Re: '''''Nutritionist'''''s

[Guest guest]

> >

> > This is very frustrating. As an example of how this can be

> > perpetuated in even the well meaning I offer the following story.

> >

> > One of my coworkers is severely overweight (probably 150 lbs or

more

> > overweight). She has recently had a long bout of health problems

> > because of weight (age 35) including surgery and culminating a

month

> > ago in a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes among other problems. She

is

> > under strict doctor orders to get weight under control, and she is

> > struggling to do so with the standard " portion control " . Another

> > coworker is a nutritionist, who gives nutrition information to the

> > public as part of her job.

> >

> > The nutritionist brought in a special " low calorie, healthy "

treat

> for

> > many of us in the office to sample last week, especially the

> coworker

> > with diabetes. Her goal was largely to show her how to change her

> > diet. Thank heavens I was left out - " I know you're watching

> > calories, but I didn't offer it since you're vegetarian " Whew

> >

> > The low cal treat. Spaghetti squash lasagne - except that

> EVERYTHING

> > except the spaghetti squash looked packed full of saturated fat -

> > greasy looking ground beef, wads of yellow cheese. Ick.

> >

> > Later I asked nutritionist why she didn't bring something else as

an

> > example. She said that most people can't and won't change their

> diet

> > in the ways I have, that " IT'S TOO EXTREME " so you have to show

them

> > how to make little changes, gradually. Yet she never talked to

our

> cw

> > about more veg, less fat, anything, never gave her the

oppurtunity

> to

> > CHOOSE for herself from REAL INFORMATION, at what is probably the

> most

> > motivated time of her life. She just ASSUMED that the changes

would

> > be too extreme to bear.

> >

> > And none of them seem to notice that my 300 to 350 calorie lunch

> > almost fills a grocery sack to overflowing. Or when they do, it's

> > jokes about how I'm possibly going to eat it all. The connection

> > between my being very comfortably full and not having eaten a

pile

> of

> > garbage and calories escapes them all.

> >

> > GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! /rant

[Guest guest]

I know. The worst part is that we both work for a governmental agency

designed to give the public helpful and accurate science based

information. (although I am in an unrelated field)

I would be horribly embarrassed if I couldn't give people better help

than this. I know that she has a masters, and gets ongoing education

- we all do. Apparently hers consists of " make sure to eat a varied

diet " . Good advice, but it seems there could be a bit more.

Equivelant to my giving the tree planting instructions " Green side up "

> Most (not quite all) of the people I have met who call themselves

> nutritionists are incredibly ignorant about even elementary aspects

> of nutrition.

>I then pointed out that all

> kinds of wild berries come from plants and will kill you stone dead.

> This, apparently, had escaped her notice.

ROFLMAO - amazing the people who don't get this.

I had a client last week who wanted to know if some weeds she had

eaten were poisonous. She had eaten them the week before " because the

roots looked so good and crunchy " and said she thought they must not

be deadly because she was still alive. I gave her the expected little

lecture about not eating things you don't know are edible, and she

just said again " but they looked so good and crunchy, I figured they

must be ok, and they were. "

Maybe both these are examples of faith-based nutrition.