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I apologize up front that this post is quite long but I recommend you read it.
You see, there are a few things I want to get off my chest, pet peeves, annoyances, things that make me shake my head and even sometimes make me want to shout.
I was recently doing some research and out browsing the web again to see what’s “out there” and I honestly just get so upset sometimes.
So I thought I’d get it off my chest right here with you now because I think they’re things you’d probably want to know, things you need to know.
You might even have some thoughts or opinions about these things yourself and I’d love to know.
Number 1: Many doctors and dietitians have NO IDEA what they are doing
Doctors are not God.
Seriously, we put them up on a pedestal as if they know a lot but most of them know very little apart from writing a prescription. They see people for 5-10 minute appointments, which, I don’t know about you but I’d struggle to understand you and your story in just 5-10 minutes, so how can I help you?
It’s also a fact that doctors only receive about 5 hours of nutrition education in their entire training as a doctor. Yes, you read that correctly. Being that our diet is so important to all the chronic health problems we have today, do you think they should learn more? I certainly do.
Look, I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t listen to your doctor. But it’s more about being aware that they don’t know everything, they are often not up to date with the latest diabetes research, and they often know nothing about how to treat it with diet and lifestyle – what really works. Sure, they’re not all like this but the sad truth is that many of them are.
You rock up, you get diagnosed, you get handed a pamphlet, told to eat better and lose weight, oops, sorry your 10 minutes is up, bye! Sadly, this is the experience I’ve heard people tell me too many times.
Interview your doctor, if you don’t like them or they can’t support you the right way, get a new doctor.
Then there’s dietitian’s, well don’t get me started there. Again, I’m not saying they’re all bad, there are some that are great. But, so many of them are giving out bad info. It’s mostly because they just come out of courses at Universities that should teach the latest stuff but they don’t. Then the dietitians don’t do any of their own research. And then the dietitians associations promote a ‘certain’ way and the dietitians should follow.
The common diet prescription recommended to people is to eat more carbs. Dietitians, diabetes educators, doctors, and lecturers telling you to eat more carbs and you’ll lose weight and improve your health. Eat more carbs and less protein and fat. This is not imagined, this is exactly the kind of information people are being given.
Here’s an example:
Sue shared this on our facebook page and is just one of the people receiving recommendations from dietitians to continue to consume a high carbohydrate diet (filled with crap) with little protein and fat!
There’s only one issue with this prescription. IT IS NOT WORKING!
Seriously, the “common” nutritional information about diabetes is all WRONG!
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work it out, just look around.
Here’s another example:
When I was doing my Masters in Nutrition, I did both coursework and research. When I got the chance to do any coursework I did everything around diabetes.
My university lecturer was…let’s just say…appalling!
We were on a webinar one day discussing the type of meal plan to recommend to diabetics. This is the exact plan – I took a snapshot from the actual webinar.
It’s absolutely FULL of carbs – wheat biscuits, toast, fruit juice, banana, baked beans, yogurt, crackers, potato, corn, plums – all carbs!
I was almost speechless. And being that there were many other people on the line I couldn’t very well shout at her could I (I wanted to).
So I said: “With all those carbohydrates, where does a person fit in their 5 vegetable servings a day?”
Do you know what she said?
“Baked beans are a vegetable”…SERIOUSLY!!!
Technically she’s correct because according to the dietary guidelines beans and legumes are considered both a protein and a vegetable. But seriously!!!
She also suggested we should recommend artificial sweeteners and all sorts of other things I’d never recommend.
And another example:
I was out browsing what other people promote as ‘Diabetes Meal Plans’ and came across a meal plan put together by a dietitian. The meals themselves were 600-700 calories and ranged from 65-80 g carbs per meal!
Left right and center I come across these kind of things, diabetic desserts containing refined flours, sugars, and 60 g carbs. Pasta, rice, and potato dishes loaded with carbs. And terribly unhealthy meals being ‘sold’ as diabetic friendly.
If you eat that many carbs you are NOT going to lower blood sugar and A1C, period!
Number 2: Large health organizations DON’T necessarily have your best interests at heart
I honestly find it sad that so many people put their trust in large health organizations like the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Australia and the Heart Foundation.
