8/22/25: AI Pushing Fatphobia; Are MDs, RNs & RDs Avoiding the VA?; Do UPFs Sabotage Weight Loss?; Toddler "Milk" & Lawsuits; John Oliver takes a look at MAHA
Nutrition News YOU Can Use
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😱LinkedIn: Fatphobia in AI Generated Images
Findings of the Association of Computational Linguistics: 2025.findings-naacl.266.pdf
Kate Gardner Burt, PhD, RDN summarizes HERE:
“…📑 A new study shows that DALL·E 3, one of the most widely used image-generating AIs, links fatness with moral failure—producing heavier bodies when prompted with words like “greedy,” “immoral,” or “lazy.” Even more disturbing: when prompted with “virtuous,” “pure,” or “godly,” the system produced zero fat bodies….
Representation shapes reality. If “greedy” looks fat and “pure” looks thin, bias will (continue to be) invisible and normalized…we already know that AI risks becoming another pipeline for discrimination…
Technology doesn’t just reflect culture—it teaches it. And right now, it’s teaching fatphobia.”
❓Substack: Do Ultra-Processed Foods Really Sabotage Weight Loss? Not Exactly
From “The Grocery Edit” by Brittany Raftis, MSCFN, RD
“First, while media coverage about this study has included headlines like “Cutting processed foods could nearly double weight loss” and “ Avoid ultra-processed foods to lose weight”, let’s be clear: both diets supported weight loss….
Second, while both diets led to weight loss, people lost less on the UPF diet because they ate more. On average, participants had a daily calorie deficit of 504 calories on the MPF diet compared with 290 calories on the UPF diet….
Lastly, both diets improved blood lipid levels. Both groups saw reductions in total cholesterol, but each diet had slightly different benefits: the MPF diet improved triglycerides, while the UPF diet improved LDL cholesterol.”
🧒🏼Toddler Milks: A Serving of Lawsuits
Link to article: Irate parents turn to legal action over the marketing of so-called ‘toddler milks’ | CNN
The messed-up situation of (pricey and usually unnecessary) toddler drink/milk/formula featuring added sugar, inadequate vitamins & minerals, misleading marketing, links to childhood obesity and "Big Formula" shenanigans (lots of money).
"...toddler milks are not regulated by the FDA or Infant Formula Act, formula makers can “market anything they want,”"
What did a PEDIATRIC dietitian have to say?
Laura S. “I’m not surprised. I’ve seen a lot more advertising for them recently. I think in 14 years of practicing pediatric nutrition I have recommended a toddler formula once and it was for a very unique situation.”
🪖RNs, MDs (& RDs) Rejecting VA Jobs
Link to article: Doctors and Nurses Reject VA Jobs Under Trump — ProPublica
“Veterans hospitals are struggling to replace hundreds of doctors and nurses who have left the health care system this year as the Trump administration pursues its pledge to simultaneously slash Department of Veterans Affairs staff and improve care…”.
What did DIETITIANS in our Military and VA group have to say about this article?
Anonymous: “…we are down to 2 inpatient RDs (6 RDs are what we need to be fully staffed) and all outpatient dietitians are cross covering inpatient and across all specialties of outpatient. Outpatient is booking out into end of November/beginning of December. We are not allowed to backfill.”
Anonymous: “RD positions are not being approved for re-hire after being vacated.”
Anonymous: “I don’t have time to comment lol… currently doing the work of 4 dietitians!”
Jamie R. “It took over 9 months to get 3 of our many vacant positions approved to post…” .
👩🏽💻YouTube: John Oliver on MAHA
Is it any wonder that AI is fat phobic, given the pervasive fat-phobia on the internet? AI scrapes everything off the internet, and when it comes to images of overweight and obesity, it's cruel.