When Wellness Becomes Harmful
This post is written from a clinician-informed perspective and examines how wellness culture can contribute to disordered eating and eating disorder risk within systems of oppression.
“Wellness” has become a loaded word, especially within the eating disorder community. According to the Oxford dictionary, wellness means “the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal.” However, society often defines health narrowly. As a result, dominant wellness narratives promote a limited and oppressive standard shaped by weight stigma in health care.
In many healthcare settings, providers assess wellness based solely on appearance or weight. Consequently, lived experience and access to care receive far less attention.
Clinicians want their patients to be well. So what does wellness truly mean? Through cultural expectations, wellness culture often prioritizes abled, thin, cisgender, and white bodies. Therefore, clinicians must actively broaden their definition of health. By doing so, they can support more inclusive and ethical care.
At the same time, these wellness messages can unintentionally harm individuals navigating eating disorders.
When wellness culture becomes a standard for worth or “goodness,” it can intensify eating disorder vulnerability.
Rethinking Wellness Culture
These patterns show how toxic wellness narratives overlap with diet culture and disordered eating.
Challenging Wellness Culture and Eating Disorder Harm in Clinical Practice
Below are five ways clinicians can disrupt harmful wellness beliefs and support eating-disorder-informed care.
1. Recognizing biases shaped by wellness culture
First, clinicians can reflect on their own beliefs about wellness. Which standards continue to influence clinical judgment? Importantly, providers should ask whether these beliefs arise from individual needs or broader systems of oppression.
2. Health at Every Size (HAES) and disordered eating prevention
Next, clinicians can educate themselves and their clients about Health at Every Size (HAES). Health exists across body sizes and shapes. Therefore, providers should avoid defining wellness by appearance or assumed health.
3. Discussing eating disorder risk in wellness narratives with peers
Additionally, clinicians can share these reflections with colleagues. By naming the limits of popular wellness narratives, providers help shift professional conversations toward more inclusive definitions of health.
4. Reducing disordered eating messages beyond the therapy room
Moreover, clinicians can extend these discussions into broader community spaces. When people challenge wellness myths in everyday settings, they reduce the harm these messages cause.
5. Creating space for recovery beyond narrow wellness standards
Finally, clinicians can prioritize compassion and continued learning. For example, they can evaluate whether physical spaces truly accommodate diverse bodies and abilities. In this way, environments can better reflect inclusive values.
Closing Reflection on Wellness Culture, Disordered Eating, and Care
Ultimately, even small shifts in perspective can create meaningful change. When clinicians remain curious and reflective, they can move beyond restrictive wellness ideals and support more equitable care.
By questioning wellness culture, clinicians can support eating disorder recovery and reduce disordered eating harm.
Interested in eating-disorder-informed support? Appointments with our registered dietitian or therapists are available for individuals seeking a compassionate, weight-neutral approach to well-being.