Many people assume that seeing a dietitian means being told what to eat, how much to eat, or how to lose weight. However, for many people, particularly those with a complicated history with food, traditional diet-focused nutrition advice can feel more harmful than helpful.

That’s where a HAES dietitian comes in.

What does HAES mean?

HAES stands for Health at Every Size. It is a weight-inclusive, evidence-based framework that challenges the long-held assumption that body weight alone determines a person’s health, worth, or well-being. It recognises that health is influenced by many factors, including access to healthcare, stress, socioeconomic status, mental health, sleep, food security, movement, and social support – regardless of a person’s size, shape, or number on the scale.

The HAES framework is grounded in the five core principles:

·      Weight Inclusivity – accepting and respecting the natural diversity of body shapes and sizes

·      Health Enhancement – supporting health-promoting behaviours that improve well-being without focusing on weight change

·      Respectful care – providing care that is free from weight stigma, shame, blame, or judgement

·      Eating for well-being – encouraging flexible, personalised eating based on hunger, satiety, and pleasure rather than rigid food rules or restrictive diets 

·      Life-enhancing movement – supporting movement that feels good and is sustainable, rather than exercise as compensation or punishment

HAES does not mean ignoring health concerns or suggesting that all bodies are healthy in their current state. Rather, it recognises that health is complex, multidimensional, and influenced by far more than weight alone.

What does a HAES dietitian do?

A HAES dietitian provides nutrition support without making weight loss the central goal. Instead of focusing on the number on the scale, they support clients to build sustainable, realistic, and compassionate health behaviours. Several key approaches define how a HAES dietitian works.

They do not prescribe weight loss. Instead of setting goal weights or calorie deficits, a HAES dietitian supports clients in building eating patterns that feel nourishing, flexible, and sustainable. Progress is measured through improved energy, mood, relationship with food, and quality of life.

They support intuitive eating. This helps clients reconnect with their body’s natural hunger and fullness cues after years of dieting, restriction, or disordered eating. This involves unpacking food rules, rebuilding trust with the body, and learning to eat in response to internal cues rather than external guidelines.

They address the relationship with food. A large part of HAES-aligned dietetic practice involves exploring a client’s history with food, dieting, and body image. This might include identifying patterns of emotional eating, restriction, or bingeing and working through these in a non-judgemental way.

They challenge weight stigma. HAES dietitians actively work to create safe, weight-inclusive spaces where clients are not weighed routinely, not made to feel shame about their body, and not given advice centred on shrinking themselves. Rebuilding trust is a meaningful part of the work, as many clients arrive having experienced significant weight stigma in healthcare settings.

Who would benefit from working with a HAES dietitian?

HAES-aligned care is not reserved for a specific type of client only. Working with a HAES dietitian may be helpful for anyone who wants support without dieting, restriction, or body shame.

This may include people who:

·      Have a history of dieting and feel stuck in a cycle of restriction, guilt, and starting over

·      Are in eating disorder recovery, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, etc

·      Are neurodivergent, which can affect interoceptive awareness, appetite regulation, and eating patterns

·      Live in a larger body and have struggled to access respectful, unbiased healthcare

·      Have received weight-focused advice from healthcare providers that felt unhelpful, harmful, or dismissive

·      Want to improve your relationship with food and your body without the goal of weight loss

·      Simply want nutrition support that feels kind, flexible, and sustainable

What to expect in a HAES dietitian appointment?

A HAES dietitian appointment may feel different from a traditional weight-focused nutrition appointment. 

You will generally not be weighed during the sessions.

They will likely explore your relationship with food and your body, your eating history including any past dieting or restriction, your current eating patterns and any concerns you have, your lifestyle, any relevant diagnoses, and what you are hoping to get from your sessions.

Together, you may work on practical goals, such as intuitive eating or mindful eating, building regular and adequate eating patterns, working through fears or anxieties around specific foods, developing a more compassionate and curious relationship with your body, and practical nutrition education that is relevant to your health needs or concerns in a way that does not rely on restriction, shame, or weight loss as the central goal.

The overall tone of HAES appointments is collaborative, non-judgemental, and client-led. Your dietitian is there to walk alongside you, provide evidence-based support, and help you find an approach to eating that works for your unique body, life, and circumstances.

How to choose the right HAES dietitian?

Finding the right HAES dietitian is an important step and it is completely reasonable to take your time and advocate for the kind of care you deserve. Here are some things to consider.

