I just had a wonderful weekend at Camp Elim, a Christian camp near Colorado Springs, where I was privileged to speak in a couple of workshops. My two topics were “What’s Your Tendency?”, an examination of Gretchen Rubin’s theory about the four ways that people respond to expectations, and “How Food Fads and Myths Can Harm You,” in which I took on some of the current ideas floating around in the eating theories world, with a few side trips into my views on alternative medicine. I may get myself into trouble with that second one! My actual group for that session was small as I was competing with a very popular one on marriage, and they all seemed very receptive to my ideas. I gave everyone who attended the sessions the opportunity to sign up for a resources page, so I decided to just turn that material into a post for all my readers to access. Here ’tis:
INFORMATION ON FURTHER RESOURCES FOR DEBI SIMONS’ BREAKOUT SESSIONS ON ”THE FOUR TENDENCIES” AND “HOW FOOD FADS AND MYTHS CAN HARM YOU”
Further information on “The Four Tendencies”:
1. Take the official quiz on the Gretchen Rubin website! It’s free and will take less than ten minutes. Go here (note that you will be asked for your e-mail address and name):
“The Four Tendencies: Take the Quiz“
2. If you’re interested in finding out more about the Tendencies, you can buy the book, The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives Better, Too) by Gretchen Rubin, 2017. Also, her book on habits, Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives, 2015, is very helpful. (Links are to the resource pages on her website; the books can also be ordered through Amazon or other online sellers, and should also be available through your library.)
3. Follow Gretchen by subscribing to her daily happiness quotation e-mail and/or her monthly newsletter, or by listening to the weekly podcast she does with her sister. All of these items are available through her website for free. Here are the specific links:
To subscribe to any or all of her newsletters:
“Interested in happiness, habits, and human nature?”
To subscribe to or listen to any of her podcasts:
“Happier” Podcast
4. For a more general book about personality types, this one written by a Christian, I’d recommend Reading People: How Seeing the World Through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything by Anne Bogel, who runs the Modern Mrs. Darcy website. She’s a treat! (Book title link goes directly to Amazon, as for some reason she doesn’t have it listed for sale on her own website. Again, you could probably get it at the library.)
Also—I’m including this information here, since it’s from the estimable Gretchen, about what she eats and why along with some info on the book that changed her eating habits, and an interview she did with the author. (You have to give your e-mail address to access the PDF of the interview, but it’s free.)
“The Answer to the Question People Keep Asking Me: What Do I Eat Every Day?”
“Interview with Gary Taubes: The Case Against Sugar”
Further information on “How Food Myths and Fads Can Harm You”:
On children and peanut allergies:
“New NIH Guidelines on Infant Exposure to Peanuts Upends Years of Parental Paranoia” in Slate.com.
“Infants Should Be Fed Peanut-Containing Foods to Stave Off Allergies” in STAT News.
“Hygiene Hypothesis” in Wikipedia (This article deals with children and allergies in general.)
On the oat bran craze:
“Oat Bran: No Magic Bullet Against Cholesterol” The L.A. Times
On the non-historical/non-biblical basis of the paleo diet:
“Paleo People Were Making Flour 32,000 Years Ago” NPR, The Salt
“Ancient Oat Discovery May Poke More Holes in Paleo Diet” National Geographic
“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Gen. 2:15 NIV) Adam was a gardener/farmer, folks, not a hunter/gatherer!
“Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.” (Genesis 9:3 NIV) This verse occurs after the Flood; God is talking to Noah. So the implication is that before the Flood everyone was a vegetarian and only now is God giving permission for people to eat meat. But remember—Noah was also a farmer. He planted a vineyard after the Flood.
On the needlessness of following a gluten-free diet if you don’t have celiac disease:
“The Demonization of Gluten” Freakonomics Radio podcast (You can listen to the episode or read the transcript—I’d recommend listening.)
The Gluten Lie and Other Myths about What You Eat by Alan Levinovitz. Link is to the publisher’s page, but you can almost certainly find this book at your library. Very well worth your time! Mr. Levinovitz is the same person who’s interviewed in the podcast; listen to that first and see if you don’t want to read his book.
“Six Foods that Marketers Want You to Think Are Healthy” The Washington Post.
“4 Mistakes People Make When Going Gluten Free” The Washington Post
On the so-called “food sensitivity” blood tests:
“Five Reasons to Disregard Food Sensitivity Tests” Dietetic Directions
“Food Intolerance Tests: What Does the Science Say?” Science-Based Medicine
“IgG tests promise to reveal food sensitivities. But are they science or science-ish?” Healthy Debate
Some hopefully-helpful definitions (this section ballooned a bit as I worked on it. As I said in my workshop and repeat here, I’m not trying to tell you what to do–my job is simply to give out information. What you do with it is up to you. I have listed straightforward definitions from neutral or scientific sites. Emphases are mine.)
Nutritionist: 1) In a hospital or nursing home, a person who plans and/or formulates special meals for patients. It can also simply be a euphemism for a cook who works in a medical facility but who does not have extensive training in special nutritional needs. 2) In clinical practice, a specialist in nutrition. Nutritionists can help patients with special needs, allergies, health problems, or a desire for increased energy or weight change devise healthy diets. Some nutritionists in private practice are well- trained, hold a degree and are licensed. Depending on state law, however, a person using the title may not be trained or licensed at all. MedicineNet. In Colorado, here’s what the law says: “This state has no regulation specifically for dietetics and nutrition practice. In 2013, the Colorado Natural Health Consumer Protections Act was passed. While it is legal for all to use nutrition tools in practice, we highly encourage practicing only to the level of your training.” NutritionAdvocacy.
Naturopathy: Naturopathy or naturopathic medicine is a form of alternative medicine that employs an array of pseudoscientific practices branded as “natural”, “non-invasive”, and as promoting “self-healing.” The ideology and methods of naturopathy are based on vitalism and folk medicine, rather than evidence-based medicine. Naturopathic practitioners generally recommend against modern medical practices, including but not limited to medical testing, drugs, vaccinations, and surgery. Instead, naturopathic study and practice rely on unscientific notions, often leading naturopathic doctors to diagnoses and treatments that have no factual merit. (emphasis mine) Wikipedia (I’d encourage you to read the entire article and then follow up on the plentiful sources given at the end if you’re interested.)
Homeopathy: “The treatment of disease by minute doses of natural substances that in a healthy person would produce symptoms of disease.” (online dictionary) “Dilution typically continues well past the point where no molecules of the original substance remain.” (Wikipedia) Read a very interesting article titled “Why I Changed My Mind About Homeopathy” in the UK newspaper The Guardian. (My dear mother went to a homeopathist to get her many ills treated; I think it’s fair to say that she never saw any real improvement. Many of her problems were caused by her contracting polio in her thirties as a result of not receiving the vaccine when it came out—she was pregnant and therefore should have been among the people who got the vaccine first, but her doctor failed to make sure she got it. She lost the baby and suffered the after-effects of polio for the rest of her life, including a resurgence of her original symptoms in what is called “post-polio syndrome.”)
Acupuncture: “a system of complementary medicine that involves pricking the skin or tissues with needles, used to alleviate pain and to treat various physical, mental, and emotional conditions. Originating in ancient China, acupuncture is now widely practiced in the West.” (online dictionary) Another very interesting article: “Five Scientists Weigh In on Acupuncture” Scientific American
And, finally, something just for fun:
“What I Learned When I Tried to Make My Blended Family a Gluten-Free, Kosher, No-Soy, Vegan, Organic, No-Acid, No-Dairy Thanksgiving” in The Washington Post.