Ep. 14: Radical Dietician - Lucy Aphramor

EB014  The Radical Dietician - Lucy Aphramor  Lucy Aphramor is the Radical Dietician and the Naked Dietician. She believes we must fundamentally change the way we talk about health. In her Well Now approach, social justice and equality become the center and beginning of every conversation about health. For example, how can we talk about food and exercise without talking about access? Her approach integrates social factors, pays attention to trauma, and supports people to improve their overall wellbeing. The Well Now approach has effectively helped people of all shapes and sizes manage health conditions such as heart disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), high blood pressure and so much more. Additionally, she has effectively helped hundreds of people overcome body shame, eating disorders, and depression by staying committed  to promoting respect, dignity, and equality for all.  Lucy was the figurehead at the Health at Every Size movement and is co-author of the book Body Respect with Linda Bacon.  She joins me today to discuss her current model - Well Now - and what has inspired her to become a dietician. She shares her insights on how the stress of prejudice can play a role in health, how she brought the Health at Any Size approach to the National Health Service, and the impact historical trauma can have on health and so much more. This episode also uses clips from Lucy's poetry performance, The Naked Dietician.   “Telling your story to a caring witness has a metabolic impact... that switches off the stress response.” - Lucy Aphramor  This Week on the Every Body Podcast:  The importance of looking at all parts of a person’s story struggling to overcome an eating disorder  Studies that show that our health behaviors are between 5% to 25% of the difference in health inequalities  Why finding a way to bring social justice into the healthcare system is important  How changing the language around weight loss and weight correction can impact body positivity and self-esteem challenges around the world  How thinking about well-being from a justice, power, and historical trauma lens can impact the way we think about health  How Well Now helps people get away from the binary mindset about what’s healthy and what’s not healthy  Conversations that need to be happening in our society  Where she believes intervention needs to start    Connect with Lucy Aphramor:  Well-Founded  Body Respect: What Conventional Health Books Get Wrong, Leave Out, and Just Plain Fail to Understand about Weight book by Lucy Aphramor and Linda Bacon  Poetry Work  Rate, Share, & Inspire  Thank you for joining me this week on the Every Body podcast. If you enjoyed this week’s episode, head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave a review to help us spread the word to Every Body!    Don’t forget to visit our website, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and join our mailing list so you never miss an episode!