Why?
Because the information they provide is often out of date and many times down right wrong – or at the very least misleading.
Here’s an example:
I was recently over on the American Diabetes Association website looking at their information on being newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic and this was the first thing I saw on the page:
“When you have type 2 diabetes, your body does not make enough insulin or use it well.”
In most cases of newly diagnosed diabetes this is WRONG.
In most cases, when you have type 2 diabetes, your body is producing too much insulin. Because you have high blood glucose, your pancreas produces more insulin to help push the glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells. So you have hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia.
Insulin isn’t working properly because the cells in your body have become insulin resistant, the high insulin makes it worse.
In most cases your pancreas is still perfectly fine. It’s over producing insulin and so to help your body reverse this issue you need to slow down insulin production. This helps lower your blood glucose and it also helps improve insulin resistance too.
Another very confusing example:
Since we’re all so set on recommending a certain carbohydrate level, how come every large health organization has a different recommendation? It’s just an interesting question, don’t you think?
Here’s what I mean…
Diabetes UK recommends 230 g for women, 300 g for men. This is “the advice provided by Diabetes UK for the general population with diabetes”.
Diabetes Australia has no specific carbohydrate amount but just recommends the same dietary guidelines for the general population, which is a minimum 6 serves a day for men and women.
American Diabetes Association suggests: “A place to start is at about 45-60 grams of carbohydrate at a meal.” This makes your daily carb intake over 3 meals anywhere between 135-180 g per day, which doesn’t include any room for snacks.
So going off these 3 large diabetes education sites we’re already totally confused!
- 230-300 g
- 6 serves
- 135-180 g
So we’re looking at a range between 135-300 g per day.
Geez…I really am confused {Scratches head…}!
Where is the research to back these recommendations? There is none.
Whereas, there is research to demonstrate a low carb diet helps lower blood sugar and A1C. So what gives?
Sad to say that Australia is probably the worst for their recommendations. At least the American Diabetes Association and Diabetes UK recognize the use of a lower carb diet – they don’t promote it but they do recognize it. Perhaps in future we’ll see some changes, even though we need them yesterday!
Number 3: The research and info is there so why is it not getting shared with you?
Look, I don’t claim to know everything by any means, I’m always learning. But I’ve done a lot of research, I’ve got a published work of my own and I love doing research, and I’ve got a very inquisitive mind – meaning I question everything.
More importantly I think – tell me if I’m wrong – that I’m on the right track. From what I’ve researched and seen in my own experience and from people I know, a lower carb diet works. And most things that go against the grain of what’s commonly recommended work.
There is also evidence that shows the results. In fact, every study done comparing a low fat/high carb diet to a low carb/high fat diet shows better results for blood sugar, A1C, cholesterol, insulin resistance, and blood pressure.
Interestingly, I was recently helping my son with some research for his university paper on diabetic foot problems – he’s almost finished a degree in podiatry. While I was doing it I came across a book from 1968 titled “Carbohydrate Metabolism and it’s disorders” by Dickens, Whelan, and Randal.
Here is an excerpt from chapter 7 on ‘Dietary Intake of Carbohydrate in Relation to Diabetes and Atherosclerosis’:
“The figures that exist support the hypothesis that a high consumption of sugar is a factor in the etiology of the condition. The hypothesis that a high consumption of sugar is a causative factor in occlusive arterial disease and in diabetes is supported by the historical and evolutionary evidence and by the epidemiological evidence from secular trends and from statistics both between populations and within populations.”
There are many studies and books that were right on track all those years ago, so what happened?
Well, interestingly, it was around the 1970s that junk foods and sodas really took off. Fat was given a bad name (supported by bad science) so more high sugar foods were being produced. More TV advertising meant these companies could promote their products, and being that human beings have an inborn liking for sweet things, we have taken a liking to these foods in copious amounts.
Even the American Dietary Guidelines Committee recently stated that fat and cholesterol are not a nutrient for concern. That excess sugar and carbohydrate consumption contributes to heart disease.
