What Advice/Information Were You Given That Has Completely Changed Over Time, or Just Not Worked for You?

[seoulsearch]

Hi Everyone,

I was thinking of putting this in the Miscellaneous or Family Forum, but figured I'd try it here.

The other day, my mom and I were talking about how the current diet and nutrition advice is the exact opposite of what we had been taught. I grew during the "It's the Fat That Makes You Fat!" era, and so my mom dutifully tried to keep us away from anything that had fat. Things such as fat-free milk were a staple in our household, and I'm sad to say that I know first-hand about the existence of fat-free cheese (I'm pretty sure it's a perfect substitute for plastic.) The fat-in-food-phobia got so crazy that it led to things like bags of jelly beans bragging on the front of the label that they were "A Fat-Free Food!" (My mom was also against sugar, so try as they might, those colorful beans held no sway over her grocery purchases.)

These days, I am floored that we are given the exact opposite advice ("Fat is GOOD!!! You should be RUNNING on fat!!") and found it mind-boggling to watch a nutritional information video the other day that encouraged viewers to "eat a full steak, and don't forget to include the gristle, because it's a natural source of collagen!" I'm having a very tough time trying to accept the exact opposite of what I was taught growing up, and the thought of eating an entire strip of gristle actually makes me nauseous (but this is just me -- kudos to anyone who can chomp a huge hunk of gristle right on down, AND finds it beneficial!)

This had me wondering what kind of nutrition advice the mass experts will be doling out in another 20 years, and if the pendulum will again swing in the direction of yet another extreme.

It also had me thinking about how I was taught at different times in my life that things HAD to be done a certain way, and because of that, I could never seem to do them, and would just give up. A few examples include sewing ("You MUST use certain tools and you MUST use these specific techniques,") Bible reading (the "Bible in a Year" was popular at the time, but it never worked for me -- I just have to read straight through,) and writing (I'm told I hold all my writing instruments "incorrectly" -- resting it on the 4th finger instead of the 3rd, but every time I've tried that, it just feels unnatural and uncomfortable to me.)

I think one of the challenges of being single is that we are trying to figure out on our own what principles are mandatory (Christian living, for example,) and in what areas there might be some leeway, and that we have to find our own way of doing some things in a world that changes its mind from year to year.

I would like to know:

* What advice, rules, or guidelines have you observed or been given that were changed over time? How did you adjust to these changes? Did you find them to be for the better, or for the worse? (This can apply to any area of living: diet, lifestyle, sports, hobbies, Bible study, child-rearing, etc.)

* In what areas do you find yourself "going your own way" (doing things in a different way than you were taught or how everyone else is doing them?) How is it working out for you?

* If you have children or those who look up to you, what do you teach them about "following the rules" vs. trying their own ways of doing things?

These are just a few of the many questions this topic could ask, so feel free to tell your own story in your own way. And I know both marrieds and singles struggle with these things, so both are invited to answer. I was just thinking though that. singles often lack an outsider's perspective to help us decide if what we're doing is working or not.

Basically, I'm just wondering if other people have had the same experience of being taught something all their life, then having that information redacted/changed, and what they to adjust. I'd also like to hear about people who were taught to do things in a way that didn't work for them, which made then want to give up. But once they found a method or teacher who understand that they had to do things a little differently, it changed everything.

Looking forward to reading your stories!

 

[Lynx]

Hmm... this thread reminds me of a substitute teacher in my kindergarten class.

We were tasked with daily writing all the numbers from 1 to 100. I would make a grid of them, writing out 1-10 across the top and 1-91 down the left and then filling in the grid from the top down. (I was only a small child at the time, but I was still a nerd... before nerds were popular. I was a hipster nerd.) One day we had a substitute, she caught me filling in my grid and she became very agitated because I was doing it wrong, and very adamant that I write the numbers in order.

Joke's on her. I can run a cash register and make change in my mind, while most of her proteges need a calculator.

 

[Lynx]

I remember a Wendy Bagwell skit about food, and changes in food advice. The following is a quote:



I reached for a jug of milk and my wife whipped around and said, "Don't drink that! It'll clog up your arteries."

All my life I've been told, "drink your milk, drink your milk if you want to grow up to be big and strong like your uncle Edgar, drink your milk." All I ever wanted was an RC cola. Now I'm drinking milk and I'm told it'll clog up my arteries.

"Who said that?"

"The TV doctor said so."

"Well what did he say I should drink?"

"Well if you want to be smart about it..." Now I want you to know what this lady told me. This woman would not even have rubbing alcohol in the house, because it had the word "alcohol" on the label. "If you want to be smart about it, you'll drink a little wine every day to clear out your arteries."

I said, "I can believe it. My uncle Edgar would have a drink and clear out a whole bar."

 

[Lynx]

Me, I'm still sore about all the lies they told about avocados being bad for you, because they were "full of fat." Hogwash.

