Excerpt: GODOY: Now, there are people who say, why can’t we separate the issues of health and weight altogether? This is where Health At Every Size comes in. It’s a health paradigm and a social justice movement. Its leading proponent is nutritionist and researcher Linda Bacon. And it aims to celebrate body diversity, challenge scientific and cultural assumptions about weight and teach more compassionate self-care, like finding joy in physical movement and teaching mindful eating. All of this without all the talk about weight.
LINDA BACON: What we know is that everyone can adopt self-care practices to improve health and well-being. We don’t have to focus in on weight status. And the same practices that are going to help heavier people are also going to help people who are more slender.
GODOY: Health At Every Size has found a following among people who are just fed up with diet culture and the stigma that comes with it.
BACON: So we don’t have to invoke weight stigma. We can just support everybody in taking good care of their bodies.
GODOY: I think we could all get behind that idea (laughter).