There was never any proof that fat was bad for us. Never.
Yet we have based our entire health recommendations for the past 40 years on this non existent ‘science’.
Which brings me to my last point…
Number 4: Is the diabetes “industry” just one big food/ pharma conspiracy?
I hate to say it but I think there might be a bit of a conspiracy theory going on here.
The food industry is HUGE.
The pharmaceutical industry is HUGE!
Do they have an ulterior motive?
Keep us eating unhealthy foods that make us get sick so we need more medications.
To me, it’s questionable.
Food industry has a hold over health organizations, they often sponsor them.
Food industry sponsors Dietitians Associations – oh yes, they don’t openly advertise this but their premier sponsors in America are the Dairy Council, Coca-Cola, and Pepsico. The Australian association don’t hide their ‘corporate sponsors’ as much as the American website but they also have a great line up – Campbells, Arnotts, Nestle, Breakfast Cereal Forum, amongst others.
Food industry even has a say in our dietary guidelines and product food labeling – often halting the government and public health campaigns that want to improve things for us.
Then there’s pharmaceuticals. Doctors promote certain medications, medications without enough research to back them. Even the Editor-in-Chief of one of the most reputable medical journals (The Lancet) recently came out to say many studies (particularly pharmaceutical studies) are “in fact unreliable at best, if not completely false” and do not stand up to reputable science.
So it does leave me questioning: Is the diabetes “industry” just one big food/ pharma conspiracy?
In many ways it sure looks like one to me.
It shouldn’t even be an “industry” in the first place. Our health should be the highest priority. But big food and pharma have more money to spend than public health – by billions!
I could top this little discussion off with many more things that really bug me but I think I’ve said enough. And sure, it’s not all bad, there’s loads of great stuff out there too.
I’m one little person on the other side of this screen trying to make a real difference in peoples lives. Trying to share what I think is the truth. I do try to do the best research I can. I can’t claim I’ll always be right, but at least you’ll always know I have your best interests at heart.
I do care. I want you to live a normal life ‘as free’ from diabetes as you possibly can be. And I just don’t think you’re going to get there following the ‘common’ recommendations.
Well, that’s my lot said.
Thanks for listening.
Dr. Jedha. Xx
I’d love to hear what you think? Your experiences? Let me know and let’s chat about this.
Your site is an answer to prayers! I was not charged for my last visit to the dietician because she learned from me and had no tips to share. I appreciate your informative site and positive comments from this community. This is just what I need to get inspired to better control. I’ve told my friends about your site – worth the VIP membership.
HaHa, that’s funny ;) And thank you for your kind words Linda and for sharing our site. We’re grateful you’re on of our VIP members :)
I am shocked at what doctors to and say. you are right, they don’t get to the cause, they just keep pushing pills into you. I found out, had H.Pylori, not that it has anything to do at hand, but wanted me to take two lots of antibiotics and Nexium because of bad digestive issues, no way, anyway, back to diabetes 2, which i am. I don’t know what to eat as far as H.Pylori goes, as i wasn’t told, so i am hoping that if i go on your program for diabetes, it wont affect my other situation. Can you tell me at all if this would.
Eating a natural whole foods diet and avoiding packaged and processed foods is best for H.Pylori. Some people also need to exclude irritants such as caffeine (coffee and tea, except green tea which is anti-inflammatory), carbonated beverages, spicy foods with chili and pepper, citrus fruits, and sometimes diary as well. It’s also recommended you take a probiotic – Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus brevis are 3 strains highlighted in scientifically literature that help with H.Pylori. Our program would be a perfect match for you, though you may need to skip some of the meals that include dairy.
Hi Jedha,
It’s so hard to find good, supporting info out there. Thanks so much for your thoughts on this. The “One big conspiracy” occurred to me as my hubby was sent to diabetic classes by his doctor. I was hoping to hear lots of new info and get support trying to convince him to lower his carb intake. (He had done so some years back, and was able to get off meds.) Surprise surprise. The SAME garbage they spoon fed him 30 years ago! A very hard line on high carb, low fat, low protein. Say what? Needless to say we are working on the low carb thing. He finally had a good morning, with fasting reading at 121. Wow. All his readings had been 150-250. So frustrating. We’ll keep trying.