Yes I know you intended for this thread to be about misinformation in general, not just dietary misinformation. I'll get around to other stuff in a bit. Food is very important to me.

 

[Runningman]

It's like when people used to say "Just use your common sense." it meant something and everyone understood it. I think most of those people are gone now and the generation they gave birth to got raised by the Internet instead of thinking, feeling, discerning, live human beings.

 

[Lanolin]

I was never really one for rules or to listen to so called 'expert advice' lol
So I didnt pay much attention to how everyone else did things. It wasnt cos the rules didnt apply to me, but cos I had an inquiring mind as was curious or sceptical about how things worked. sometimes I would challenge things if they did not make sense to me.

I do have certain rules in the library though, but they do change or adjust if they are too hard to follow. I try to make them easy and lead by example rather than have children memorise a great long list of rules. I also give reasons why these rules exist. for example.No food and drink allowed in the library. why, because we dont want ants in here and I dont want to clean up anyones mess or have crumbs on all the books.

I try and get teachers on board with rules though some want them explicitly spelled out and some classes do not really need to be reminded of them at all.

in terms of eating I cant recall being so hung up on diet rules. In chinese culture we have a different way of eating than other cultures. Basically you eat everything or otherwise you starve lol. The other is that you use chopsticks. Im sure mum would say I had to hold it a certain way but as long as I wasnt dropping food all over the place and it worked to get it in my mouth, it was fine! Food is our medicine and we also eat for pleasure and share, but other cultures dont really do this. also burping isnt considered rude. It just means you enjoyed your meal.

 

[Lanolin]

By the way...heres something that might blow your mind. In chinese cooking we have-

Deep fried tofu. (or bean curd). Take that health nuts.

 

[Lynx]

Back when my Uncle Brent was in school, teachers considered being left-handed as something wrong that needed to be corrected.

There are a lot of teachers that I bet my uncle would like to say "I told you so!" to, with a megaphone, if he could track them down.

 

[seoulsearch]

Back when my Uncle Brent was in school, teachers considered being left-handed as something wrong that needed to be corrected.

There are a lot of teachers that I bet my uncle would like to say "I told you so!" to, with a megaphone, if he could track them down.

I have a former boss I see now and then, and he had a teacher who whacked his left hand every time he used it.

I've heard this used to be commonplace within the American school system. (USA)

 

[Lanolin]

thought more about this question

well I once worked as a paid gardener. I had this boss who told me I had to use a hoe, and as I hadnt grown up on a farm I had never used a hoe in my life. So he showed me how to use one and I could never get the hang of it. Why because not only was he left handed. he was taller than I was so of course I tried to copy him but it never worked. I also couldnt understand why hed want to pulverise the soil into dust either so more weeds could grow instead of mulching.

He got super annoyed when I pulled out my wonder weeder and said Id rather use my own tools thanks. lol

 

[Lynx]

Scientists sure were wrong about humors of the body, I know that much. "You're sick because the fluids in your body are out of balance. Your black bile and phlegm are low and your yellow bile is much too high."

(This observation brought to you by Black Legend, a game I saw on gog.com, which is set in medieval times and uses combinations of humors to do more damage in combat.)

 

[Lynx]

This thread reminds me of The Lost World: Jurassic Park... the book, not the movie. At the end of the book the main characters are leaving the island in a boat and Ian Malcolm is spouting more stuff about his chaos theory and gloomily predicting the imminent demise of the human race. One of the two kids asks Thorne, an engineer, if all that chaos theory stuff is true.

The following is a paraphrase, because I don't remember the exact wording in the book:

"Maybe. Who knows? Humans have always had theories about how the world works, and we're usually wrong. Then we get better theories and we look back at our ancestors and ridicule them for their theories. You know what people will say about us a thousand years from now? They'll make fun of us because we believe everything is made of protons, neutrons and electrons. That's because they'll have better theories by then."

"In the meantime, see the sun reflecting off the water? That's real. Feel the boat rocking beneath us? That's real. All this other stuff, it's just theories."

 

[Scribe]

There is so much misinformation about nutrition that people believe and pass around. People read non scientific claims and say that "they have researched" and then repeat total hogwash without a lick of scientific studies that support their claims.

The truth about supplements and nutrition can be discovered by reading science studies from sites like Harvard Medical School. Usually if people eat a variety of foods they will not need all the supplements and vitamins being pushed at them. And the science shows that there is more harm that good in combining supplements and vitamins.

Many people tell you that their nutritional supplements work for the them. What does that even mean? How would you know if your bones are dense as a result of your supplements without a medical scan? You can't say that one of your organs is benefiting from a supplement. That is just you making stuff up.

So I don't listen to opinions about what I should take. I go to sites like Harvard Medical School and see if there have been studies on that supplement and most of the time I discover that the science is disproving the false claims. What surprises me is that the people repeating the false claims have never even Googled it to see if there are any studies to support their claims. When it is so easy to just ask your phone! There is no excuse to repeat the ignorance and wives tales of 30 years ago.

