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Submission on fats and carbs to Which? and Diabetes UK?

LittleGreyCat

LittleGreyCat

Well-Known Member
Retired Moderator
Messages
4,386
Location
Suffolk, UK
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Yet another article about saturated fat, this time in the Independent.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...big-fat-surprise-about-nutrition-9692121.html
so there is an ever growing body of opinion which is going against Ancel Keys and "you are what you eat".

Now we all know that the NHS, wonderful as it is, has enormous inertia and also is a loosely knit group of independent bodies dedicated to reinventing the wheel and looking firmly into the past.

So if we would like to push forward the concept that the current NICE guidelines about the diet plate and healthy carbohydrates may not be in the best interest of at least some diabetics (and a big chunk of the population in general) we need to target smaller and more mobile organisations.

Two organisations spring to mind; Diabetes UK because I am an active volunteer with them, and Which? because I am a subscriber.

Both currently toe the party line, although DUK has been sponsoring a Newcastle Diet study so there awareness of potential new views.

All this leads me to contemplate a joint letter to Which? and DUK along the lines of "considering all these studies and references, could you please undertake an objective study of the evidence for the current low fat healthy carbohydrate recommendations by NICE and nutritionists and dieticians, and the evidence that carbohydrates can be harmful and fats can be good. ".

Given enough collated evidence there could be a favourable response.

Being idle and forgetful I can't recall all the good stuff that I have read.

So I am starting this thread to ask for references which support LCHF versus healthy carbohydrates.

Please also throw in any references which point in the opposite direction - this must be a balanced view!

Also, if there does look to be a significant amount of evidence and a ground swell of support, any ideas of how to promote this would be welcome.

Writing to Which? and DUK could be the first step.
  • Write to your MP?
  • Petition to Parlaiment?
  • Run naked down Oxford Street waving a banner?
  • Petition the supermarkets to take 'Lo Fat' foods off their shelves?
  • Start a chain of LCHF bistros?
  • Petition the airlines to offer LCHF food on all flights? (almost certainly better than the diabetic option)
  • Charge the producers and distributors of 'Lo Fat' foods with Grievous Bodily Harm?
  • Charity runs/walks/cycle rides with "Eat fat get slim" T shirts?
  • Fund a memorial to Atkins - a misunderstood friend of diabetics?
  • Found the Masai Inuit Society?

Anyway, you probably get the drift by now.

All contributions welcome.

Cheers

LGC
 
Who's Will?
 
lol, i meant whenever your ready :)

i didnt try to contribute because my view isnt balanced and you asked for balanced views :) but i wish you luck with it
 
You know... We are all going about this the wrong way.

Everyone chooses a diet, eats it, tests or not, and 9x out of 10, they defend their chosen diet and lifestyle.

We should go the other way.
We should petition them to:
  • Contact every doctor in the UK (ideally world wide, but let's be practical)
  • Ask them for the HbA1c results of every diabetic on their records.
  • Isolate the HbA1cs that fall at, or below, the NHS guidelines
  • Ask them what they eat/what diet they follow/exercise, meds, etc.
  • Divide the responses into low, middle and top end of HbA1c (but within target)
  • See which diet wins.

Actually, we should do this for all diabetics, not just the low HbA1cs. Same methodology.
Would be even more revealing! Kind of a double whammy, because we could isolate the best AND worst diet.

Of course, this would be a survey, not a study...

Re the links you are looking for @LittleGreyCat , I think Jenny Ruhl has done a lot of your work for you - on bloodsugar101.com (see my sig)

I'm rooting for you.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Andy12345 said:
lol, i meant whenever your ready :)

i didnt try to contribute because my view isnt balanced and you asked for balanced views :) but i wish you luck with it
Click to expand...

