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It took Moby three tries but he finally figured out how to apologize for lying about dating Natalie Portman.

It took Moby three tries but he finally figured out how to apologize for lying about dating Natalie Portman.
Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images

Celebrities, especially celebrity men, continue to struggle with the elusive correct way to apologize. Unfortunately, Moby is no exception. And even though his first "apology" was very problematic, his second and third attempts are getting us closer to something that shouldn't be complicated at all.

Remember in elementary school when someone would hold your hand and say that meant you two were dating? Apparently, that happens with adults, too.

Moby has recently apologized for what happened when he claimed he dated Natalie Portman. “As some time has passed I’ve realized that many of the criticisms leveled at me regarding my inclusion of Natalie in Then It Fell Apart are very valid. I also fully recognize that it was truly inconsiderate of me to not let her know about her inclusion in the book beforehand, and equally inconsiderate for me to not fully respect her reaction,” Moby wrote in an Instagram post.


The major problem with Moby’s apology is he fails to state that the two never dated.

[rebelmouse-image 19561932 dam="1" original_size="702x766" caption="Instagram" expand=1]Instagram

In his memoir Then It Fell Apart, Moby claimed he briefly dated Portman. “For a few weeks I had tried to be Natalie’s boyfriend, but it hadn’t worked out. I thought that I was going to have to tell her that my panic was too egregious for me to be in a real relationship, but one night on the phone she informed me that she’d met somebody else. I was relieved that I’d never have to tell her how damaged I was,” Moby wrote. He says at the time she was 20, and he was 33.

There are many things wrong with Moby’s story, starting with the fact that it never actually happened.

Portman called Moby out in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. “I was surprised to hear that he characterized the very short time thatI knew him as dating because my recollection is a much older man being creepy with me when I just had graduated high school,” she said. Portman also pointed out that at the time she was 18, and not 20. Creepy, much?

Instead of saying sorry, Moby essentially lashed out. Moby posted a two of them together on Instagram.  He’s not wearing a shirt. She’s wearing a look that says, “I’m in no way comfortable with this.” Moby then referred to Portman’s statements as something he read in a“gossip piece,” doubling down that the description of events in his book are “accurate.” He also got mad at the people calling him out, saying, “sincerely, what should I do when people believe accusations and not evidence?”

Moby should have just apologized and moved on when Portman called him out initially. The only thing worse than claiming you dated an 18-year-old when you didn’t is doubling down on the statements, then accusing said former 18-year-old of “actively misrepresent[ing] the truth.”

After his botched earlier faux apologies, Moby announced that he was taking a break from social media. That's probably a wise move but it doesn't change the fact that he took an unfortunate situation and made it worse with a selfish and arrogant response.

It’s a few steps away from calling a woman a bitch because she turned you down, or harassing someone in to dating you. However, it is great to see that Moby apologized for the way he made Portman feel.

For anyone taking notes, there's a really simple and effective way to apologize.

"I'm sorry."

That's it. It's really not that complicated.

Health

4 simple hacks to help you meet your healthy eating goals

Trying to eat healthier? Try these 4 totally doable tricks.

Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash

Most of us want to eat healthier but need some help to make it happen.

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When it comes to choosing what to eat, we live in a uniquely challenging era. Never before have humans known more about nutrition and how to eat for optimal health, and yet we’ve never been more surrounded by distractions and temptations that derail us from making healthy choices.

Some people might be able to decide “I’m going to eat healthier!” and do so without any problem, but those folks are unicorns. Most of us know what we should do, but need a little help making it happen—like some simple hacks, tips and tricks for avoiding pitfalls on the road to healthier eating.

