#174: The Whiteness of Wellness, the Truth About Health, and Rewriting the Story of Our Bodies with Jessica Wilson, RD
This week on Full Plate, we’re revisiting a powerful episode from two and a half years ago (how?!) with Jessica Wilson — a clinical dietitian, author, and speaker whose work continues to shape this field in profound ways.
“I want people to know that their bodies are not problems to be fixed, or problems to be solved. I want us to examine how do we look at ourselves — especially BIPOC folks, fat folks, and folks with chronic illnesses. What if we didn't have to fix anything? What if our bodies aren't broken? What if it’s society and not us?”
— Jessica Wilson, RD on Full Plate Podcast
Every once in a while, a conversation cuts through the noise — and makes space for something deeper to settle in.
Jessica’s book, It’s Always Been Ours: Rewriting the Story of Black Women’s Bodies, had just been released when we first spoke. And even now, listening back, I feel the same reverence and electricity in her words — and an even deeper appreciation for how much they’ve reshaped my own thinking.
In this conversation, we explore:
* How anti-fatness is rooted in anti-Blackness
* Why thinness and “wellness” ideals are intentionally weaponized
* How Jessica found HAES and anti-diet work, and the limitations that frustrate her
* Jessica's experience of medical weight stigma as a child
* How the BIPOC experience of diet culture diverges from that of white folks
* What it really means to center lived experience and social justice in conversations about health
* The myths that persist when it comes to nutrition and our wellbeing
* Whether the Mediterranean diet is really all that "healthy"
* The complex feelings we both hold about intuitive eating and how it can miss the mark for marginalized folks
There’s so much in here. So much that feels like exactly what we need right now — especially in the face of rising public health rhetoric (ahem, “Make America Healthy Again”) that continues to blame individuals instead of challenging systems.
Jessica brings her full self: truth-telling, deeply embodied, relentlessly clear. She’s not here to make this comfortable — she’s here to make it honest.
And just a heads up that this episode was recorded before the current wave of GLP-1 conversations, RFK Jr. headlines, and other recent chaos in the wellness world. But trust me, what she shares here still lays the groundwork for understanding it all.
Whether this is your first time hearing it, or a second listen — I think you’ll walk away changed.
P.S. Grab Jessica’s book here and read her incredible piece on ultra-processed foods here. And make sure you’re following her on Instagram.
If you give it a listen, what stood out to you? What would you like to hear more about in a future episode?
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