Background: Eating disorder professionals are aware that the predominant health culture of diet mentality and weight stigma causes harm. In this workshop, we will discuss research, clinical tools and strategies to practice a universal, non-diet approach, helping set a standard for health care that promotes true health without causing harm.
Objectives: 1. 3 specific examples from research illustrating how obesity prevention efforts/weight-focused care are causing some children harm by increasing risk of disordered eating. 2. 3 examples of research that demonstrates that non-diet/weight neutral approaches improve health markers and overall health. 3. At least 3 resources available to health professionals (mental health professionals, RDs, and healthcare providers) to integrate eating disorders/body image wisdom into all parts of our clinical work.
I. Interactive discussion - Challenge to ED professionals practicing in a diet-filled culture
A. Workshop goal: Professional support through information, resources, and interaction
II. Exploring the Research: conventional approaches to combat obesity
A. Research: Conventional approach doesn’t work
1. Weight loss success
2. Adolescents and dieting
3. Children and restrictive feeding
B. Research: Conventional approach doesn’t make sense
1. Weight does not define health
2. origin/evolution of BMI measure
3. Nutrition/Health education in schools
4. Overweight children do not eat more
C. Research: Conventional approach causes some people harm
1. Diets cause Increased risk of disordered eating
2. Weight discrimination causes harm
3. Age inappropriate nutrition and health education causes harm
III. Implementing Non-Diet Approach
A. Define eating disorder recovery wisdom/global approach to practice in a weight neutral way
1. Language is important -- recent resources on language
B. The Non-Diet Professionals’ toolbox
1. Universal Precautions against Eating Disorders, Setnick
2. Intuitive Eating
3. Mindful Eating - Michelle May
4. Ellyn Satter Institute
a. Definition of Normal Eating
b. Division of Responsibility in Feeding
c. Macronutrients/blood sugar relationship
5. HAES
6. Set Point Theory
7. Minnesota Starvation Study, Keys
8. Motivational Interviewing
9. Hunger scales
10. Kater Curriculum
11. The Feeding doctor
12. Geneen Roth--7 Guidelines
13. Meal plans, food records vs. diets
C. Application of the non-diet global approach with clients not diagnosed with EDs
1. Clinical
a. Case examples
b. Establishing expected body weight – biodiversity framework
c. Picky eaters/ARFID
d. Interactive case study
2. Conversations with other professionals
a. Case study examples/role playing – how to be the expert and use evidence to
explain and support your work
b. Resources to recommend to other professionals
3. Community outreach
a. Talking with children about health and nutrition
i. Compare age appropriate and conventional approach to
health/nutrition education
ii. Sample lessons for 3 age groups
iii. Resources for professionals teaching children health/nutrition
4. Casual conversations - how to advocate for a new conversation
IV. Summary/Interactive Discussion
This tension can leave us feeling isolated and burned out. But we also face an ethical challenge to do no harm, even if other professionals disagree with our approach. How do we manage this conflict? Working together and supporting each other, eating disorder professionals can lead the way in demonstrating how a global, non-diet approach can effectively promote health across our population without causing harm.
This workshop will examine the evidence that the dominant nutrition and health messages focusing on weight control and restrictive eating tend to exacerbate the very problem they mean to target, in addition to implicitly promoting disordered eating behaviors. We will provide an overview of a non-diet, eating disorder protective approach, the evidence of its effectiveness to improve health, and discuss the challenges of consistently using this approach in a world with fundamentally opposing values. In this interactive forum, we will provide both specific clinical tools and general strategies to promote a consistent weight neutral, health positive message for all people (not just those with diagnosed eating disorders), supporting one another and working together to change the landscape of healthcare and health promotion.
Anna Lutz is a nutrition therapist with Lutz, Alexander & Associates Nutrition Therapy in Raleigh. NC. She specializes in eating disorders and childhood feeding. Anna received her BS in Psychology from Duke University and MPH-Nutrition from The University of North Carolina. Anna previously worked on the Eating and Body Image Concerns Treatment Team at Duke Student Health and at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. In addition to her private practice, Anna has extensive experience providing local and national presentations to others health professionals, school personnel, students, and parents on nutrition, eating disorders and non-diet strategies to health.
Katherine Zavodni is a nutrition therapist specializing in eating disorders, child feeding concerns, and weight and body image concerns, practicing with an exclusively non-diet, HAES approach. Katherine earned a BA in English and a MPH in Nutrition, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her interest in eating disorders began in graduate school, where she completed her internship at Duke University Student Health, working with eating disorders both clinically and at the environmental level, leading a group of undergraduate peer educators promoting disordered eating awareness on campus. She also works as a freelance writer and editor.