Thanks for your feedback Suzy. Yes, unfortunately the same garbage is still being shared, which is not based on evidence to eat to treat diabetes. Glad you are finding the way yourself.
Thank you, I’ve been following the info on cholesterol and find it quite helpful.
Glad to hear you found the information useful!
Hi Jedha
Thank you for this article, you’ve expressed and clarified so many of the doubts and questions I have had
When I was diagnosed last year, my A1C was 7.7, my doctor put me on Janumet which made me extremely Ill. She suggested l lose some weight by having smaller portions of such foods like bread,rice plantains, sweet potatoes and yams, notwithstanding the fact that I told her that those foods I seldom ate because they made me feel hungry shortly after I ate them.
I did some research and found your site and Dr Axe’s, I stopped taking Januvia which had replaced the Janumet, and I started a LCHF diet. In three months my A1C dropped to 6.1, my overall cholesterol went up,but curiously, my triglycerides went down, it’s not yet normal but I’m working on it. I have also lost 40+lbs
I appluad you for your commitment to sharing your knowledge which has made an enormous difference in many lives.
Congrats Deborah – great to hear you’re in better health and that DMP played a part in you getting there!
This week we’re featuring lots of info about cholesterol, so keep an eye on the DMP blog. What you’re experiencing is normal and can take a while to stabilize. I look forward to hearing future updates. :)
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabete in January this year 2018, my doctor told me I don’t need to check my blood sugar, that only type 1 does that??? I was so confused! Got put on Glipizide because Metformin made me deathly ill. Then sent me to the diabetes class in their clinic and an RN nurse and a dietitian told me to eat 45 carbs at each meal, three times a day and two snacks that are 15 carbs a piece. That’s a whopping 165 carbs a day. I asked the dietitian if you take the fiber off when counting carbs and she said no that fiber does nothing for you and the carbs are all exactly what they say they are. I have been learning non stop everything I can possibly learn about health and nutrition and real food and doing Low carb high fat diet for the last 2 months, I’ve lost 20 pounds and my blood sugar never goes above 120 at its highest anymore and that’s after meals or fasting and I stopped the Glipizide about a month after starting it! I feel like I’ve been cheated by my doctor and bamboozled or swindled. All they care about is money and passing out those prescriptions, and there is dumb me actually paying to go see a Doctor who was trying to make me sicker…well I said no more and took control of my own health!
Keep up the great work and always keep learning! :)
Hi Jedha, thank you for all of this information!, well worth reading. Two days ago my husband was diagnosed with early stages of diabetes, and was recommended a low carb (15g/day) high protein/fat diet, he was told that if he lost about 20 pounds (he currently weights about 235 and is 6ft.tall) and was very good with his diet then in a year he would have another test done to see weather or not he would have diabetes permanently, Ive been freaking out mostly because of what I don’t know, but also because I am a terrible cook, the kind that doesn’t have any ideas of what to cook and doesn’t think about food until is time to eat. and it worries me that my poor cooking might cause our children to be diagnosed down the road with the same thing. so my question to you is: can my whole family follow the same diet or do I need to make adjustments since our pancreas is working right?. I have 5 children ranging from 8 to 16 yrs old.
Hi Leny, 15g/ day of carbs is VERY low. Most people don’t have to lower carbs to this extent and for children, that would not be recommended. Certainly a lower carb diet would be fine for everyone as we eat way to many carbs in the Western diet anyway. The thing is, don’t panic. You can LEARN to cook better. :) Just take it one day at a time, learn a new meal and cook it. Learn more about better nutrition and make changes over time. And, you really will need to start thinking ahead a bit because eating on the fly is dangerous. You also might consider joining our VIP Membership.
Thanks Jedha. When I found your plan I just KNEW it was right. I had tried every plan out there and always failed. In the midwest here in the U.S. there is a popular home meal delivery company called Seattle Sutton. In their advertising they mention it was also good for diabetics.
