NAAFA is Proud to Support Dr. Regina Benjamin

OAKLAND, CA, October 08, 2010 (Press-News.org) NAAFA would like to thank Dr. Regina Benjamin for her message of support for Health At Every Size (HAES). We strongly support her message that people should eat healthy foods and participate in movement that one can enjoy on an ongoing basis, independent of body size. There are many scientific studies that support the fact that body size is not an indicator of health.

A 2005 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that significant improvements in overall health can be made, regardless of weight loss, when women learn to recognize and follow internal hunger cues and begin feeling better about their size and shape.

Recent findings from the Mayo Clinic conclude that overweight and obese men with moderate fitness had mortality rates similar to those of the highly fit normal-weight reference group.

Dr. Linda Bacon stated in her book, Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight, that "Health at Every Size (HAES) is the new paradigm, providing a compassionate alternative to the war on obesity. No harm comes from supporting people of all sizes in adopting good health behaviors."

A recent study of a new school garden program in Berkeley, California showed increased nutritional knowledge among 4th and 7th graders who were fed a steady stream of gardening and cooking curriculum, vegetable intake was almost one serving per day greater and yet there were no detectable differences in academic test scores or body mass index based on differences in their exposure.

In July of this year, NAAFA sent a letter and packet to the Surgeon General stating our position and including resources on size discrimination and HAES. NAAFA is proud that we have a Surgeon General who understands that a thin body does not equal health and a fat body does not equal disease. We encourage our members, supporters and others to let her know you support her HAES message for adults and children. Please call 301-443-4000 to express your support.

Web video: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/

Founded in 1969, NAAFA is a non-profit civil rights organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy, and member support.

On the web: http://www.naafa.org

For more information contact:
Peggy Howell, Public Relations Director, NAAFA
email: naafa_pr@yahoo.com phone: (707)246-6116