·      Look for an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) registered with Dietitians Australia. This ensures they have met the required training and professional standards.

·      Check their approach and language. Terms like weight-neutral, weight-inclusive, non-diet, or HAES will typically be used to describe their practice. Be cautious of practitioners who use HAES language but still promote weight loss programmes or before-and-after transformations.

·      Consider their area of specialisation. Some dietitians specialise in eating disorders, others in chronic disease, or general wellbeing. Finding someone with experience in your specific area of concern can make a significant difference to the quality of support you receive.

·      Trust how you feel. You should feel heard, respected, and safe in your appointments. It is okay to seek care elsewhere if something does not feel right, whether that is the language being used, the advice being given, or simply the overall vibe.

FAQs about HAES dietitians

Is HAES evidence-based?

Yes. HAES framework is grounded in a growing body of research that challenges the effectiveness and safety of traditional weight-loss-focused interventions. Studies have shown that the majority of people who lose weight through intentional dieting regain it within two to five years, often with additional weight gain. 

Research supporting HAES-aligned approaches suggests that weight-neutral interventions can lead to meaningful and sustained improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol levels, physical activity levels, eating behaviour, body image, and psychological well-being, without the physical and emotional costs associated with repeated weight cycling.

Can a HAES dietitian help with binge eating?

Yes. A HAES dietitian can support people experiencing binge eating, emotional eating, or feeling out of control around food. When the body and mind experience prolonged food deprivation, the drive to eat large amounts of food in a short period can become overwhelming. A HAES dietitian approaches binge eating by working to address the factors that underlies it. This could be restriction, irregular eating, rigid food rules, stress, emotions, body dissatisfaction, or a history of dieting. A HAES dietitian may help build regular eating patterns, reduce guilt around food, identify triggers, respond to hunger and fullness cues, and develop more compassionate coping strategies.

Can a HAES dietitian help with ADHD?

Yes. ADHD can affect eating in many ways, including appetite regulation, planning meals, remembering to eat, sensory preferences, impulsivity, and executive functioning. A HAES dietitian with experience in ADHD can support clients with these challenges without judgement. They work with clients to develop flexible, low-barrier eating strategies that work with ADHD brain. This might include building simple, accessible meal and snack options that require minimal executive function, finding ways to support adequate eating during the day when appetite is suppressed, exploring the relationship between ADHD, interoception, and hunger and fullness awareness, and addressing any patterns of disordered eating that may have developed alongside ADHD, such as binge eating.

Can a HAES dietitian support PCOS, diabetes or gut health?

Yes. A weight neutral approach does not mean avoiding medical nutrition therapy. It means delivering it without weight loss as the primary goal. HAES-informed care focuses on practical, evidence-based strategies that support clients’ health and symptoms. This may include regular meals, adequate nutrition, fibre, protein, carbohydrates, meal timing, gut symptom management, blood glucose support, joyful movement, sleep, stress, and other lifestyle factors. 

In all of these areas, a HAES dietitian brings the same evidence-based medical nutrition knowledge as any other dietitian. The difference lies in the framework through which that knowledge is applied.

Can I work with a HAES dietitian if I still want to lose weight?

Yes. If you come to a HAES dietitian wanting to lose weight, you will not be judged or turned away. However, they may gently explore where the desire comes from, what dieting has been like for you in the past, and what you are hoping to feel or experience in your body. It is important to understand that weight loss will not be prescribed, tracked, or used as a measure of success. This is not because your experiences or concerns are dismissed. It is because the evidence suggests that intentional weight loss is rarely sustainable long-term, and that pursuing it can cause harm, particularly for people with a history of disordered eating.

How does HAES differ from weight-loss-focused nutrition advice?

The differences are significant. In weight-loss-focused practice, the primary outcome is a reduction in body weight. In HAES practice, the goal is improved health, well-being, and relationship with food, independent of what the scale says. A weight-focused dietitian might track weight changes or calorie intake. A HAES dietitian tracks things like energy levels, eating regularly, reduction in binge episodes, improved relationship with food, sleep quality, and psychological well-being.

Weight-loss nutrition advice often involves calorie counting, macronutrient targets, portion control, and lists of foods to eat or avoid. HAES nutrition advice focuses on building flexible, enjoyable, and sustainable relationship with food, guided by internal body cues rather than external rules.

Weight-focused approaches position the body as something to be controlled, changed, or overcome. HAES approaches encourage curiosity, respect, and compassion towards the body, recognising it as something to be listened to, not fought against.