12/27/24 - Beware the Shill Gambit; Spotlight: from Veterinary to Dietary; What RDs Do; Science vs Pseudoscience; Cross-Contact or Cross-Contamination?
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⚡Beware the Shill Gambit
From Build Up Dietitians friends: Danielle Shine, Dr. Katie Suleta and Dr. Andrea Love
“It’s becoming increasingly common for health professionals & scientists on social media to face accusations of being “shills” whenever we share evidence-based information to challenge pseudoscientific claims & correct misinformation.
This tactic, known as the ‘shill gambit,’ is a logical fallacy that avoids genuine debate by redirecting attention to baseless accusations…
Rather than engaging with the evidence presented, people who use the shill gambit try to discredit the person presenting it, suggesting they have hidden financial motives, which casts doubt on their credibility….At its core, the shill gambit relies on insinuation, not evidence, to cast doubt on credibility. Don’t fall for it. When in doubt, look to credible, qualified voices—not those aiming to distract & mislead.”
💡Spotlight: 2nd Career RD
Johanna Coutinho, MS, RDN, LD/N - from Animal Science and working in the veterinary industry to Dietetics
Connect with Johanna on LinkedIn HERE
Q#1: How old were you when you decided to go back to school to be a dietitian? “I was 31 years old when a friend asked me what kind of work I would be doing if I could change the script. After a two-hour conversation of empowering each other to get out of our comfort zones, we each went home and looked up what it would take to pursue our new, prospective careers. Four months later, I was taking night classes to complete the prerequisites required for the Nutrition & Dietetics program at the University of North Florida.”
Q#2:What was the most difficult part of changing careers? “The financial sacrifices were the most challenging barriers. My friends thought I was crazy for leaving a cozy corporate job with stock options, but the work I was doing was unfulfilling; there was also no opportunity for growth. Leaving my full-time job and transitioning back to being a full-time student with a part-time job was not easy. I definitely questioned my life choices on the nights I was eating cereal for dinner, lol. I had to take out student loans for the first time, and I took a leap of faith!”
Q#3: What do you do now as a RD & what do you like best about it? “I am a Clinical Dietitian working on the inpatient side at Moffitt Cancer Center…I was also one of the first dietitians in the state of Florida to be trained and certified to place naso-enteric feeding tubes using the CORTRAK2 enteral access system. …Oncology patients are often inspiring, motivated, and so appreciative of the care they receive. There is something uniquely rewarding about making a connection with an individual during one of the most devastating periods of his/her/their life and being able to help them improve their relationship with food in order to promote healing.”
👩🏽⚕️What RDs Do
(Photo credit: Utah State University)
Is your position/role on this list? What would you add?
🔬☠The Difference Between Science & Pseudoscience
❓What Made You Decide to Become a RD?
Jackie G. “I grew up in a family of fat phobic people who regularly spouted off how their current diet, weight loss adventure, and/or exercise routine were going. Also, how many calories, fat, sugar, etc were in everything I ate. I grew up being told I was overweight, chunky, had a tummy, and needed to fit a specific profile. I don't want other little girls to go through that. I want to teach them that they CAN have a cookie and not have to do x amount of situps or walk for x minutes. I want them to understand that it's ok to enjoy food and not have to constantly consider how much fat and calories are in a specific food or meal. That's why I am becoming a dietitian. To help the people who grew up like me and the kids who are growing up like I did. ❤️”
Elizabeth P. “A dietitian came to my 11th grade career fair. What she described fit both my interest in medicine and my desire to not have to deal with bodily fluids… I have now been a dietitian for almost 40 years and still find it fascinating!”
How about YOU? What made you want to become a dietitian?
🦠Cross-Contact vs Cross-Contamination: What’s the Difference?
When talking about ALLERGENS the correct term is “cross-contact”.
When talking about PATHOGENS the correct term is “cross-contamination”.
The difference between cross-contact and cross-contamination
Re: The Shill Gambit -- I've also heard this when RDNs are promoting even fruit/vegetable/nut/dairy/bean commodities and with solid evidence for what we're saying. "Did the XYZ Board pay you to say that?" I've always thought I was supposed to promote eating healthful foods, whether someone pays for my our time or not.