Embracing Health at Every Size® (HAES®): Your Guide to Intuitive Eating with our Nutritionist Counselors in NYC

Apr 19

Written By Madi Marks, MPS, RDN, LDN, CDN

Introduction

As a Health at Every Size® (HAES®) aligned practice, we believe in ensuring healthcare is accessible to all people, regardless of their size or why they are that size. An extremely common misconception in today’s culture that has found its way into many medical professional’s offices is that people are in larger bodies due to a neglect of their health, noncompliance, or even laziness. In other words, personal choice and actions are believed to be the driving forces dictating an individual’s shape and size.

Studies have shown providers are more likely to prescribe weight loss strategies rather than symptom management for treatment of health concerns in patients with larger bodies. Recommending weight loss is not only unlikely to yield results, but furthermore can lead to more physical ailments and emotional/mental health complications. In actuality, anywhere from 40-70% of height and body mass are determined by genetics.

We have seen firsthand how this weight stigmatization can lead to a hesitance and resistance to pursuing and receiving quality medical care. These negative associations with larger bodies can cause significant harm in healthcare, leading to distrust and delays in seeking care. Then, once these individuals do pursue care, we are seeing providers recommending weight loss as treatment for a wide array of medical problems instead of treating the issue at hand.

Discover a compassionate approach to nutrition counseling in NYC that focuses on Health at Every Size® (HAES®) and intuitive eating principles. Our team of experienced nutritionist counselors in NYC is here to support you on your journey toward holistic well-being.

Understanding HAES®

The Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) is committed to promoting size inclusivity and challenging conventional weight-centric approaches to health. HAES® serves to pursue health behaviors as a compassionate avenue of self care using the following principles:

Weight inclusivity
Health enhancement
Eating for well-being
Respectful care
Life-enhancing movement

HAES® recognizes that weight and size are not a result of our choices, but instead a complex mixture of genetic, environmental, behavioral and socio-economic factors. Our NYC-based nutritionist counselors provide inclusive, respectful, and empowering guidance to help you embrace HAES® principles. Our work can help break down barriers to separate health from weight and size, respect autonomy, and pursue dignity and respect for all bodies. We honor and promote body diversity, because even if everyone ate and moved exactly the same, there would still be variety in body shapes and sizes.

Navigating Intuitive Eating with HAES®

Intuitive eating (IE) can transform your relationship with food and body. IE includes the following principles:

Reject the diet mentality
Honor your hunger
Make peace with food
Challenge the food police
Discover the satisfaction factor
Feel your fullness
Cope with your emotions with kindness
Respect your body
Movement - feel the difference
Honor your health with gentle nutrition

In working with our nutritionist counselors in NYC, you can learn to honor your hunger, respect fullness and cultivate a mindful approach to eating. By shifting the focus away from weight loss and external measures of eating/fullness, we can work to cultivate connections to internal cues and interoceptive awareness. This personal process of reconnecting to the deeper self can help you honor your health by listening to your body. Together we can cultivate the foundation needed to live a more fulfilling life, regardless of shape or size.

HAES® to Overcome Disordered Eating

Despite diet culture messaging of today’s society, losing weight is not the only avenue that can be taken when it comes to taking care of yourself. We provide personalized guidance to promote healing and resilience on your journey to recovery. In taking a weight neutral approach, we will work to build sustainable lifestyle interventions in pursuit of overall well-being. Our team of HAES®-aligned nutritionist counselors in NYC will work with your individual weight experiences and discover strategies for overcoming disordered eating behaviors with compassionate support.

Cultivating Body Positivity

We know that when people feel better within themselves, they are more likely to engage in sustainable health promoting behaviors. Using HAES®, we push back against weight stigma and the prejudice that people living in larger bodies experience day to day. These prejudices elicit personal shame and can be a significant barrier to engaging in healthier behaviors.

The desire to manipulate one’s size is a direct effect of diet culture. Our nutritionist counselors in NYC work to celebrate diversity and challenge societal norms. A focus on weight and weight loss further perpetuates the concept that weight is a result of behavior and something that can and should be manipulated. Longstanding cultural biases about body size and shortcomings in scientific understanding of weight and health further push the belief that weight is a matter of personal responsibility and willpower. Learn how to embrace body positivity and foster a positive body image as part of your HAES® journey.

Nourishing Mind, Body, and Soul

Oftentimes weight stigma is not only uncomfortable to live with, but can contribute to the poor health outcomes that we see disproportionately affecting people with higher-weight bodies. This can cause physiological stress, leading to higher levels of cortisol, which in turn contributes to weight gain. Additionally, weight stigma may lend itself to chronic stress. Depending on an individual’s coping techniques for stress, this may further exacerbate health problems. It is possible that a correlation exists between poorer health outcomes in people in larger bodies and the way they are treated by the world for their size.

Here at Nourishing NY, we can explore a holistic approach to health and wellness. By treating the whole person, we will take a compassionate look at how your environment, emotional/mental health and holistic health impact well-being. In working with our HAES® nutritionist counselors in NYC, you can discover the importance of self-care, joyful movement and mindfulness in nurturing overall well-being.

Empowering Change

In working with our nutritionist counselors in NYC, you can get practical tips and tools for implementing HAES® and intuitive eating principles into your daily life. As a HAES® aligned practice, we will always advocate for sustainable behavioral modifications and personalized support. By offering actionable strategies to empower you on your journey toward sustainable health and happiness, together we will work towards repairing your relationship with food and body.

Start Your HAES® Journey Today:

Ready to embrace Health at Every Size® (HAES®) and cultivate a positive relationship with food and body? Contact our nutritionist counselors in NYC today to begin your transformative journey toward holistic well-being.

HAES® Nutritionist That Accepts Insurance

We understand firsthand that finding affordable access to quality care when seeking nutrition counseling can be discouraging and frustrating. We accept most major insurances and collaborate with other healthcare providers as needed to ensure you receive the best care possible during your treatment. Click HERE to learn more about each insurance provider.