I have a feeling you’ve seen the Instagram graphics stating the ridiculous-ness that is the BMI scale. And I agree, it’s bogus. And today’s episode I’m going to help you understand why that is.   The best place to start is who came up with the BMI scale. The BMI scale was created by a mathematician, astronomer and statistician,  Adophle Quetelet,  in 1832 to measure weights across a given population, never designed to measure an individual’s health or size. That's almost 200 YEARS AGO since the BMI scale was created! The BMI equation is weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.   I learned in Fearing the Black Body, that Ancel Keys- the same Keys that created the fear mongering messages surrounding saturated fat that you’ve heard me mention before, is the same doctor who then took this scale, first called the Quetelet scale, renaming it to the BMI (Body-Mass-Index) scale. Keys even agreed that it was less than ideal scale, but “worked” nonetheless.   It’s also important to know the BMI scale was created by Quetelet based on measurements on white European men.   This is problematic in SO many ways. We know women have a different amount of body fat than men. And we know that different races and cultures have different body sizes, that the BMI scale in no way accounts for. But let’s dig in deeper...   In this episode we discuss: The white supremacy origins of the BMI scale How white people have been “controlling” their eating and fat for hundreds of years as a means of justifying slavery The problems with the CDC graphs that have been used to show the “obvious” obesity epidemic How profit and politics have been involved with the BMI scale and the changing categories Why weight does not equal health Addressing true health through healthy behaviors Avoiding stigmatizing and worsening health through weight bias, explaining how correlation does not equal causation What is weight cycling and why dieting only makes everything worse The BMI scales inability to account for muscle mass Quotes from the book, Health at Every Size Reflections and final thoughts for you, how to move forward   Resources discussed in this episode: Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings Health at Every Size by Lindo Bacon Anti Diet by Christy Harrison Blog post by Rachel Hartley: https://www.rachaelhartleynutrition.com/blog/problems-with-bmi   Thank you to our Tuesday  podcast sponsors, Better Help. Better Help is a professional counseling service platform done through a secure online platform. Better Help is affordable, available worldwide, and you can get started within 24 hours. Better Help wants you to start living a better, happier life starting today. If you’ve been thinking about starting counseling but didn’t know where to go, I hope you use this as your call to action.  Use this link to get 10% your first month.   Primally Pure products mentioned in this episode: gua sha stone, charcoal deodorant, lemongrass and blue tansy deodorant. Use the code NOURISH for 10% off your order.   Click here to get your hands on my new free mini course, the Summer Reset!   CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE WAITLIST FOR THE NEXT ENROLLMENT OF PERMISSION STAGE PLAYBOOK.   Resources for you: Learn more about our services at Nourishing Minds Nutrition. Read testimonials from our amazing clients here. Join our FREE support group for like-minded women, the Nourishing Women Community. Live Q&As are hosted every week!   Let’s hang out! Connect with Victoria and the staff at NMN: Victoria’s Instagram Victoria’s Website Nourishing Minds Nutrition Instagram Nourishing Minds Nutrition website