Why Body Weight is Not a Good Indicator of Health
Nutrition April 2, 2021
By: Registered Dietitians of Nourished Routes
Diet culture, society’s perception of weight and fatness, and politics have shaped our idea of what health looks like for decades. However, our general understanding of what determines health is misguided at best and at worst, utterly incorrect. Fat phobia is still rampant in the United States and abroad, even with the surge of body positivity, respect, and love seen in recent months on social media. Under every Instagram post of Lizzo celebrating her body or influencer being candid about their struggles with body image is a smattering of comments about how being fat is unhealthy, and how weight gain should be avoided in the interest of preserving health. We’re going to address some of the most common myths regarding health and weight, and take a look at why body weight is NOT the indicator of health our society has been convinced to believe it is.
Myth #1: BMI is the gold standard for determining health.
Body mass index, or BMI, was developed during the twentieth century and was intended for use as a statistical exercise for insurance companies, not a medical device to be used for clinical evaluation. Since then, it has turned into a well-accepted determinant of health. The equation for determining BMI was created by a Belgian astronomer, using an exclusively white, European population, making the equation unsuitable for use with different ethnic groups who may have different body compositions. Body mass index is calculated based on an individual’s height and weight, and does not account for variations in body composition, which is shown to be a better indicator of one’s health status than weight alone. The information obtained from BMI also cannot be used to predict health outcomes, meaning as a culture we have learned to obsess over a number that does little to provide any useful information. Over the years, scientists and researchers have advocated for BMI to be discarded due to its ineffectiveness for measuring health and outdated science, but it continues to be used in doctors offices and hospitals around the country.
Myth #2: My doctor recommended I lose weight, and they must be right – they’re a doctor!
Other than the fact that most doctors receive less than the 25 minimum recommended hours of nutrition education during school, present-day attitudes about body size and weight are heavily influenced by cultural attitudes and politics of the past. Prior to the 1900s, physicians were not concerned with body weight – in fact, weight gain was considered a normal and healthy part of the aging process. Diet culture and fatphobia predate the notions that fat = unhealthy, and doctors of the early twentieth century were heavily influenced by the attitudes of the culture, as the number of patients coming for advice on how to lose weight continued to grow. Life and health insurance companies also influenced doctors, presenting dubious science regarding BMI and mortality risk – data based solely off of wealthy, white men. With a culture already entrenched in fatphobia and now monetary interest, it wasn’t hard for doctors to hop on board with the theory that higher weight caused poor health outcomes. Today, weight-based discrimination in many doctor’s offices is prevalent, with fat patients being prescribed weight-loss for disease and ailments that thinner people receive more comprehensive care for.
Myth #3: Fatter bodies are inherently less healthy, and have a higher risk of disease and mortality.
There is no evidence to support that body weight alone is a risk factor for disease or higher mortality. Lifestyle habits such as exercise and diet certainly play a role in our health – sedentary lifestyles and diets high in saturated fats, added sugars, sodium, and excess calories have a strong correlation with the development of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and more. However, there is no evidence to suggest that excess weight causes disease. Hypertension, heart disease, and coronary artery disease, for example, are all diseases that appear in thin people as well. In fact, research suggests that more body fat may even be protective in some diseases. For example, one study found that fit obese men have half the death rate of lean, unfit men. Other studies show that obese individuals with hypertension live significantly longer than thin people with the disease, and are at lower risk of experiencing a stroke, heart attack, or early death. An abundance of research concludes that improving lifestyle factors, such as increasing physical activity, giving up dieting and instead eating a more balanced diet, and quitting smoking have a much more profound effect on overall health than weight loss.
Myth #4: Anybody can lose weight, and those who don’t are just lazy.
There are a number of reasons why a given individual may live in a body of a larger size. These reasons range from hormonal imbalances, genetics, medication use, and more. Our weights are influenced more by our genes than by our habits. Numerous studies looking at pairs of twins have found that even when twins live different lifestyles and have different eating habits, there is little variation in their body sizes or weights. This may be explained by what is called our “setpoint” weight – a range of ten to twenty pounds that our bodies are genetically predisposed to settle in. This is the weight your body will maintain when you have a perfect balance of calories you eat and expend, and is the same range of weights your body will naturally want to get back to even after periods of dieting and weight loss. For some people, this may mean a thin body; for others, a large one. It is also worth noting that access to healthcare, weight stigma, stress, access to safe places to exercise, and availability of nutritious food to eat play a significant role in our health as well.
