Clinical Advise

[tubamanandy]

I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes about 3 years ago and was immediately put on 1 x 500mg Metformin a day.

I've regularly (every 6m) seen my diabetic nurse at my practise and had my Hb1ac done every 6 months.

Whilst my BMI is high at 35, in the last 3 years all my surgery have been banging on about to control the condition is exercise and losing weight. Not once have they pointed out to me the fact that all carbs put in your mouth basically turn to glucose so as Diabetes is essentially a desease of too much sugar in your blood and your body not being able to effectively cope with it you should be limiting your carb intake.

It's only 3 years later that i find sites like Diet Doctor which have been invaluable in helping me understand/control the condition.

Why are most surgeries not giving us this advise ?

 

[Ann1982]

Blame the NHS and their eat well plate. It took me over 20 years to find this site and follow their advice. It seems to work too.

 

[dbr10]

I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes about 3 years ago and was immediately put on 1 x 500mg Metformin a day.

I've regularly (every 6m) seen my diabetic nurse at my practise and had my Hb1ac done every 6 months.

Whilst my BMI is high at 35, in the last 3 years all my surgery have been banging on about to control the condition is exercise and losing weight. Not once have they pointed out to me the fact that all carbs put in your mouth basically turn to glucose so as Diabetes is essentially a desease of too much sugar in your blood and your body not being able to effectively cope with it you should be limiting your carb intake.

It's only 3 years later that i find sites like Diet Doctor which have been invaluable in helping me understand/control the condition.

Why are most surgeries not giving us this advise ?

The NHS diet advice is guaranteed to kill diabetics, and the 'care' is completely inadequate.
I recently attended an Xpert update course and non of the participants had adequate control. While there is obviously personal responsibility, they were all let down by the NHS

 

[maglil55]

Yes if I'd continued with the diet recommended by the hospital diabetes clinic mine would have been a lot worse now. Thankfully my own GP has a really good diabetic clinic who supplied me with a meter, prescribed strips and allows you to eat what suits you so long as it is having a positive effect on your numbers. I only attend the GP clinic now.

 

[TorqPenderloin]

The NHS diet advice is guaranteed to kill diabetics, and the 'care' is completely inadequate.
I recently attended an Xpert update course and non of the participants had adequate control. While there is obviously personal responsibility, they were all let down by the NHS

That's a ridiculous statement. There's no other way to say it.

There are plenty of people who exercise portion control or follow a diet similar to the NHS advice, and have improved their a1c to non-diabetic levels.

There are OPTIONS when it comes to ways of eating, but let's not be foolish and suggest that a diet high in carbs is "Guaranteed to kill diabetics." People deserve to choose between those options, but there are plenty of effective approaches that may not be very popular on this forum.

The fact of the matter is that diet, exercise, and weight control are each integral parts of managing diabetes (of all types) and avoiding other health conditions like heart disease.

-There is more than one way to eat (yes, that includes a diet high in carbs)
-There is more than one way to exercise
-There is more than one way to assess body mass

 

[Element137]

That's a ridiculous statement. There's no other way to say it.

There are plenty of people who exercise portion control or follow a diet similar to the NHS advice, and have improved their a1c to non-diabetic levels.

There are OPTIONS when it comes to ways of eating, but let's not be foolish and suggest that a diet high in carbs is "Guaranteed to kill diabetics." People deserve to choose between those options, but there are plenty of effective approaches that may not be very popular on this forum.

The fact of the matter is that diet, exercise, and weight control are each integral parts of managing diabetes (of all types) and avoiding other health conditions like heart disease.

-There is more than one way to eat (yes, that includes a diet high in carbs)
-There is more than one way to exercise
-There is more than one way to assess body mass

You are absolutely correct - there are many ways to control this condition - I wonder when the NHS will start advising people of that fact ? - because currently ( in the main ) they don't advise people that there are alternatives to their advice either , do they ?

 

[Nicksu]

That sounds like my sister - she was in a right old flap about the fact that I wasn't following the "NHS diet". (she works for the NHS - need I say more?!).

