As a student dietitian, I sometimes hold back telling people what I’m studying because common reactions are …
“Oh gosh, you’d be horrified if I told you what I ate for breakfast. I was so bad.”
“So should I order these chips? I really want the chips, but I shouldn’t because they’re bad. What do you think, should I get the chips?”
“My GP said I need to lose 5kgs, but I really want to have this piece of cake – please don’t judge me.”
I completely understand why some people react this way – they were things I would have said in the past too.
Which is exactly why I am studying dietetics.
Not that I think I can change the world, but I do hope I can become the kind of dietitian who is able to:
– dispel food myths and take out the confusion of nutrition
– show people that they can eat without fearing judgement
– explain that foods are not “good” or “bad” (unless a slice of cake robs a bank?); and
– empower people to enjoy all food in moderation.
It is my hope that by doing this, people will be able to make more informed food choices that will improve their relationship with food and ultimately their health (both physically and psychologically).
I hope to do this through the Not Diet Approach and Health at Every Size paradigms.
Let me explain what I mean by this.
The Non Diet Approach is an evidence-based clinical approach underpinned by the Health At Every Size (HAES) values.
HAES is a trademarked entity of the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) and exists to help people of all sizes find compassionate health care.
This approach is used when working with adults who have weight concerns. Instead of focusing on weight-based outcomes, Non Diet clinicians focus on adopting other positive health thoughts and behaviours.
It is shaped by 5 principles:
Weight Inclusivity – this is about accepting that there are a myriad of body shapes and sizes and a person’s health is not exclusively determined by what they weigh on the scales. We do not and should not make it an illness to be living in a larger body if there is no illness present.
Health Enhancement – this is about social justice and making sure people of all sizes getting the right care at the right time.
Respectful Care – this is where we look at weight stigma, weight discrimination and weight bias, and acknowledge that a person’s environment such as social, race, gender, cultural, political and socioeconomic circumstances are drivers that can impact on weight and health.
Eating for Well Being – this is about working with a patient to promote flexible and individualised eating patterns based on hunger, satiety, nutritional needs and pleasure rather than being regulated with a restrictive eating plan that is focused on controlling weight.
Life Enhancing Movement – supporting people of all sizes and abilities to engage in joyful movement at the level of their choice.
There are a lot of important elements mentioned within these five principles, so there’ll be blog posts discussing each of these soon.
In short, the Non Diet Approach is a compassionate, weight neutral practice that is helping to shush the food police and smash the diet culture world we live in. And this student dietitian can’t wait to get involved to help people find peace with food, especially pie.