What We’re Reading

The Fuck It Diet by Caroline Dooner has become my go-to book for patients who are interested in reading about intuitive eating. Do not let the title fool you; while this book is indeed a casual, informal, and humorous read, its substance is on point. Better than any other text I have read to date on the subject, this volume directly addresses the pitfalls and misunderstandings that people commonly encounter while traveling down the intuitive eating path. – Jonah

What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon explores the contrasts between weight stigma and thin privilege in greater depth than any other resource I have encountered thus far. Despite the numerous conversations, blogs, podcasts, articles, and other works that I have absorbed, this book significantly increased my understanding and empathy for people who endure fatphobia, and I strongly recommend it for family members and friends who do not yet “get it.” – Jonah

Rethinking Thin by Gina Kolata: The author shows that our society’s obsession with dieting has more to do with money, power, trends, and impossible ideals rather than just keeping trim and being healthy. A must-read for anyone who has tried diet after diet without success. – Joanne

Beyond a Shadow of a Diet by Judith Matz and Ellen Frankel is a fantastic resource that discusses not only how to apply a non-diet approach to nutrition, but also the rationale behind it. While the book is written for practitioners, patients of mine who wanted to take a deeper look into the evidence behind their treatment plans have found it to be a very helpful resource. – Jonah

Lessons from the Fat-o-Sphere: Quit Dieting and Declare a Truce with Your Body by Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby: Another great read about accepting our bodies for what they are and respecting ourselves. – Joanne

Wellnesss, Not Weight by Ellen Glovsky: Wellness, Not Weight is one of the most thorough, well-written and helpful texts we have read on the use of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Health at Every Size® (HAES®) to help individuals manage their health and weight. Not only is this book very accessible for the lay person wanting to learn more about MI and HAES®, it is also a fabulous resource for health care professionals who want to help their patients achieve optimal wellness. In addition to explaining why the traditional weight-centered health interventions rarely result in healthy outcomes, the contributors help to explain the concept of the “non-diet” approach to eating and how HAES® and MI techniques can help individuals improve their health and wellness. Definitely a must-read for health practitioners! – Joanne

Health Food Junkies: Orthorexia Nervosa: Overcoming the Obsession with Healthful Eating by Steven Bratman: Dr. Bratman coined the term “orthorexia nervosa” to describe the excessive preoccupation that many of his patients (and at one point himself) have with healthy eating. The healthy eating is not the problem per se, but the indivdual’s fixation on eating the perfect diet can result in unhealthy obsession, malnutrition, and in some cases, even death. – Joanne

Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight by Linda Bacon: This book discusses the Health at Every Size (HAES) movement, which is based on the notion that good health can be achieved no matter what your size. It encourages individuals to eat in a flexible manner that values the pleasure of food while also honoring the body’s hunger, satiety, and appetite cues. It also stresses the importance of participating in physical activity for the joy of movement, rather than just using it as a tool for weight control. Studies have shown that HAES helps individuals achieve better health as well as improve their self-esteem more so than traditional diets. – Joanne