Unbalanced views also welcome :cool:
 
I would also like to give a balanced view but,

A, not diabetic
B, can't eat carbs
C, can't eat sugars
D, can't eat dairy products
E, I'm anti food industry
F, I'm anti capitalist
G, I'm pro national health without profit
H, I'm against 5 tier national health service
I, I'm on a budget that I am poor now instead of retiring comfortable
J, my MP is not interested in ordinary folk. A labour man who has the most people using food banks and works for the Tories.
K, I do enough for charities
L, My life is football.
M my middle name is Will!!!!

Seriously I do wish you luck and something's do need to change but the political system on this country is not interested in you and me. Unless you are multi-national industry or a member of the establishment then you are banging your head against the wall.
When the US changes and they are slowly, it will become fashionable and then maybe things will improve for us diabetics!
 
my unbalanced view is that everyone in a position to make changes already knows the benefit to cutting the carbs, if they dont they shouldnt be where they are, so assuming they are where they should be, there has to be a reason for ignoring the evidence, this has to be because of the huge amount of money involved in keeping us all fat and eating carbs in my opinion of course, so i dont believe they will listen to anyone until they absolutely have no choice, the truth is getting out, it will become embarrassing for them to not change their advice, then it will change.....maybe
 
My 3 reasons for LcHf diet

1). To retain my few remaining insulin making beta cells (high BG kills beta cells)
2). To stop frequent visits to the toilet (I find anything over 5.5 means frequent urination)
3). Minimise long term associated diabetes complications.
 
Start trying to actually change things from the bottom up and you're deemed a commie or worse a terrorist.
 
Low carb highish fat for six weeks now.
A stone lighter and blood sugars under control.
Feeling better.
Looking better.
 
I like the idea of the "eat fat, get slim" T-shirt.

I'm going to get one printed and wear it at my Patient Participation Group meetings at my gp's and to all my NHS appointments! Brilliant!
 
There was a film by woody Allen made in the eighties where everything that was considered unhealthy, cigarettes and alcohol turned put to be good for you!

You need a similar themed play with LCHF!



I am a perfect example why the so called healthy plate is so bad for you.
Carbs and sugars are poisonous to me!
Saturated fats are the only one recommended for my condition.

I haven't a choice!
 
Write to the pension funds who own the shares of the supermarkets. Tell them that we, the massed ranks of UK diabetics, will be suing the supermarkets for failing to display health warnings on everything containing carbs.

"This product may increase the risk of diabetes, or worsen existing diabetes, increasing your risks of amputation, cardiovascular disease, blindness, etc etc."
 
I hate to be a pessimist but many including me have contacted DUK on the subject and their brick wall is a mile thick; they are obstinate in the extreme and will not move from the establishment party line as too many would lose face. The low fat/high carb thing has been going on since the 50s/60s and too many have their careers based on it. It won't do any harm to do your bit but sadly I'll be amazed if you have a response other than the usual 'balanced diet and we are all different' mantra. I've just had my BUPA News and it includes dietary advice produced by DUK and guess what it says? I've written to BUPA before and they ignored me. I could go on. Good luck.
 
What a great Idea, everyone making an effort.is great
My position is
  1. I live in Australia not UK but this link might help http://wesleylifeshape.com.au/ My Endocrinologist is in this specialist centre
  2. I can't do HF because I had my gall bladder removed it turned gangrenous after it it was choked with 2 large stones.
  3. I have had warnings about the condition of my arteries they are hardened with build up of plaque,
  4. I have experienced heart surgery I had a pacemaker inserted and screwed into my heart under local anesthetic and a soporific drug.
  5. I am on Endocrinologist prescribed no major carbs for BS control and weight loss
  6. His/my target is good health
  7. When I can (with weight loss) under Doc supervision, I will be increasing carbs as close as I can to recommended normal.
  8. I have lost 15% of my body weight with a target of 24% my weight loss is now very slow.
  9. My meds have gone down from 90 units Novarapid + 40 units Lantus to ZERO insulin, but I am now on 4 Metformin.

Re the link http://wesleylifeshape.com.au you have to work through all the links from this page and there is also a diabetes explanation with the carbs link from Wesley that is worth reading if you can find it.

I wish you well with it all in the UK.
 
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