While recognizing that what works for one person may not work for another, here are some helpful habits and approaches that might help you move closer to your healthy eating goals.

man pulling chip out of a chip bagOur mouths loves chips. Our bodies not so much.Photo by Bermix Studio on Unsplash

Goal: Snack on less junk food

Tip: Focus your willpower on the grocery store, not your home

Willpower is a limited commodity for most of us, and it is no match for a bag of potato chips sitting on top of the fridge. It’s just a fact. Channeling your willpower at the grocery store can save you from having to fight that battle at home. If you don’t bring chips into your house in the first place, you’ll find it a lot easier to reach for something healthier.

The key to successful shopping trips is to always go to the store with a specific list and a full stomach—you’ll feel much less tempted to buy the junky snack foods if you’re already satiated. Also, finding healthier alternatives that will still satisfy your cravings for salty or crunchy, or fatty foods helps. Sugar snap peas have a surprisingly satisfying crunch, apples and nut butter hit that sweet-and-salty craving, etc.

slice of cakeYou can eat well without giving up sweets completely.Photo by Caitlyn de Wild on Unsplash

Goal: Eat less sugar

Tip: Instead of “deprive,” think “delay” or “decrease and delight”

Sugar is a tricky one. Some people find it easier to cut out added sugars altogether, but that can create an all-or-nothing mindset that all too often results in “all.” Eating more whole foods and less processed foods can help us cut out a lot of ancillary sugar, but we still live in a world with birthday cakes and dessert courses.

One approach to dessert temptation is to delay instead of deprive. Tell yourself you can have any sweet you want…tomorrow. This mental trick flips the “I’ll just indulge today and start eating healthier tomorrow” idea on its head. It’s a lot easier to resist something you know you can have tomorrow than to say no to something you think you’ll never get to have again.

Another approach when you really want to enjoy a dessert at that moment is to decrease the amount and really truly savor it. Eat each bite slowly, delighting in the full taste and satisfaction of it. As soon as that delight starts to diminish, even a little, stop eating. You’ve gotten what you wanted out of it. You don’t have to finish it. (After all, you can always have more tomorrow!)

colorful fresh food on a plateA naturally colorful meal is a healthy meal.Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash

Goal: Eat healthier meals

Tip: Focus on fresh foods and plan meals ahead of time

Meal planning is easier than ever before. The internet is filled with countless tools—everything from recipes to shopping lists to meal planning apps—and it’s as awesome as it is overwhelming.

Planning ahead takes the guesswork and decision fatigue out of cooking, preventing the inevitable “Let’s just order a pizza.” You can have a repeating 3-week or 4-week menu of your favorite meals so you never have to think about what you’re going to eat, or you can meal plan once a week to try new recipes and keep things fresh.

It might help to designate one day a week to “shop and chop”—getting and prepping the ingredients for the week’s meals so they’re ready to go in your fridge or freezer.

woman holding blueberries in her handsOrganic foods are better for the Earth and for us.Photo by andrew welch on Unsplash

Goal: Eat more organic/humanely raised food

Tip: Utilize the “dirty dozen” and “clean 15” lists to prioritize

Many people choose organic because they want to avoid pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals. Organic food is also better for the planet, and according to the Mayo Clinic, studies have shown that organic produce is higher in certain nutrients.

Most people don’t buy everything organic, but there are some foods that should take priority over others. Each year, researchers from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) analyze thousands of samples of dozens of fruits and vegetables. From this data, they create a list of the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” fruits and vegetables, indicating what produce has the most and least pesticide residue. These lists give people a good place to start focusing their transition to more organic foods.

To make organic eating even simpler, you can shop O Organics® at your local Albertsons or Safeway stores. The O Organics brand offers a wide range of affordable USDA-certified organic products in every aisle. If you’re focusing on fresh foods, O Organics produce is always grown without synthetic pesticides, is farmed to conserve biodiversity, and is always non-GMO. All animal-based O Organics products are certified humane as well. Even switching part of your grocery list to organic can make a positive impact on the planet and the people you feed.

Healthy eating habits don’t have to be all or nothing, and they don’t have to be complicated. A few simple mindset changes at home and habit changes at the grocery store can make a big difference.

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