What is HAES and how does nutrition fit

HAES stands for Health at Every Size and is a health centred rather than weight centred paradigm  seeking to honour genetic diversity and promoting healthy lifestyles for everyone. HAES changes the way we see weight and attempts to address the social justice issues that accompany size discrimination. 

The following are key components of HAES:

• celebrates body diversity
• honors differences in size, age, race, ethnicity, gender, etc
• challenges scientific and cultural assumptions
• values body knowledge and peoples lived experiences
• finding the joy in moving ones body and being physically active
• eating in a flexible and attuned manner that values pleasure and honours internal cues of hunger, satiety and appetite, while respecting the social conditions that frame eating options

Now isn't that a more well rounded way of seeing health? 

Although I consider all these key components, as a dietitian I focus most on the last point as it relates to eating. So let's delve in to that. 

eating in a flexible and attuned manner

Eating should be easy. It should be a background thing, something that doesn't take up too much thought or time. We might be on the road and need to stop by the shops to get a few bananas. We could have little in the fridge and have to make do with limp broccoli, rice and a packet sauce. This is part of normal eating. Of course we should put some thought into making nutritious choices and caring for ourselves but the problem is when we place food on too high a level, and we're stressing about veggies eaten, macronutrients, calories etc. When we think back to being kids and how and what we ate, I'm sure we struggle to really remember! Because we saw food as food and were naturally intuitive eaters. 

values pleasure

Pleasure gets a bad rap in todays world. People tend to approach health as a duty or obligation - its easy to see why New Years Resolutions never last! I believe pursuing health can be one of the most pleasurable things we can do when done right. When we are enjoying what we eat, doing feel good movement and taking loving care of ourselves we have a high chance of maintaining healthy behaviours. What sounds healthier? Eating a tub of ice-cream really fast standing outside the freezer or savouring a small bowl when relaxed and in the mood for ice-cream? When we allow ourselves to eat any food we feel like and really enjoy it we are able to not have it when we don;t feel like it. 

honors internal cues

Our body consists of many hormones that keep our body in a state of balance. A few of these hormones are to ensure we know when to start eating and when to stop. Grehlin is the hungry hormone that signals to your brain that you need food. When you start eating another hormone Leptin starts to tell your brain that you are getting food and soon won't need anymore. If we are eating according to these internal signals we never need to count calories again. We have a much better, much smarter regulator of food intake. There are cases where these hormones are out of whack and you need some assistance in balancing them again. For example, in women with PCOS insulin is higher than normal which makes you hungry regardless of grehlin/leptin levels. This is because the body glucose receptors are not allowing insulin to enter and release glucose for energy. There are many ways to help balance these hormones. If you would like to know more, get in touch. 

respecting social conditions

We will experience many different setting and environments when it comes to eating. Remember food is largely social so our eating pattern should reflect this. If we are out with friends it is normal to share in that meal, if we are at our grandparents for lunch we wouldn't leave all the carbs to the side of the plate and if we are at the movies it is ok to get popcorn. Looking at food from this perspective can help us to see what normal eating is.  And that different occasions call for a varied and flexible way of eating. Food does not need to and shouldn't need to get in the way of spending time with loved ones and friends.