In Conclusion…
These are just a handful of the misconceptions and myths about health and body weight that prevail in our society, and the dieting industry relies on these myths being regarded as fact in order to continue preying on our fears of weight gain and illness. The truth of the matter is – fat is not the death sentence society says it is, nor is it a marker of moral superiority or health. Rather than encouraging weight loss, let’s shift our focus to encouraging health-promoting habits for everyone, and letting go of the expectation of losing weight to be happier or healthier. After all, there are far worse things to be than fat.
Nourished Routes is a local nutrition consulting company that helps their clients to implement a highly personalized whole foods approach so that they can enjoy food again and achieve a sense of empowerment and food freedom while feeling nourished and ultimately live their best lives. They help their clients feel confident in their food choices, feel less confused about nutrition, and feel energized, all without dieting! Subscribers of Nashville Fit receive a free session with one of their dietitians. You can schedule that here!
Sources:: Health at Every Size, Lindo Bacon | Anti-Diet, Christy Harrison
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Sunda New Asian recently launched #SundaService, a program designed to distribute nourishing meals and relief, to those who have lost their jobs, children who are in need of food, medical workers, and others challenged by the global shutdown in the Nashville community (and Chicago).
“Sunda opened over a decade ago in Chicago during the 2008/2009 financial crisis that caused a lot of hardship and support needed. Our Southeast Asian roots made it natural to reach out and help through comfort food we grew up on, and we have been actively philanthropic and giving to our communities ever since,” says Billy Dec, CEO & Founder of Sunda.
By engaging a national foundation and collaborating with local non-profits like, People Loving Nashville, the #SundaService program has had the ability to provide 100 meals a week to those most in need.
These meals, made with love by the Sunda Family and powered by Dec’s new creative agency, COACT, are geared towards providing comfort and are rooted in Sunda’s Southeast Asian background. Past meals have included Green Curry Chicken, Adobo Chicken and Rice, and Basil Chicken.
For more information about the #SundaService program and how you can get involved, visit https://SundaNewAsian.com/Service.
With locations in both Chicago and Nashville, Sunda New Asian is an award-winning concept featuring modern Southeast Asian cuisine and experiences. By seamlessly melding elevated cooking techniques and flavors found throughout Asia, Sunda’s extensive cross-cultural Asian menu spans many cultures and price points, allowing guests to choose the dining experience they desire. Sunda also provides an impressive list of specialty cocktails, Asian beers and red, white and sparkling wines to complement the cuisine. For more information, visit https://SundaNewAsian.com.
The Curious Case of the Carnivore Diet
Nutrition July 1, 2020
by Dr. Brittney McGetrick
Op-Ed: Dr. McGetrick is the owner and operator at Evergreen Chiropractic in Nashville on Music Row. Along with being a Gonstead chiropractor, Dr. McGetrick is also a Registered Dietitian, certified kettlebell instructor and follows a strict carnivore diet. In this article, Dr. McGetrick discusses her opinions on the benefits of following a carnivore diet. Remember to always seek the advice of your health care provider with any questions you have regarding your health and diet.
The carnivore diet is one of the latest diets to gain popularity over the past few years, although there are indigenous populations that have been thriving on it for thousands! The concept behind it is fairly simple. Eat nothing but animal products ranging from steaks, fish, and eggs to organ meats, bone broth, and head cheese.
There is a lot of positive praise for the diet, but the question still remains. Is it completely crazy, or the missing piece you never knew you needed to heal your body?
Before I get into all the juicy details about carnivore, I want to give you a bit of my story and how I transitioned from being vegan to eating a fully carnivorous diet.
