Zoe Harcombe and her Diet

covknit

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I'm sure discussed before but I'd like to be sure that she's a credible resource, a few people have pointed out (across the internet) that she's contradicted herself and have made claims her qualifications aren't as good as perhaps they should be,

Her diet seems strange, if considered in the context of low carb. I don't know how she describes it herself, but it seems you can eat any veg, except potato and mushroom. I don't understand those exceptions but not others given the sugar content of many non green leafy veg can be quite high. She also allows oats and brown rice, which I don't understand at all. Especially when she claims these help with things like hypoglycemia. Rice is pure carbs!

She says one should eat real food three times a day. But what about if and when one is hungry inbetween. one of the most frustrating aspecs of the low carb (particularly keto) diet is that many of its supporters are evangelical about not snacking and love to quote people like Jason Fung, about whom I'm equally uninformed - I'm sure there are many who are skeptcial about him as well.

Unfortunately her website has a paywall which means finding out directly is expensive.
On one of her video's she says people really must stop grazing. I shall paraphrase the next line as "Grazing is for cows" so she is against snacks and most of her stuff is for real food. In the stuff I have seen she is not promoting a diet for handling diabetes "or the strange" people that put butter on eggs. Viewing her diet from that "other direction" she refers to, including fibre makes more sense than would be credited to anyone suggesting it on this forum. On that aspect she is more in line with traditional dietary advice about roughage.

Think this is the vid I am referring to about grazing and buttering eggs. The mushroom stuff is a new one on me.
 

ghost_whistler

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Hides it behind a paywall..seriously.? you can get a month's free access to everything.. he takes no advertising and no sponsorship.. how should he pay to develop the site? Do you work for nothing?
I'm not asking him to work for nothing. I'm just sceptical of a site that teases the way he does He always links, from a question for example, to a video or an article that's pertinent, but you don't get to watch all of it.
 

ghost_whistler

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I'd say snack on real (low carb) food, if you feel the need to snack.

As for Zoe, I had a quick look at her web site and there is some basic information there. It doesn't appear her approach is geared towards diabetics. Seems like you're supposed to start with low carb, then when you've lost the weight add carbs back in. Kind of sounds like Atkins.

I'd recommend taking a look at the diet doctor instead: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb
Right, buit i'm interested in hearing from people, if there are any, that have experience of her methods and what she advocates.

I'm unsure how including brown rice and porridge is a positive thing. Those are very carb intensive.
 

bulkbiker

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19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Right, buit i'm interested in hearing from people, if there are any, that have experience of her methods and what she advocates.

I'm unsure how including brown rice and porridge is a positive thing. Those are very carb intensive.
Because its not a diet for Type 2's? Is a diet for the general population who don't have diabetes.
 
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bulkbiker

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I'm not asking him to work for nothing. I'm just sceptical of a site that teases the way he does He always links, from a question for example, to a video or an article that's pertinent, but you don't get to watch all of it.
Then be sceptical.. its up to you. You get a huge amount of free content if that's not enough then its $9 per month after your free month.
 

Brunneria

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Right, buit i'm interested in hearing from people, if there are any, that have experience of her methods and what she advocates.

I'm unsure how including brown rice and porridge is a positive thing. Those are very carb intensive.

She is suggesting real food for the general population. Not specific ultra low carb for diabetics.
Why on earth would brown rice and porridge be a bad thing in that context?
And they would only be 'very carb intensive' if eaten in excess - which is not something she advocates.
 

ghost_whistler

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She is suggesting real food for the general population. Not specific ultra low carb for diabetics.
Why on earth would brown rice and porridge be a bad thing in that context?
And they would only be 'very carb intensive' if eaten in excess - which is not something she advocates.
It might be a bad thing if you're hypoglycemic and sensitive to those carbs; she claims hypoglycemia can be cured/managed through her diet.
 

douglas99

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Very relevant to debunking the diet heart hypothesis though thankfully..
Not even vaguely debunking, but if that's what you want to hear, you pay your money, and she massages your ego. Good all round then.
I've shown you real charts.
And you don't need to chuck me $9 a month, I'm good just to put up the real statistics for free.
 

bulkbiker

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Not even vaguely debunking, but if that's what you want to hear, you pay your money, and she massages your ego. Good all round then.
I've shown you real charts.
And you don't need to chuck me $9 a month, I'm good just to put up the real statistics for free.
Off you go then.. show us the science that proves the diet heart hypothesis..
 

douglas99

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post deleted by moderator because it broke Forum Rule 12, bullet point 3
 
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Brunneria

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It might be a bad thing if you're hypoglycemic and sensitive to those carbs; she claims hypoglycemia can be cured/managed through her diet.