 

[TorqPenderloin]

You are absolutely correct - there are many ways to control this condition - I wonder when the NHS will start advising people of that fact ? - because currently ( in the main ) they don't advise people that there are alternatives to their advice either , do they ?

Realistically, you can't expect a government to be the forerunners of innovation and forward-thinking. If you know of one that is, tell me and I'll move there. Either way, just know that it's exactly the same here in the USA.

The foundation of the NHS and ADA diets are portion control. Those are habits that even the simplest mind can understand and nearly everyone should follow. The problem lies in the fact that it takes a reasonable amount of education and discipline to be successful on a low-carb diet. I could easily evidence that statement by citing the 77,000+ posts in the Low Carb Diet subsection of this forum.

On a personal level, I follow a low-carb diet myself and find it easy to do so. So let's be clear that this is not about the benefits of a low-carb diet.

 

[Daibell]

Realistically, you can't expect a government to be the forerunners of innovation and forward-thinking. If you know of one that is, tell me and I'll move there. Either way, just know that it's exactly the same here in the USA.

The foundation of the NHS and ADA diets are portion control. Those are habits that even the simplest mind can understand and nearly everyone should follow. The problem lies in the fact that it takes a reasonable amount of education and discipline to be successful on a low-carb diet. I could easily evidence that statement by citing the 77,000+ posts in the Low Carb Diet subsection of this forum.

On a personal level, I follow a low-carb diet myself and find it easy to do so. So let's be clear that this is not about the benefits of a low-carb diet.

I have to disagree on some of your points. The NHS and possibly the ADA do not promote portion control that I'm aware of. In fact the 'recomended daily calorie intake levels for men and women' are far too high for many. The problem with the NHS and I believe the ADA is that the food industry lobby has determined the recommended diet and not the medics. In the UK, the recent Eatwell Guide update was largely constructed and approved by the food industry and many of the associated professors at various universities have research projects funded by the food industry and some pharmas. This has been well documented. Carbs are amongst the most profitable foods hence their continued promotion. There is also in the US the farming corn subsidy which has resulted in HFCS being present in many products.

 

[TorqPenderloin]

I have to disagree on some of your points. The NHS and possibly the ADA do not promote portion control that I'm aware of. In fact the 'recomended daily calorie intake levels for men and women' are far too high for many. The problem with the NHS and I believe the ADA is that the food industry lobby has determined the recommended diet and not the medics. In the UK, the recent Eatwell Guide update was largely constructed and approved by the food industry and many of the associated professors at various universities have research projects funded by the food industry and some pharmas. This has been well documented. Carbs are amongst the most profitable foods hence their continued promotion. There is also in the US the farming corn subsidy which has resulted in HFCS being present in many products.

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/the-eatwell-guide.aspx
"The Eatwell Guide shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet."
It's literally in the first sentence on the Eatwell website.

On that same page it states that "On average, women should have around 2,000 calories a day (8,400 kilojoules) and men should have around 2,500 calories a day (10,500 kilojoules). Most adults are consuming more calories than they need."

However, it does not recommend a daily calorie intake and specifically notes that "These values can vary depending on age, size and levels of physical activity, among other factors."

You're going off on a tangent discussing lobbying in the food industry, and that's an entirely different discussion.

 

[Daibell]

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/the-eatwell-guide.aspx
"The Eatwell Guide shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet."
It's literally in the first sentence on the Eatwell website.

On that same page it states that "On average, women should have around 2,000 calories a day (8,400 kilojoules) and men should have around 2,500 calories a day (10,500 kilojoules). Most adults are consuming more calories than they need."

However, it does not recommend a daily calorie intake and specifically notes that "These values can vary depending on age, size and levels of physical activity, among other factors."

You're going off on a tangent discussing lobbying in the food industry, and that's an entirely different discussion.

Hi. The OP asked why surgeries were not giving the appropriate advice and my post was to give at least one explanation so I'm afraid it was not going off at a tangent. My point about calories is still valid as the Eatwell Guide says 'should have' which implies 'recommended' and I believe for many that is too much and hence bad advice.