What Is Health at Every Size (HAES)? A Salt Lake City Therapist Explains
Health at Every Size (HAES) is an approach that’s important not only in eating disorder recovery, but also in improving body image concerns and building a more compassionate relationship with yourself. HAES is becoming more widely known, though this may be the first time you’re hearing about it. Before we dive deeper, it’s important to understand why this conversation matters —especially for women in Salt Lake City who often feel caught between pursuing “health” and protecting their mental well-being.
Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions that frequently center around the drive for thinness and the pursuit of weight loss. They can be physically harmful and emotionally exhausting. We live in a culture that is deeply preoccupied with being thin and striving for perfection. The reality is that thinness is not attainable — or sustainable — for many bodies, and the pressure to achieve it can come at a high psychological cost. Many women I work with, including those seeking binge eating disorder treatment in Salt Lake City, Utah, describe experiences with medical providers who framed weight loss as necessary for “health.” What often followed was not improved well-being, but increased food preoccupation, disordered eating patterns, and greater emotional distress. This raises an important question: Is there a more supportive and sustainable way to approach health? That’s why we’re talking about Health at Every Size.
What is a health at every size approach?
“Health at every size" (HAES) is a movement and approach to health that focuses on overall health and body acceptance. Rather than the traditional focus on weight loss or reaching a certain body weight or size to maintain health, HAES focuses on health-promoting behaviors. HAES defines health across several different categories including physical, mental, and social well-being, rather than just the absence of disease or a certain body weight.
The HAES approach focuses on intuitive eating, which involves listening to your body's hunger and fullness cues. Intuitive eating is about honoring your body and finding satisfaction in what you eat while at times honoring it with gentle nutrition. and eating in Intuitive eating also focuses on exercise or movement that feels enjoyable for your body rather than obligatory or punishing.
The HAES approach challenges the idea of weight as a sign of health and how this can be harmful in health care. HAES emphasizes the importance of people getting quality healthcare and being treated with compassion without blaming all issues on weight or prescribing weight loss. It's not to say some people don't find improvements in their health through weight loss. However, HAES suggests promoting weight loss for health is necessary or good for everyone. Instead, it supports individuals in finding their own unique path to health and well-being, regardless of their body size or shape.
What are the five principles of health at every size?
Health at every size has five principles that help promote an overall view of health. The principles help to promote more of what health looks like without focusing on just weight as an indicator of health.
1. Weight inclusivity
Having respect for different body shapes and sizes and not discriminating against people based on their body sizes. Health at every size is about having a non-judgmental and weight-neutral approach.
2. Health Enhancement
HAES encourages pursuing health by adopting habits and behaviors that improve physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Health is multifaceted and all areas should be focused on to promote wellness rather than solely on weight.
3. Respectful care
All people deserve compassion, dignity, and the choice to make decisions for their health that are best for them regardless of shape, size, or ethnicity.
4. Eating for well-being
HAES focuses on an intuitive eating approach that involves listening to your body, honoring your hunger and fullness, and practicing mindful eating.
5. Life-Enhancing Movement
Utilizing joyful and mindful movement that is sustainable and enjoyable is an important part of health. Exercise is about well-being rather than punishment or weight-loss
How does health at every size help in eating disorder recovery?
HAES can be powerful for eating disorder recovery as it focuses on body acceptance and helps takes the focus off of weight and dieting. Focusing on health at every size approach helps promote a more positive relationship with your body and with food. Many of the women I have worked with in eating disorder therapy have started their disordered relationship with food because they were told they needed to lose weight for their health. There is a way to focus on health without trying to manipulate your weight or restricting calories or food groups. Haes is not about controlling your body but learning to trust and accept your body for what it is.
HAES-Informed Eating Disorder Therapy in Salt Lake City, Utah
If you’re exhausted by treatments that keep pulling the focus back to weight, there is another way forward. A Health at Every Size (HAES)–informed approach centers your emotional health, your relationship with food, and your sense of safety in your body. In sessions, we work on reducing shame, rebuilding body trust, and understanding the patterns that keep disordered eating in place without framing recovery around the scale.
For women in Salt Lake City, this means you can access specialized, weight-inclusive eating disorder therapy that supports real healing rather than another cycle of pressure and self-criticism. If you’re ready to explore a different path, you can learn more about binge eating and eating disorder treatment in Salt Lake City here.
Working with a HAES therapist in eating disorder therapy in Salt Lake City can make the difference
When you are learning to trust your body, overcome disordered eating, and let go of body image issues, you need the focus on overall health and well-being that doesn’t involve dieting and weight loss. You need to be able to work with a therapist who you know isn’t going to focus on your weight or body size as an indicator in recovery, but one who helps you get in tune with your body, become an intuitive eater, and work on the underlying negative beliefs you have about yourself.
Start working with a health at every size therapist in Salt Lake City, Utah
You can learn to move beyond an eating disorder and feel safe working with a therapist who is weight-inclusive. You don’t have to keep feeling like this, and there’s someone who can help. Maple Canyon Therapy utilizes a health-at-every-size approach to eating disorder therapy. To begin counseling, follow the steps below:
Meet with a Health at Every Size therapist
Start eating disorder recovery
Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah
It can be hard to access an eating disorder therapist in many parts of Utah, and when you are struggling with an eating disorder, you must work with someone who knows how to help. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. I want you to be able to have accessible therapy without having to travel or commute. Online Eating Disorder Therapy is just as effective as in-person therapy but much more convenient.
Online Counseling means I work with clients all over the state of Utah. I work with clients in Salt Lake City and all throughout the State.
Therapy Services for Women in Salt Lake City
Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only therapy offered. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include anxiety therapy, body image therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, EMDR therapy, birth trauma therapy, counseling for college students, and more. Schedule a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation to explore how I can assist you.
About the Author
Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Maple Canyon Therapy, serving women in Salt Lake City and throughout the state through online therapy. She has a master's degree in social work from Utah State University as well as a bachelor's in psychology and a bachelor's in family life and human development from Southern Utah University. Ashlee has worked with eating disorders since 2013 and loves using a HAES approach in helping women recover from their eating disorders. She believes that self-compassion and body neutrality can make a big difference when letting go of your eating disorder.