Hypoglycaemia is caused by a number of things, and no diet suits everyone.
That is just common sense and often pointed out on this forum.

I repeat, she is writing advice for the general population.

Anyone with diabetes, RH or another medical condition should be applying their personal situation to interpreting her ideas.

For example, someone with a nut allergy is going to subtract nuts from any way of eating they adopt. Likewise, if you personally have a problem with brown rice and porridge, then you should simply subtract those foods from any way of eating you adopt. That doesn't mean everyone has to avoid those things.
 
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douglas99

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Hypoglycaemia is caused by a number of things, and no diet suits everyone.
That is just common sense and often pointed out on this forum.

I repeat, she is writing advice for the general population.

Anyone with diabetes, RH or another medical condition should be applying their personal situation to interpreting her ideas.

For example, someone with a nut allergy is going to subtract nuts from any way of eating they adopt. Likewise, if you personally have a problem with brown rice and porridge, then you should simply subtract those foods from any way of eating you adopt. That doesn't mean everyone has to avoid those things.
Very true, I eat rice.
 

douglas99

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post deleted by moderator because it broke Forum Rule 12, bullet point 3
Guess I'm not showing anything here?
Still eating Zoesters rice though.
And still showing a way better fit to her cholesterol graph.
 
S

serenity648

Guest
Guess I'm not showing anything here?
Still eating Zoesters rice though.
And still showing a way better fit to her cholesterol graph.
can i have a link to her cholesterol graph and an explanation of what is wrong with it please? hopefully in simple terms?
 

Phdpaul

Member
Messages
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Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
I subscribed to her site about 4 years ago and found some of the materials interesting, from an academic perspective. However, I didn't agree with some of her rationale regarding her diet, especially during the induction part. Moreover, she also discredired herself by claiming (at the time) to hold a PhD when in fact it was proven she didn't.
 

sally and james

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I subscribed to her site about 4 years ago and found some of the materials interesting, from an academic perspective. However, I didn't agree with some of her rationale regarding her diet, especially during the induction part. Moreover, she also discredired herself by claiming (at the time) to hold a PhD when in fact it was proven she didn't.
Subscriptions to Zoe Harcombe's forum site started about a year ago. Four years ago I was reading it freely, though she did have a "club". This (dcuk) forum and its contributors need to be careful in what they say. To suggest someone was lying about having a Phd, if incorrect, is libel.
Sally
 

ghost_whistler

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Messages
612
Hypoglycaemia is caused by a number of things, and no diet suits everyone.
That is just common sense and often pointed out on this forum.

I repeat, she is writing advice for the general population.

Anyone with diabetes, RH or another medical condition should be applying their personal situation to interpreting her ideas.

For example, someone with a nut allergy is going to subtract nuts from any way of eating they adopt. Likewise, if you personally have a problem with brown rice and porridge, then you should simply subtract those foods from any way of eating you adopt. That doesn't mean everyone has to avoid those things.
forgive me, but that's a statement of the obvious, surely? If you are following dietary advice of any kind you are going to have to tailor it. If you have an allergy then yes, individually, it will behove you to avoid that food, even if it's included on a list of otherwise safe foods. I don't think she would dispute that at all. In fact I would hazard a guess assuming she points that out in her book (or should).
But the point is that brown rice is a sugar rich food and, generally, it is reasonable to assume that might best be avoided in a diet intent on addressing a blood sugar problem. I'm just curious as to her rationale for this, based on her research.
 

Brunneria

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But the point is that brown rice is a sugar rich food and, generally, it is reasonable to assume that might best be avoided in a diet intent on addressing a blood sugar problem. I'm just curious as to her rationale for this, based on her research.

You are assuming that everyone has similar problems and requires the same dietary regime, and that simply isn't true.

As usual on these boards, it all comes back to 'test your own reactions to food, and adjust your way of eating accordingly.'

If you are curious as to her rationale, then you should be asking her, via her website, rather than speculating on a forum, and then rejecting all the answers you get. Far better to go straight to the source.