I volunteer at a foodbank. The food available is high carb, and often highly processed. It has to be, to be easy to prepare and store, and some people only have access to a kettle. Yet another way that the poorest have their health compromised : (
I live in the US. Our local food bank has really changed and evolved. Years ago, they recognized that the quality of the food they were providing needed to be healthier.
They now provide meat, poultry, fish, fresh vegetables, fruits, and berries as available. All foods appropriate for low carb. Bakery's donate to the food bank too, foods no one should be eating, but it's a start.
Two of my friends depend on the food bank. One eats the low carb high fat diet.
Virta Health makes millions of dollars out of low carb, it is a big business in the States and I guess we purists will have to choose our gurus wisely or come to a more graded or balanced view.
Academics have mainly their egos to support unless their masters that pay them keep them to their particular doctrine.
Most health care professional in the UK do have the best interests of patients at heart. It will be a sad day if private health care replaces the NHS in the UK.
D.
[Warning: Rant forthcoming...]
I also think Virta Health has a difficult road ahead. I'm following what they're doing. If they succeed, we'll all be better off for it. Anyone who doesn't have a lot of money can do what they're doing with a glucose meter, an android phone, and the low carbohydrate and/or ketogenic diet. I personally have been doing it successfully for 3 1/2 years with no medical supervision or guidance. I used the internet and books for guidance.
Right now, it looks like most of their clients are self-insured cities, counties, universities, etc. They're off to a great start. Wish them well.
After watching The Widow Maker documentary on the Diet Doctor website this weekend, I was shocked to learn that none of the big health insurers in the US are making the calcium artery scan available to their members because the average client switches health insurers every 5 years, so it doesn't make sense to them to pay $200 for a test that will benefit only the next insurer.
I can get that test for $150 cash at my hospital to learn the status of the calcium in my arteries and monitor it in the future to see if the lifestyle changes I'm utilizing are stopping the progression. Haven't done it yet, but plan to soon.
The reality is, with the exception of UK physicians like Dr. Unwin and his wife who is a psychologist, most medical practices do not have the funding needed to properly care for their type 2 diabetic patients, so they refer them to the nutritionists who have to follow the dietary guidelines, which has only succeeded in making most diabetics worse, not better. For this reason, I support all efforts to force those responsible for writing the dietary guidelines in the US to only make dietary recommendations that are science based. Thank you Nina Teicholz and the Nutrition Coalition.
[Sorry for the rant. It's not in anyway directed toward anyone posting on this thread. Two diabetic acquaintances are battling significant complications right now - (cellulitis and charcot foot). It's scary. Had they been appropriately treated, educated, and supported previously, this wouldn't have happened.]