“If you feel like it’s really hard to be healthy and maintain a healthy weight in America, you’re not crazy.” That’s the message from freelance journalist and health advocate Evie Solheim, who joined Chicago’s Morning Answer on AM560 Wednesday to discuss her provocative new column, “Body Positivity’s Big Fat Lie.”
Solheim, a West Virginia-based mom and author of the Girls Guide newsletter, didn’t mince words in her interview with Amy Jacobson and guest host Chris Krok.
“Companies—and even the government—are feeding us lies about nutrition,” Solheim said. “We’re told ultra-processed foods are fine, obesity is ‘empowering,’ and anyone trying to lose weight is fatphobic. It’s toxic.”
A Culture Shift—or a Con?
Solheim’s critique centers around what she calls “toxic body positivity,” a growing cultural movement that discourages people from making healthy changes in the name of inclusivity. Solheim was reviewing the book Fat and Unhappy by Tristan Justice and Gina Bontempo, which argues that the body positivity movement has been co-opted by junk food corporations and pharmaceutical companies.
“We’ve gone from challenging cruel beauty standards to promoting obesity as healthy,” she said. “It’s not just misleading—it’s dangerous.”
In her column and interview, Solheim outlines how far the movement has gone. She cites examples like the Philly FatCon—a real convention where activists centered obesity as a civil rights issue—and criticized the rise of social media influencers who are, knowingly or not, pushing pro-obesity propaganda funded by Big Food.
One example that raised eyebrows: Dove’s recent “Campaign for Size Freedom,” which was launched by parent company Unilever—one of the largest ice cream manufacturers in the country.
“They want people to feel empowered in their size while also profiting from the very products that make people sick,” Solheim said. “It’s corporate virtue-signaling, plain and simple.”
Big Food, Big Pharma, and the Ultra-Processed Trap
The conversation took aim at ultra-processed foods, now a key talking point among wellness advocates and even some presidential hopefuls. Jacobson pointed to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s HHS secretary pick, who has advocated banning ultra-processed foods and restricting their presence in school lunches.
“Our food system is upside down,” Solheim said. “We subsidize soda and junk food, but make it cost-prohibitive to buy organic vegetables or grass-fed butter.”
Solheim says the intersection of big food and big pharma is where the most concerning corruption lies. With over 40% of Americans now obese, pharmaceutical companies have found a new profit stream in Ozempic and similar weight loss injections, which are increasingly being prescribed for cosmetic reasons, not medical necessity.
“Doctors are prescribing Ozempic instead of helping patients make lasting lifestyle changes,” she said. “And when patients stop taking it, the weight almost always comes back.”
Solheim warned that the long-term effects of these drugs are still unknown, but their short-term profitability is driving the narrative.
Is There a Solution?
Solheim isn’t just sounding the alarm—she’s offering a way out.
“People are waking up,” she said. “They’re learning to read labels, reject processed ingredients, and prioritize whole foods.”
But she acknowledged it’s not easy. Organic food is expensive, misinformation is rampant, and influencers often promote corporate interests under the guise of self-care.
“We need food literacy just as much as we need nutrition,” Solheim said. “If you can’t pronounce it, maybe you shouldn’t eat it.”
What’s Next?
As more Americans grapple with the costs—physical, emotional, and financial—of obesity and ultra-processed foods, voices like Solheim’s are gaining traction in the media landscape.
Jacobson, who’s spoken publicly about her own frustrations with airline seating and obesity, thanked Solheim for her candor.
“We need more people telling the truth, even if it makes some folks uncomfortable,” she said.