Diabetes Myths

The ADA is supported by the pharmaceutical & junk food industries.  How hard would you have to think before you advised people to avoid one's products so they could cut back on how much of the other's products you needed if your job depended them?

I don't know if you have read the excellent book, 'Good Calories, Bad Calories', but it exposes several nutritional myths that directly effect diabetics.  Most of these got started by bad science versus good.  But the one that stands out for me is that fats cause heart problems.  Can you write and discuss this issue more?

Also, are you going to review 'God Calories, Bad Calories'?

I am beginning to accept the concept of low carb raising BG levels.

However, as I also have border line chol. and my husband had a by-pass I have always been told to limit full fat milk/cheese, bacon, cream, meat etc.

I now read that some fat at the same time as eating carb. slows down the absorbtion of the carb.  Also it`s better to reduce/eliminate carbs as much as possible and replace them with certain fats.  I can`t understand how this can be good for us.

(First of all, these aren't myths.  Myths have elements of the magical, the tragic, and the archetypal in them.  Myths, while not literally true, often contain true lessons that could be taught no other way. 

These are just sloppy science.)

Mistakes made by physician, CDEs and dieticians:

1) "The human body requires about 100g/d of dietary carbohydrate."  In fact, the human body can get by just fine on essentially no carbohydrate; what requirements it has it can make from fat and protein.

2) "Ketosis is a dangerous state, especially for diabetics."  Naaah.  Ketosis is not the same as ketoacidosis.  Not even close.

3) "Table sugar is no worse for a diabetic than other startches.  Actually, it's a bit better because it has a lower glycemic index."  Yeah, but it will do a horrible number on your insulin and your triglycerides, leading to more insulin resistance.

Mistakes made by diebetic patients:

3) "As long as I feel OK, my blood sugar is OK."  Told to me by a guy in the hospital getting part of his foot amputated. 

Hi all,

David a wonderful article. I've been on Atkins for almost a year & my A1c is 5.3. My triglycerides dropped 107 points, and my HDL is 105. No more hypo events either, which is a big blessing in and of itself. It makes me so angry the ADA & others are not behind the low carb lifestyle, when so many of us have proven, with our own bodies, that it works wonderfully for diabetics!

Hugs,

Gracie