If you’ve had a chance to read any of the Am I Hungry? white papers, you know the evidence is clear that the restrictive, weight-focused approach to health is not only ineffective, but often counterproductive and harmful to well-being. As awareness of this evidence grows, the tide is turning toward a non-restrictive, mindfulness-based, weight-neutral approach to eating and health.
One recent example of interest in this shift came from the Employer Healthcare and Benefits Congress. This annual event is one of the largest in the healthcare, corporate wellness, and health promotion industries, bringing together hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals for discussion, learning, and networking.
Not only was Am I Hungry? Founder, Dr. Michelle May, invited to speak at this conference, EHBC also published an article in the online and print editions of their Corporate Wellness Magazine written by Dr. May and me titled “Mindful Eating: Shifting the Focus from Weight to Well-being.” In this article, we summarize the evidence for why to stop trying the same old restrictive, weight-focused tactics and we laid the foundation for a new paradigm approach to eating and health.
Another example of broadening interest in new paradigm strategies is my recent interview on the Redesigning Wellness podcast. Corporate Wellness Consultant Jen Arnold and I had a jam-packed conversation about the dangers of continuing the weight-focused approach to health that’s so common in the workplace and what to do instead.
Beyond these events, the trend is the same. More and more individuals, organizations, and publications are interested in exploring an approach to well-being that is holistic and mindfulness-based, that addresses behavior change at a root cause level, and that does not position weight as a proxy for health. If you’re a health or wellness professional interested in supporting or leading this paradigm shift in your own world, you’re in the right place at the right time!
If you missed our article in Corporate Wellness Magazine (or if you only read the print version, which was abbreviated), check out the fully referenced article in its entirety here. You can listen to my podcast interview here. On our website, we also offer a wide variety of complimentary resources such as newsletters, printable articles, PowerPoint presentations, and more that can help you effectively spread the message. Click here for a complete list.