Food Psych #225: Intuitive Eating & Health At Every Size FAQs, Part 2 with Ashley Seruya & Christy Harrison
Social worker and anti-diet activist Ashley Seruya joins us for a second FAQ episode, where she and Christy respond to more questions about Health At Every Size®, including what to do if you feel uncomfortable in your body at a higher weight, how to handle chronic illness, why food-intolerance diagnoses are often problematic, the effect of health behaviors versus social determinants of health, what to make of weight-loss “success” stories, the importance of rest, and so much more.
Ashley M. Seruya is a virtual assistant, graduate-level social work intern, and content creator specializing in Health at Every Size, eating disorder recovery, and weight stigma. Her work can be found on her website at ashleymseruya.com and on Instagram at @fatpositivetherapy Digital prints available for purchase at ashleymseruya.com/shop. Join her Patreon to get access to monthly downloads, peer support groups, and more!
We Discuss:
What Ashley has been up to since her last appearance on Food Psych®
What if I’m just “uncomfortable” at this weight?
The role of weight stigma and diet culture
Acknowledging diets don’t work while acknowledging the real physical discomfort that some larger-bodied folks feel
Exploring what “discomfort” means
The pillars of athletics
Comfort and accessibility
Increasing comfort in weight-neutral ways
HAES as a form of self-care
How people with size privilege still experience discomfort
What if I “need to lose weight for my health?”
The harmful side effects of dieting
The link between negative body image and self-hatred
Body autonomy and agency
How does HAES address health?
The effect of health behaviors versus social determinants of health
Oppression and its effect on health
Disordered eating and weight-loss “success” stories
Individualism versus collective care
The social-justice roots of the concept of self-care
The importance of rest
The role of flexibility in self-care and well-being
What does the anti-diet and HAES movement really say about chronic illness and medical nutrition therapy? Why is calling out anti-diet folks for a lack of nuance often a cover for diet culture and disordered-eating behaviors?
The difference between social-media messaging and individual therapy
Stepping outside of diet culture and into intuitive eating
The co-opting of anti-diet and social-justice messages by diet culture and capitalism
The “nocebo” and placebo effects
Why there needs to be more education on critical thinking
Why the democratization of storytelling is a double-edged sword
Food intolerances, their diagnoses, and treatment as an example of diet culture in action
The reductivist nature of science
Resources Mentioned
Some of the links below are affiliate links. Affiliates or not, we only recommend products and services that align with our values.
Submit your questions for a chance to have them answered on the podcast!
My online course, Intuitive Eating Fundamentals
My book, Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating
Help spread the anti-diet message by subscribing to the podcast
Ashley’s first Food Psych episode
Food Psych episode #113 with Sonya Renee Taylor
The Body Is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
Food Psych episode #119 with Ragen Chastain
Food Psych episode #210 with J Aprileo of Comfy Fat
Food Psych episode #139 with Lisa DuBreuil
Ashley’s podcast, Navigating Nuance (available to her Patreon subscribers only)
Food Psych episode #175 with Marci Evans
Food Psych episode #94 with Alan Levinovitz