HealthNotDiets Digest, Issue 23, 2019
June 7 - June 13, 2019
As always, if you like what you read here, please support the original author by liking/sharing/following/up-voting/subscribing directly to their feed.
Happy reading!
Articles & Blogs
New research hub promotes holistic approach to Indigenous well-being
by Rachael Knowles
"We understand research has had negative impacts on community in the past, so we want to change that power imbalance. We want to have community direct the things that we do”
Fatphobia Is Ruining My Female Friendships
by Mandy Cowley
"I have attempted to unpack my own fatphobia, destigmatize the word “fat” and disengage from diet culture. But when I turn to the women around me and tell them I’m uncomfortable with the judgmental comment they just made about another woman’s body or their own body, or when I ask them to consider not using the word “fat” in a derogatory manner, they mostly get defensive and angry.”
Nike’s Plus Size Mannequins Uncover the Truth About Weight Stigma
by Ragen Chastain
“A diversity of body sizes has always, and will always, exist. And people all along that spectrum of sizes deserve seats that accommodate us, and clothes that fit us and that we like, including but not limited to sweat-wicking capris leggings, and mannequins shaped like us so that we have the same experience shopping that thin people do.”
Patients Of Size Are Being Harmed In ED Recovery. This Printable Resource Aims To Help.
by Sam Dylan Finch
"The long game, obviously, is dismantling fatphobia wherever it exists. But there are people in treatment right now who need support. So, with the input of Shira and some fabulous babes in recovery, I created this printable letter that patients of size can give to their providers.”
Ultimate limit of human endurance found
by James Gallagher
The research...also showed pregnant women were endurance specialists, living at nearly the limit of what the human body can cope with."
CW: includes calories as a unit of energy expenditure during endurance tasks
Ethics and anti-obesity campaigns
By Margaret Steele
“By sending the message that it is possible, public bodies contribute to fat stigma and weight bias, while also obscuring the crucial role of social and environmental factors in obesity and in health more generally.”
Smash the Wellness Industry
by Jessica Knoll
"The diet industry is a virus, and viruses are smart. It has survived all these decades by adapting, but it’s as dangerous as ever. In 2019, dieting presents itself as wellness and clean eating, duping modern feminists to participate under the guise of health.”
CW: mention of dieting behaviors and calories in context of own dieting history before finding intuitive eating.
Why I'm Trading Body Positivity for Fat Acceptance
by Amee Severson
“A person actively doing the work to change their beliefs about their own body is doing amazing and healing work, but in a world that fosters a fatphobic culture, this journey can feel lonely.”
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross wrote the book on grief — then found herself stuck in one of her five stages
by Fiona Pepper and Stephanie Corsetti
"It's 50 years since Swiss-born pioneer in death studies Elisabeth Kübler-Ross wrote her classic text, On Death and Dying.The book introduced readers to the "five stages of grief" model she had developed to explain how people cope with death.Then in 1995, following a series of strokes, Kübler-Ross was confronted with the prospect of her own death."
Medical misinformation and the internet: a call to arms
by Jen Gunter
“It is hard for people to wade through the quagmire that is the medical internet. Bad information is everywhere, fear sells, and the lure of the cure is real. In our 24/7 news cycle a misleading medical story can spawn many erroneous articles. Sometimes the content is actually accurate, but the headlines are incorrect. And let's face it many of us, doctors included, don't always read to the end of a story."
Advocating For Yourself At The Doctor As A Fat Person Isn’t Easy – Here’s Where To Start
by Comfy Fat
"The best way to get in with a doctor you can trust is from word of mouth via someone who has similar values as you do. It can also help you know which professionals to avoid."
Study points to need for care in inappropriate use of stigmatising terms in weight management
by University of Otago, Wellington
“The use of stigmatising terms when referring to people with...[higher] weight adds to the existing discrimination and weight bias in healthcare settings, particularly when the terminology is associated with broader moral perceptions and judgements about the individual being described”
CW: still weight centric
In this piece it’s interesting that they’ve acknowledged the trap of the words perceived as most stigmatizing as also being the ones perceived as ‘most motivating’ for trying to lose weight, and a problem with this. Of course the big problem is it’s still asking the question ‘how do we make people more motivated to lose weight?’ How about focus on actual health instead??
Nike introduces plus-size mannequins to London store
by Emily Dickson
“With the incredible momentum in women’s sport right now, the redesigned space is just another demonstration of Nike’s commitment to inspiring and serving the female athlete.”
There’s no such thing as ‘bad food.’ Four terms that make dietitians cringe.
by Ellie Krieger
“The fact that people, who are trying to do right by their heath, actually question if fruit is bad for them is a window into how distorted our society’s view of food is.”
Research & Clinical Practice
Association Between Life Purpose and Mortality Among US Adults Older Than 50 Years
By Aliya Alimujiang, et al
“This study’s results indicated that stronger purpose in life was associated with decreased mortality. Purposeful living may have health benefits.”
Alimujiang, Aliya, et al. "Association Between Life Purpose and Mortality Among US Adults Older Than 50 Years." JAMA network open 2.5 (2019): e194270-e194270.
Unpacking Weight Science Podcast
How about bite-sized podcasts that you can claim as professional development?!?
I've designed the Unpacking Weight Science Podcast to suit health professionals, health science students and anyone who wants to know more about human body weight, health outcomes, interpreting weight related research and the far ranging effects of weight bias.
The 20-30 minute monthly podcasts unpack different elements of weight bias & stigma, weight research, BMI, health behaviours and weight neutral approaches. Paid subscribers (only $5/month!) get instant access to the previous 15 episodes plus full show notes, reference list, self-test quiz and resource materials for use in practice. This equates to an hour of professional development activity each month :-)
Available for subscribers now is:
'Health at Every Size Intervention Research Update'
Ep 23: This episode looks at the components and outcomes of interventions for individuals based on the Health at Every Size principles. I take a look at the randomised controlled trials by Bacon, Mensinger and Ulian in order to highlight intervention themes and outcomes as well as describe the characteristics and usage of quantitative and qualitative research in this field.
Subscribe now at: https://www.patreon.com/UnpackingWeightScience
and instantly access 18 episodes before the rest of the world!
Episodes 1-5 are now on iTunes!
Search 'Unpacking Weight Science'
to listen to them for free!
Training Opportunities in 2019
FACE-TO-FACE
Fremantle, Western Australia, 26-27 June
Auckland, New Zealand, 7-8 October
Melbourne, Victoria, 12-13 October
Newcastle, New South Wales, 21-22 November
ALL DISCIPLINES WELCOME
Perth, Western Australia, 28 June
Auckland, New Zealand, 9 October
Melbourne, Victoria, 11 October
Newcastle, New South Wales, 23 November
ONLINE (SELF-PACED)
Want these 'live'? Then follow me on Twitter (@FionaWiller), Facebook (@HealthNotDiets) and Instagram (@FionaWiller)
Want more info about the non-diet approach or unpacking weight science? Resources include books, courses, workshops and handouts: visit www.healthnotdiets.com
See anything you think I'd like to share or comment about? Post in the comments below or email me at fiona@healthnotdiets.com