Not offensive at all! I am enjoying the engagement - I promise. (Hey - I live this stuff! Have been doing so since diagnosis. I am really happy to have found this forum where other folk like me toss this stuff around.)
BTW though - I have never been "politically correct" for the sake of it in my life. I say what I mean and mean what I say 
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I am not saying "bad lifestyle choices" at all. I really MEAN "environmental factors"!
Hehehe, got you, still I think you are right in using that expression as it takes into consideration a wider range of variables, both because you mean it but also because I think it is still politically correct, and that's not a bad thing. I am well aware that been blamed for being fat is not a positive thing. And I have no issues with standing corrected
Individuals are not personally responsible for aspartame, the dwarf wheat grain strain, heavy metals in the food chain and environment, holes in the ozone layer that mean you have to overcompensate with sun-block (Vitamin D deficiencies in other words), the massive overrepresentation of of fast food restaurants in poor areas, the cheapness and ubiquity of high fructose corn syrup and vegetable oils, the enormous power of the food industry.... (etc etc! Sadly!)
Individuals are not responsible for millions of years of evolution that mean many of us are particularly unsuited to food additives like sugar, trans fats etc - in fact - they make our limbs drop off, go blind, deaf and contribute to us having strokes so we die before our time, unless curtailed.
I certainly agree with all of this, however I differ in one particular point, saying that vitamin D deficiency is due to sun-block use (because in my case it definitely is not) but I agree that it might be contributing factor in certain individuals. The rest of the points, yes certainly, we as individuals are not to blame for that and it does play against our health interests in general. But still, not all individuals react in the same way to this factors.
You see where I am going with this? 
Certainly.
I personally have never had any problems with accepting personal responsibility. For instance - I loved McDonalds breakfasts before I was diagnosed, and ate them about once a week. I am taking responsibility for my health issues (ie T2D, metabolism syndrome etc) by no longer eating something that gave great gourmand pleasure. . But - I am not going to take on responsibility for the fact that humans take to the unnatural combination of fat and sugar like ducks to water. None of us are responsible for that! That 'just is'. And we have to deal with it, in whatever works for the individual, even if it is, once one has the knowledge, disregarding it and carrying on. I have a diabetic friend who does that. HIs lifestyle choice works for him. It wouldn't work for me - individual differences indeed. And I respect him and his choice (and thankfully he knows that. I don't think we could be friends otherwise and I value his friendship.)
Now, this is where I was trying to come from, I wish I was one of those that could claim I was eating frequently fast food, or that I have a sweet tooth, or that I have a love for processed food, I wish I had enjoyed that sort of lifestyle in my life because I could have someone to blame for it.
I am no saint, but, as far as I can remember I have been eating non processed food for most of my life. It is a long story, but I used to be vegetarian (4 years) and I have also done fasting as you have (and I find it fascinating and my dad did one for 21 days with no food at all just water he was already a diabetic). And by vegetarian I mean I ate vegetables (not the ones that just eat bread), but I also ate starches. I wasn't diabetic but all my problems were still there and over time they flared up.
For me, in my body, the problem lies on the starches, wheat and sugar. And I know they are the ones that are at war with my genes. I rarely eat sugar since a zillion years ago, and I believe that's what kept me away from being diagnosed diabetic earlier.
But certainly no, we are not responsible for many elements of the world we have to deal with. I agree we have to work at an individual level to whatever suits each and everyone of us the best, which is all I said from the very beginning.
But I do think we as societies need to take collective responsibility for what has gotten out of control and is harming and killing people - ie an uncurtailed food industry. And the oil industry. (I won't even touch on the war industry! I'll just stick to the food one in here!) We need to tell them they can't keep doing this - or we need to get our politicians that we vote in to make sure they have our interests at heart - and not the board of directors and shareholders of various companies that knowingly feed seriously unhealthy practices.
One hundred percent agree. Lots of different industries are playing havoc with our bodies, our minds, our lives and our dreams.
However there will always be the people who, not seeing any significant changes in their bodies due to the food they eat (at least not directly) will claim they want their sugar, and their food choices. That kind of people exists. People that eat fast food and don't put on a single pound on or have diabetes or people that do but don't care and are happy with that choice.
I agree most of us are becoming conscious of these matters, but in part is due to the fact that we are more affected by this issues than other "lucky" people.
I believe more research is needed to clarify gray areas in these sort of discussions and to broaden the spectrum of approaches. I also believe people should have better access to information about this matters so they can be more conscious about their choices, so they can make the best decision over their health, and to be given the tools available to help them achieve their goals. I believe it will be indispensable to acknowledge the differences that make as all individuals and to be treated as such by the doctors and specialist that deal with us. A personalized approach, not a one size fits all approach.
We need to put responsibility where it belongs so we can do something about it. If not for us, then for the generations that we hope follow us.
Yes, certainly. I hope the world becomes a better place for us all.
See. I really did mean 'environmental factors'!