 

[Lynx]

"What was it like in the time before, Grandpa?"

"It was terrible! People went around saying things like glass is a slow moving liquid and airplanes stay in the air because air moves faster over the wings than under them. You kids don't know how good you have it these days."

 

[Lynx]

There is so much misinformation about nutrition that people believe and pass around. People read non scientific claims and say that "they have researched" and then repeat total hogwash without a lick of scientific studies that support their claims.

The truth about supplements and nutrition can be discovered by reading science studies from sites like Harvard Medical School. Usually if people eat a variety of foods they will not need all the supplements and vitamins being pushed at them. And the science shows that there is more harm that good in combining supplements and vitamins.

Many people tell you that their nutritional supplements work for the them. What does that even mean? How would you know if your bones are dense as a result of your supplements without a medical scan? You can't say that one of your organs is benefiting from a supplement. That is just you making stuff up.

So I don't listen to opinions about what I should take. I go to sites like Harvard Medical School and see if there have been studies on that supplement and most of the time I discover that the science is disproving the false claims. What surprises me is that the people repeating the false claims have never even Googled it to see if there are any studies to support their claims. When it is so easy to just ask your phone! There is no excuse to repeat the ignorance and wives tales of 30 years ago.

This is true.

OR...

It could be a hoax designed to keep us sick! Harvard is part of the corporate machine, you know. They are in league with the Illuminati and the company CEOs and the government to keep us sick and dependent on doctors and pills!

(Disclaimer: Approximately 93% of the previous statement was purely facetious.)

Just don't mention in the misc. or conspiracy forums that you can trust Harvard.

 

[seoulsearch]

There is so much misinformation about nutrition that people believe and pass around. People read non scientific claims and say that "they have researched" and then repeat total hogwash without a lick of scientific studies that support their claims.

The truth about supplements and nutrition can be discovered by reading science studies from sites like Harvard Medical School. Usually if people eat a variety of foods they will not need all the supplements and vitamins being pushed at them. And the science shows that there is more harm that good in combining supplements and vitamins.

Many people tell you that their nutritional supplements work for the them. What does that even mean? How would you know if your bones are dense as a result of your supplements without a medical scan? You can't say that one of your organs is benefiting from a supplement. That is just you making stuff up.

So I don't listen to opinions about what I should take. I go to sites like Harvard Medical School and see if there have been studies on that supplement and most of the time I discover that the science is disproving the false claims. What surprises me is that the people repeating the false claims have never even Googled it to see if there are any studies to support their claims. When it is so easy to just ask your phone! There is no excuse to repeat the ignorance and wives tales of 30 years ago.

I find nutrition to be a fascinating, albeit, frustrating and confusing topic, due to what seems to be so much conflicting information.

Now I wish I had bookmarked the video I was listening to a few weeks ago. (I'm trying to go from memory here; feel free to correct anything I'm getting wrong.)

Apparently, the original Food Pyramid was developed in Sweden in the 1970's, with the USA adapting their own not long afterwards:

This is the Food Pyramid I grew up with, and the one that parents, schools, and child care centers were told to base their eating programs around. Of course, now days, bread, pasta, rice, and cereal are said to be of the devil and should be avoided as much as possible.

Interestingly (as well as frighteningly,) the pyramid was apparently built to fit the needs of the United States Department of Agriculture. They reasoned that the farmers would benefit from people eating a diet that heavily relied on their crops, and the US government would save a ton of money because it was much cheaper to give away things like pasta and rice to those on food assistance programs. And the government could keep up the appearance that it was supplying its people with "healthy" food.

Thus, some conclude that this is where the American (USA) obesity problem really started to take off -- partially because the government told us to eat this way.

I'll have to make a mental note to try to look back at what places like Harvard were reporting at that time -- I wonder if the research back then tried to warn us against stuffing our bodies with 11 servings of pure carbohydrates every single day, which seems to be the exact opposite of what we are commanded to do today.

And of course, they've tried to change the food pyramid to keep up the appearance of modern times, but not nearly as much as those who advocate a low carb or keto diet would recommend.

You can see the shift over time here:

 

[Lanolin]

eek
well
maybe spraying entire fields with roundup and DDT has come back to bite them.

 

[Lanolin]

I would beware of any pyramid scheme. Honestly.
Its like the people who said Ribena had loads of vitamin C, but a child tested it in a science project and found it had nothing. They replicated her experiement and yes, found that Ribena did not have vitamin C as they claimed.

The energy people got from it was mostly from all the sugar lol.

 

[cinder]

If you've got time to watch a good feature length lecture about the history of the food pyramid and nutrition advice:

 

[Lynx]

seoulsearch both those food pyramids are interesting.. but I think France should impose sanctions against the USA until we remove wine from the top. That is unfair to all those French vineyards and wineries!