Overview
This lab will focus on health at every size (HAES).
Nutritionism is defined as “the fixation on nutrients at the expense of content and experiential knowledge of food and eating” (Scrinis, G., 2008 and Coveney 2006, as cited in Sturtevant and Kinavey, 2016). Similar to the old adage, “Can’t see the forest through the trees,” when an individual becomes consumed, in this instance, with a number, meeting a guideline, or consuming a specific macro, their ability to see the big picture of overall “health” is clouded. In missing the big picture, they may actually be harming themselves in their efforts to help themselves.
There is something to be said for intuitive eating and embracing the health at every size (HAES) approach (https://www.intuitiveeating.org/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/ (Links to an external site.) and https://asdah.org/health-at-every-size-haes-approach/ (Links to an external site.)). How does the role of body mass index (BMI) play into this? What is body mass index? Explain why our country consumed with it and fixated on categorizing people into buckets of underweight, healthy, overweight, and obese?
References
Sturtevant, D., & Kinavey, H. (2016). Nutritionism. Benourished.org/nutritionism
Instructions
These are the steps to complete the assignment. There are four parts to this assignment.
Part 1: Define BMI
Be specific. Please include the mathematical formula used to calculate BMI, but be sure to also break down what body mass index really is. Review the categories of BMI.
Part 2: Calculate BMI
Feel free to calculate your own BMI or the BMI of someone of interest. Note that it is relatively easy to find an individual’s height and weight with a simple Google search (include your reference!). List the name of the individual whose BMI you are calculating. Show work. Yes, there are automated calculators on the internet, and you can use one to check your work, but please calculate the BMI using the equation from above.
Part 3: Compare/Contrast BMI and Individual Plan
There are three sections to this part of the assignment.
Designate where the BMI you calculated in the previous step falls according to the standard tables (underweight, normal, overweight, and obese).
Develop a dietary plan for the BMI value calculated above, for two different scenarios.
Intuitive Eating Approach (
Calorie-Focused Approach
For both scenarios, you need to be specific. What kinds of foods are you (or the individual whose BMI you have calculated) taking in and why? Develop a day’s worth of eating. For the Intuitive Eating Approach, explain the rationale behind food choices, using the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating to guide each meal. For the calorie-focused approach, include how many calories you plan on taking in and why, and you also need to develop a day’s worth of eating with specific foods and portions.
Develop an exercise plan for the BMI value calculated above. The goal of this section is to develop a weekly plan that incorporates all of the components of a sound fitness program (flexibility, endurance, strength training, body fat, and cardiovascular), as well as discuss specific exercises that addresses each of those components. Provide 7 days of exercises and/or activities.
Part 4: Summary
Explain why body mass index and healthy at every size are in conflict with each other.
