On Google, the term 'Ralph Moorman criticism' quickly comes up. Was this justified or unjustified?
About the first 2 books
My first book The Hormone Factor came out in 2009, followed by The Hormone Balance Diet in 2010 (already out of production). We are now 15 years on and this book has created a wonderful business with coaching, courses, several follow-up books and even healthy food in the supermarket.
The basis of the hormone factor vision still stands as a house, but of course updates have taken place at the detail level and nice improvements have been made in the way of presentation and communication.
And not just the hormone factor concept has undergone an evolution, but so has science. What in 2009 was still partly based on practical experience has now been given an increasingly solid scientific foundation by all the new scientific research done in the field of nutrition, lifestyle and hormones. This therefore means that what 15 years ago was seen as 'pioneering and getting a bit ahead of science' has now become mainstream knowledge.
Constructive honest criticism
What I am very grateful for is that good constructive criticism and my own progressive insights have allowed me to make considerable improvements. This criticism was characterised by the fact that these people had good intentions and wanted to help me further. Both individuals and professionals who had read the books sent me e-mails or private messages with a positive constructive undertone. So often I phoned these people for consultations or even arranged to meet. After all, I don't hold the truth myself either and together we are stronger.
Firm in statements
An example of something that has changed is, for example, my tone of voice. In 2009, I was sometimes too firm in my statements based on my enthusiasm and passion, while in the complex world of lifestyle with all those variables and differences between people, it seemed wise to give more nuance and room for context in my statements. I therefore understand that I unnecessarily antagonised some people with my firmness, resulting in unnecessary criticism in the early years.
Dogmatic knowledge transfer
What I have also changed is putting more emphasis on coaching on lasting behavioural change and less on too dogmatic knowledge transfer. The hormone factor is now much more about a search for yourself and putting yourself into action to find sustainable solutions suited to your life with more lasting results as a result.
Less pleasant criticism
Unfortunately, not all criticism was constructive and constructive. Especially when my first book had just come out and it became a bestseller, I had a hard time. Hormone thinking was new at the time and as a beginning writer I thought that a large part of the Netherlands was waiting for my new insights and would be grateful that I shared them. Unfortunately, this turned out to be just a little different.
From disinterested people
First of all, I frequented the mainstream media, where only a small percentage of viewers or readers were interested in the info and intrinsically motivated to start living healthier. That the uninterested people posted negative comments or messages I could understand in retrospect, but there was also much harsher criticism.
From competitors
Extensive blogs were even written to bring up anything you could shoot at and from there organise a kind of witch hunt. Often this also turned out not even to be about my views or what I had written down in my books, but a skewed image was deliberately created to frame me as a 'nutrition guru' or quack. This was also quite a blow to me mentally at the time.
Once I had let this sink in and regained some composure, the first thing I did was to see which people were writing these kinds of articles. It turned out these were all competing peers. These were nutrition coaches with their own practice, dieticians, competing educational institutes and even the Voedingscentrum (Nutrition Centre) made a big contribution. They were not at all waiting for new insights that were different from theirs.
Framing, shaming, cancelling
This had to be fought and they did so in abundance in public, on social media and on websites. None of these critics called me personally or e-mailed me to find out more about my vision and substantiation, but chose to attack me directly. They also dismissed my books as 'unscientific' without providing any cogent substantiation. This was the method of trying to 'frame' your opponent, then 'shaming' and finally 'cancelling'. This strategy worked very well even then. "You're not going to book a lecture or buy a book from an unscientific nutrition guru anyway". Later, I approached some more of them to consult, but they appeared totally uninterested in the content or 'learning from each other to get better together'.
Taking advantage
When The Hormone Factor received less media coverage, this naturally diminished. It also turns out to be a good marketing method to capitalise on nutrition books that are popular at the time with critical reviews to 'score' and benefit from the attention. In these years, I have got to know the health world a lot better in this respect and unfortunately, this is therefore also part of it when your book and method are successful.
Fortunately, times have changed
My story and vision has now become so mainstream that I no longer have this problem. The frames that were maliciously assigned to me have disappeared and I am booked everywhere as a speaker at a most diverse range of (government) agencies.
Also, some critics have even adopted parts of my views. For example, the Nutrition Centre for example, have now stated on their site that people can also have an immune reaction to gluten and wheat components who do not have Celiac disease (glutensensitivity), whereas at first they reviled me for writing this in my book.
