Why Being a HAES Practice is Important

At Nourishing New Hampshire we believe that having a Health at Every Size (HAES) approach to care is vital. HAES is a movement that goes against the typical weight-driven approach to medical care, and uses more neutral indicators of health to prescribe interventions.¹ Studies have shown that implementing a HAES approach results in clinically significant improvements in physical and psychosocial findings.¹ The reason HAES approach has these significant results is because it eliminates the weight bias that clients may have experienced in many environments in their daily lives. Weight bias puts emphasis on weight being indicative of power, intelligence, hygiene, and motivation.² Having this constant bias placed upon someone can result in significant mental health challenges including eating disorders.² Weight bias in the medical field greatly influences the care that individuals receive and can result in poor care or even no care for these people. Our job at Nourishing NH is to break this cycle and provide care that truly influences peoples’ lives. 

How HAES Will Impact Your Care at Nourishing NH.

With our HAES approach to care, our Dietitians do not use weight as the primary indicator of progress. Instead, we use realistic goals that are unique to each client. This allows individuals to have autonomy in their care, providing a more comfortable environment for them. We feel this is important because it allows clients to step away from the weight stigma they may experience in their daily lives. At Nourishing NH we strive to provide a safe space for all of our clients, while providing science-based nutrition care. 

If you are in search of seeking nutrition services, please feel free to reach out to our amazing team via our contact page.

Sources: 

Bacon L, Aphramor L. Weight science: evaluating the evidence for a paradigm shift. Nutrition Journal. 2011;10,9. 

Alberga AS, Russell-Mayhew S, M von Ranson K, McLaren L. Weight bias: a call to action. J Eat Disord. 2016;4(34).