My name is Dr. Brittney McGetrick, I am a registered dietitian and a chiropractor here in Nashville! When I was 19 years old, I read a book about factory farming and how gross the meat packing industry was and I was convinced. I went vegan. I stayed vegan for 1 year and then spent another 5 as a vegetarian who would sometimes eat fish (I came back to dairy for 2 words: ice. cream.).
Despite all those years of eating tons of fruits and vegetables, I have never been healthier than when I incorporated red meat back into my diet. I did it for my joint health, because as a vegetarian, I had chronically inflamed wrists. They would get so bad that I could not do yoga, I would get them adjusted which would help a little, but they still were in a lot of pain. One of my mentors had mentioned that he found, clinically, chronic wrist inflammation was linked to zinc deficiency. What is the best source of zinc in the diet? Red meat. So after 6 years of being vegetarian, I decided to give it a try. I incorporated red meat back into my diet for 1 meal per day and my wrists got SO much better. Within 1-2 weeks I was able to do all the yoga I wanted, the adjustments I got from my chiropractor actually held, and my wrists felt fine! After that, I was sold. I transitioned to a more paleo way of eating and cut out gluten soon after, which also had positive health effects on my body. About a year after that I transitioned to a full carnivore diet.
Within one week eczema that I had had for months was completely gone! I had steady energy levels throughout the day, no more afternoon crash after lunch. I no longer had to be neurotic about having snacks with me at all times because I felt a steady level of satiation for hours, no more food baby level fullness to a hangry state roller coaster! I gained muscle mass easily with very little exercise, and now 2 years into eating carnivore, maintaining my weight has never been a problem! I achieved these results through a diet of steak, eggs, bacon, ground beef, and some cheese. No vegetables, grains, or fruits!
But I thought red meat was bad for me? If you have listened to the mainstream nutrition narrative for the past 50+ years, this is likely what you have heard: red meat causes cancer, red meat is bad for heart health, saturated fat is going to clog your arteries! Unfortunately for the health of Americans, those statements are simply not true. There is a lot to unpack when it comes to this, but it all boils down to low-fat/low red meat guidelines were based on faulty nutrition research. We have since debunked the red meat/cancer hypothesis, red meat/heart health hypothesis, and the saturated fat and clogged arteries hypothesis.
New findings take a long time to hit the mainstream narrative, so we might actually hear about that from our government or in hospital food policies in 30 years. If you want to take a deep dive into that rabbit hole, Paul Saladino does a great job breaking down the science in his book “The Carnivore Code” and I have a module on the topic in my online carnivore diet program “Heal Your Body”.
Who is this diet good for? Many people come to the carnivore diet after they have tried everything else to improve their health with little to no results. It is a great diet for people suffering from gut issues (IBS, Crohn’s, Colitis, etc), autoimmune conditions (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.), skin issues (eczema, psoriasis, acne), and food sensitivities. The carnivore diet is essentially one of the purest forms of an elimination diet that a person can eat. Carnivore also has huge benefits for people looking to lose weight and reverse type 2 diabetes. People on the carnivore diet have had blood work done before carnivore and after going carnivore and have seen C-reactive protein levels drop to almost zero. C-reactive protein is a marker of inflammation. The carnivore diet helps the body to calm down, stop fighting fires caused by many food reactions (most of which we are not aware of), and heal many of the above named conditions.
Does everyone need to be 100% carnivore for the rest of their lives? No. I love using this diet as a re-set: we take the body back to a baseline of health, and from there we can experiment with adding foods back into the person’s diet to see how they react, building a 100% personalized diet for each individual. Many people do not realize how much their bodies react to different plant foods, and many times symptoms get overlooked because most doctors and health coaches are not looking for plants to be the problem. Plants have been assumed healthy and safe for so many years, it seems crazy to consider not eating them!
If you feel like you aren’t getting the answers you need and you want more from your health, I would be happy to work with you! I offer online nutrition coaching that is centered around a meat-based diet. You can find me on instagram @dr.mcgetrick or on my website www.carnivorecountry.com
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Allison Tallman is the Co-owner of Nourished Routes, with a focus on nutrition therapy based on whole foods, 100 percent transparency, and evidenced-based information. See nourishedroutes.com for more info.
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