A number of negative articles have also been taken offline, as advancing insight worked out in my favour. However, some negative articles still continue to circulate on the internet from long ago. Should a particular negative review still make you doubt my substantiation, knowledge, experience and intentions, feel free to email me or leave a comment below this blog.
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22 Response(s), post a comment too!
Hi Ralph, convinced of your vision from the first moment which was only confirmed during one of the first trainings I attended. I still use much of this knowledge today. And criticism is allowed, but criticism that is deliberately meant to frame, shame and cancel someone says everything about the critic and in my eyes jealousy and envy. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Hans, was super to have had you in class ????
I think I was the very first person you gave a 'workshop' to. You were just becoming famous and I asked you for a course you didn't give/had at the time. You gave me the workshop at a table in a restaurant. That afternoon I got a lot of information from you about hormones and nutrition. After that, I also decided to delve further into the subject. I still coach on nutrition and sports. Thanks to you.
Wow, how great to hear this back ????
Dear Ralph, painful as it may be, one negative comment negates a hundred positive ones. Not having one enemy is only really suspicious in my view. If the people who matter in your private life support you, you can cope better.
At least you won our trust years ago and we hope you continue along with your like-minded people ????
Thank you for your beautiful words Annemarie!
Jeez Ralph, what have you got all over you while propagating your mission... how disappointing that some are acting in such a lack of open-minded and positively constructive way! Fortunately, the tide is turning overall and many see that we need to start thinking differently and more preventively. And thankfully, you too have continued to believe in your good mission. All the countless success examples from your practice and genuinely interested audiences at your lectures have undoubtedly helped you in this.
Keep up the good work by spreading all your knowledge and experience.
Many thanks for all you do to make the world a little healthier! Greetings Rinske
Content criticism is not painful, false framing and wrong intentions are, but you get used to that too, you know. Thank you for your reaction, Rinske!
Special. Didn't know about all the criticism. Totally amazing that you have persevered like that. Actually from the day your first book(s) came out at the time, with that info everything fell into place for me. Fine that scientifically much was and is substantiated. But everything was just plausible, sometimes even obvious and intuitively correct. I benefited a lot from the first moment with my health (physically as well as mentally). So from me just a thank you for your work.
You're welcome Marlene and how super that it's benefiting you so much. Thank you 🙂
Fortunately, you didn't get discouraged at the time. In any case, I am very happy with your many nuanced and substantiated information
Thank you so much Yvonne and of course we'll keep up the good work! 😀
Unfortunately because of social media, blackening someone else's name seems to have become a hobby. And jealousy brings out the worst in people. On the contrary, I am very happy with you and also Juglen. You have helped me to start living healthier, to see do gen, puzzle pieces that fell into place. I'm happy for you that you can talk positively about it now and also clever.
Happy that your mission is nice and succeeding, despite all the opposition. And more and more people are starting to live healthy lives.
Money also plays an important role. So does big pharma. And despite all the opposition, still very successful.
You explain everything very clearly.
Good luck with your mission and am super proud of you.
Greetings Ans van der Stoop
Thank you, Ans! Yes, Juglen is a wonderful colleague and we are going to do many more things together too :-D....
Through your books and lectures I have been able to guard against deterioration of my health over the past few years , this with a thyroid gland that does not work , 73 years young and the best version of myself , I have also pointed my cardiologist to the info you send out into the world, know strength makes you stronger , thanks Ralph I keep following you 🙂
Thank you Ria, how good that you are getting such great results and also sharing the info with your cardiologist. Wishing you much health and joy 😀.
Topper you are!
Good that you persevered despite the nauseating criticism and are now going to reap the benefits!
I hope an increasingly aware group of people will start waking up on all fronts .
Thank you Wilma! Yes a better and better foundation is emerging 😀
I have always followed you.And also see the growth you have experienced.Still clear and lucid.I also always say every car brand needs a different approach,and so it is with humans. Those helpers who have negative criticism may learn a lot from you!
Thank you Trudy. Well some criticism indeed comes from ignorance or other resistance. Step by step, it is all becoming more mainstream and that is nice to see 🙂
Nice to read about your journey Ralph. Man with a mission. But again, you don't have to justify yourself. Beneath criticism there is often jealousy and beneath it, in turn, fear and insecurity. Those few who mean well do know his/her way directly to you.
Thank you Danielle!