Most studies only show the short term effects of weight loss. There are very few studies looking at long-term effects of weight loss because most people aren’t able to maintain weight loss for the long-term and often gain the weight back and then some. More importantly, weight loss diets are restrictive by nature, and this has psychological effects that can lead to disordered eating and over eating. The HAES research shows that weight neutral-approaches can lead to improved diet patterns and body acceptance while decreasing weight cycling and disordered eating.
Key Take-Aways
Health at Every Size (HAES) is a growing movement advocating for a more inclusive definition of a “healthy” body. It teaches that weight should not be the most important measure of health, and that overall health can improve with positive lifestyle changes at any size.
Obesity remains a public health issue as it is linked to increased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. Adults with obesity are more likely to try fad diets and many experience weight cycling (repeatedly losing weight and gaining it back).
A few studies have shown that weight cycling may actually add to the current disease risk of obesity by increasing inflammation and altering fat tissue. Physical activity, one pillar of HAES, improves metabolic health by reducing inflammation. Intuitive eating, another important piece of HAES, is linked to decreased episodes of binge eating and improved hunger cues in participants with both low and high BMI.
Through these practices, individuals may even lose weight naturally, though it is not a usual goal of HAES. However, health benefits for cardiovascular disease and diabetes show up after even small amounts of weight loss. It is more valuable to shift your focus towards small, sustainable lifestyle changes for a healthier body, as we know from research that chronic dieting can do more harm.
To your food freedom,
Julianna Szatmari MS, RDN
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Medical Nutrition Therapy and Intuitive Eating Expert
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