Dalia Kinsey - Decolonizing Wellness: A QTBIPOC-Centered Guide to Escape the Diet Trap, Heal Your Self-Image, and Achieve Body Liberation

Contents

Praise for Decolonizing Wellness

Decolonizing Wellness holds no punches and I love it! Dalia does an amazing job of not only naming the toxicity that queer folks of color come up against in their wellness journey but also providing useful tips on how to make things work for you at your pacewhile being patient and kind to your mind and spirit along the way. This book is a must-read for Black and brown folks who want to live their best lives, and a necessary tool for white allies that desire to open their lens and create positive spaces for people of all backgrounds.

Nik Whitcomb, casting director and equity in theatre activist

I have been hungry for a book to explore the intersections of self-care and body image before I had the language to truly understand what I wanted and needed. This book is a lifeline for the QTBIPOC communityparticularly those who feel like they have been screaming from the margins just to be given the same amount of care and acknowledgment when it comes to holistic health. As a queer Asian woman, I am grateful that a resource like this exists. Dalias compassionate honesty about the oppressive systems we live inhow that shapes the punitive and damaging diet culture we live inis not only revolutionary but deeply needed for us as a society to heal both personally and collectively. If you identify as QTBIPOC, get this book now. And if you dont, you should still get this book now; itll give you the deep understanding and perspective of how it feels to live in a marginalized body.

Kim Thai, founder of GaneshSpace, Emmy Awardwinning producer, writer, and wellness advocate

As a queer Black woman, I am so grateful that I finally have a wellness book that speaks directly to me. In this world, 99.9 percent of media is created for the white casenot this book. This book is important. This book is NECESSARY. This book illuminates why none of the other wellness books for everyone felt like they could really work for me. There were so many times that I was reading this book and said YES! After reading this book, I feel like I have finally found the key to understanding why Ive felt unwell, even after doing all the things that the diet and beauty industry have sold me. The world needs more books like Decolonizing Wellness. Dalia keeps it real about the external powers at play impacting my wellness as a person of color. (Finally, a book that doesnt shame my willpower or discipline for not being super skinny.) This is a book that I will read on repeat because its full of incredible truths, wisdom, and exercises that I can return to for years to come. Im so grateful that Dalia wrote this book for ME and other QTBIPOC+ folks like me. I felt so completely seen and understood by this book and as a queer Black woman, that feeling is rare. This book was a healing balm for my heart and soul.

Gieselle Allen, mindset coach for women and femmes of color

Health narratives for wellness oftentimes exclude circumstances specific to persons of color. Dalia Kinsey captures the essence of our wellness struggles and lovingly paves a way of escape for those trapped in marginalized ideas about beauty. Decolonizing Wellness is true to its name and a wonderful journey to self-acceptance and freedom.

Dr. Dont Morrison, activist and motivational speaker

Decolonizing Wellness is an absolute must-read for anyone who wishes to truly maintain well-being and healing. Dalias words are an authentic and important perspective of the harmful narrative that permeates the wellness industry. Dalias critical yet compassionate voice is a much-needed presence that left me contemplative and validated.

Felipe Gonzalez, yoga teacher

As a Black, fat, queer, gender nonbinary person, I am constantly and consistently harmed by tools that are meant to help me. This is not the case with Decolonizing Wellness. Dalia has brought forth a text that bridges the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual gap that people who live at multiple intersections tend to fall through when dealing with eating disorders. I cant wait to share this with my therapist and recommend this tool for other people struggling to nourish themselves in a world that seeks to destroy them. Thank you, Dalia, for this unique and sorely needed love offering.

Rawiyah Tariq, witch, artist, healer, and speaker

Never has a book encompassed what it is like to be a dietetics student or a clinician of color quite like this book. Dalia delivers with each chapter and page. Decolonizing Wellness truly opened my eyes and provided an intersectional approach to navigating the health and wellness space.

Whitney Trotter, registered dietitian and RN, antiracism educator, and human trafficking activist

A QTBIPOC-Centered Guide to Escape the Diet Trap, Heal Your Self-Image, and Achieve Body Liberation

Dalia Kinsey, RD, LD

BenBella Books, Inc.

Dallas, TX

This book is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for professional medical advice. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from the use of any information contained in this book. A health-care professional should be consulted regarding your specific medical situation. Any production mentioned in this book does not imply endorsement of that product by the author or publisher.

Decolonizing Wellness copyright 2022 by Dalia Kinsey

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

BenBella Books, Inc.

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Dallas, TX 75231

www.benbellabooks.com

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BenBella is a federally registered trademark

First E-Book Edition: February 2022

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021034774

ISBN 9781637740309 (trade paper)

ISBN 9781637740316 (ebook)

Editing by Vy Tran

Copyediting by Lyric Dodson

Proofreading by Doug Johnson and Laura Cherkas

Indexing by WordCo Indexing Services, Inc.

Text design and composition by PerfecType, Nashville, TN

Cover design by Kimberly Glyder

Cover image Shutterstock / Rolau Elena; birds by Kimberly Glyder

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To my ancestors, known and unknown

CONTENTS

Somewhere, on the edge of consciousness, there is what I call a mythical norm, which each one of us within our hearts knows that is not me. In america, this norm is usually defined as white, thin, male, young, heterosexual, christian, and financially secure. It is with this mythical norm that the trappings of power reside within this society. Those of us who stand outside that power often identify one way in which we are different, and we assume that to be the primary cause of all oppression, forgetting other distortions around difference, some of which we ourselves may be practicing.