Once I started the plan I was appalled to learn that over the course of a day and 3 meals I was getting 250-300mg of carbs. I called and talked to their dietician and she said because it’s all healthy food I’d lose weight and help my diabetes.
I knew better and dropped the plan.
Love your site.
Thanks,
Tony T. from Chicago, IL
WOW! 250-300 g carbs! It doesn’t surprise me though, I’ve seen lots of meal plan services and recipes saying they are ‘diabetic friendly’ but they’re not. That was actually one of the things that inspired me to start Diabetes Meal Plans.
Glad you love our site :)
I was diagnosed 23+ years ago with Type II. My experience with docs and dietitians has been in line with what you wrote. I learned early on that I had to take complete control of the situation or just give up. I began eating a very low carb diet and daily aerobic exercise (cycling for me). I got in excellent control and was able to stop orals (Micronase??).
One thing I don’t think is emphasized enough is the effect of chronic stress on diabetes and other metabolic disorders. After 10 years of great control my employment situation changed and I was no longer able to find the time to ride, I began eating poorly on the road and would you believe it, my sugars spiked.
I went back on orals, metformin this time and Lantus. Over time the Metformin dose increased to 1000 mg 2 x daily and 80 units of Lantus 1 x daily. 7 months ago I retired at 65. I had time on my hands and the stress level was greatly reduced. I pulled my bikes out of the shed and spent a month getting them road worthy. The short story is I have ridden 1,500 miles in 3.5 months and have reduced the Lantus dose from 80 to 54 units. Weight has been slow to drop but the belly fat is melting, melting, melting.
I use carbs more as medication than food. I’ve had some low 50s sugars that woke me in the night. That when I would have a bowl of regular Cheerios with a few dried blueberries. Upon waking the sugar would be in the 80s. When these low sugars occurred 3 times I would drop the Lantus dose by 1 or 2 units.
About dietitians, I have seen 3 or 4 in 23 years. Most seemed clueless about their subject and seemed to be parroting some standard line. One of the problems I had was high triglycerides. This one dietitian suggested I reduce fat in my diet. I said triglycerides are fat made from sugar molecules so how would reduced fat decrease them? She gave be the classic deer in the headlights look. In case anyone is interested the triglycerides went from 550 to <150 with a purified fish oil called Lovaza.
The upshot is maybe some docs and dietitians will stumble on this site and get an education.
Thanks for sharing Luis, it is a story we hear frequently, which is why I shared it.
You are so right, stress is a HUGE factor that doesn’t get stressed a lot at all. Not only does it influence our behaviour but it also pushes up cortisol – a key hormone in insulin and blood sugar control.
“The upshot is maybe some docs and dietitians will stumble on this site and get an education.”…very true. Or at least more diabetic people open to listening. :)
Oh and by the way, good on you for taking back control, glad to hear you’re getting results again. It does take work but it’s worth it :)
Hola! I just like to read your blog, recipes, meal plans etc. and I agree with you in many of the things you say.
Your comments on “3 annoyances” with the DIABETES BUSINESS are very right. And there are so many wrong things with the diabetes I would call this long list of annoyances: MARKETING FOR DIABETES…..
Gracias for your research and advice,
Carmen Montaño
MEXICO
Hola Carmen!! Thanks I appreciate your comments. :)
Thank you for putting in words what I have felt for as long as I have had diabetes. There are to many false claims out there. Many of us do not know where to turn and we just give up. The only way I can keep my blood sugar in control is to eat more protein and move around a lot, but both my regular doctor and my heart doctor do not agree on most of what I am doing. This confuses me and then I don’t know where to turn. I feel like the doctors should be more encouraging and supportive of what I am trying to do. NOW I am not doing anything. Just sitting around being lazy and gaining weight.
Sorry started rambling! Just want to Thank you for the Blog.
Hi Ron, Yes, it’s a terrible fact, and as you can see it makes me mad too. What a horrible situation that leaves you and millions of other people in, which is why we are so passionate about spreading the word.
Please don’t give up, we are here to support and help you. How can we help you get back on track? What one thing can you do to start feeling better? Getting started is the hardest part, but you’re not alone on this journey, that’s for sure. :)