Something Must Be Done-Update

For those who want an accuate definition of Carbohydrate. From my older biochemistry textbook,
'Carbohydrates are compounds of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, where usually, but not always, the proportion of Hydrogen to Oxygen is 2 Hydrogen atoms to 1 Oxygen atom. The carbohydrates are sometimes referred to as saccharides, from the Greek for sugar.'
I think a lot of people are confused by the way that the term"carb" is used loosely to mean either a Carbohydrate molecule, or a food containing such molecules.
Since Iwas trained by a strict biochemist, I only use the word "carb" to refer to the carbohydrate molecules, which may be sugars or starches, or the indigestible carb "cellulose" otherwise known as Fibre.
Cereals contain starches, which no-one has ever shown to be essential nutrients. Neither have they with sugars. there may be some useful nutrition in foods which are largely "empty carbs". For example there are vitamins present in cereals and in fruits.
So if Iwrite that we don't need carbs, Ihaven't forgotten that apples contain vitaminC. It's just that an apple is a fruit, not a carb. just as porridge is a cereal and potatoes are tubers.
A lot of confusion arrises from imprecise use of language.
I'm not sorry to be a pedant. 8) At least what I write is clear.
Hana

Hi there.
This is my first time posting although I've been reading all the latest updates for quite some time.
I just want to say a BIG thanks to all who have talked about low carbing.
Diagnosed type 2 when checking in for Gall Bladder op at 40yrs and was horrified. Tried losing weight, then tablets, finally insulin Humalog Mix 25 for the last 7 years.
Having followed the official advice and managed to gain 6 extra stone (not good for a 5 footer!)and needing about 30 units to cover breakfast and 70 units for dinner (and I'm not a big eater!) I finally had a heart attack! I'm 58 this year and both parents died at 60 (heavy smokers and drinkers tho)so got the feeling time might be running out!
Well, I've been trying to low carb for the last 3 weeks and can't believe the results! My readings are now mostly within 5 - 8 range and most days I am only using half the insulin I was using! Just waiting for the weight loss to kick in now, although have dropped about 3lbs so far.
There seem to be so many of us finding that low carbs are turning our diabetic lives around, I really feel we should bombard the Health Secretary (or any other pertinent politician including David Cameron et al!) with details of how our blood sugars/drug use and weight have been affected for the good.
I feel so sorry for the diabetics out there, new and old, who know nothing about it and whose lives may be blighted by the mis-information coming from the health professionals.
If diabetes is at epidemic proportions then there must be a helluva lot of us and we need to try anything and everything to get our voices heard!
Sorry to ramble on - and I'll get off my soapbox now but really - BIG THANKS
Tina xxx

Well done Tina and welcome :clap: :wave: :thumbup:

And so say all of us Tina, Welcome to the Forum :thumbup: :thumbup:

Good first post Tina

Thanks to Grazer for this – clearly we have a mountain to climb! The usual confusion of obesity and diabetes, and assumption that dietary advice should be the same for all... I also have been writing to MPs etc – mixed response so far. I suppose I can see where MPs and DUK are coming from. By the way, I should stress that my original posting wasn’t just about eating carbohydrates per se, but about updating and making more widely available the excellent advice page to the newly diagnosed which includes a range of points which are not just tied to the low/moderate/high carbs issue.
Excuse my ignorance, but I do wonder whether the organization that we should be looking to lobby intensively is actually our own dear DCUK. They have a big profile and organization – shouldn’t they be playing a more active role on committees of enquiry etc, as an alternative voice to DUK? The DCUK homepage explains that ‘our primary goal is to reduce suffering in the diabetes community’ and stresses the desire to offer ‘an alternative ... experience’, and ‘alternative content and resources’. Shouldn’t that alternative voice be being heard at a national policy level, where it can do something to address some of the atrocious gaps in advice to newly diagnosed diabetics? Does DCUK truly endorse the page of advice to new diabetics that is posted on this forum? Does it truly endorse the testing strips e-petition? If so, then why isn’t it supporting attempts to make the advice to newly-diagnosed diabetics more widely available? If Sainsbury’s can distribute bad dietary advice, why can’t DCUK help to distribute good advice?
There may be an ongoing medical debate over the merits of LCHF, but the advice page for newly-diagnosed diabetics is NOT making a statement about that, but tries to correct appallingly bad advice which diabetics are receiving in their thousands every day, and which is causing untold damage. If the primary goal of DCUK is indeed ‘to reduce suffering in the diabetes community’, shouldn’t it be supporting attempts to change NHS and DUK advice?
If I’m misinformed then I apologise. I understand why DCUK stresses that it ‘fully supports the efforts of Diabetes.org.uk’ in raising funds for diabetes care, but if that support is uncritical then it does little for the diabetes community.

This is why most diatitions tell you to eat exactly like that, not all but most. They just follow the guide line.

I hope you're not suggesting that's an excuse. If you're being paid to be knowledgeable about something, especially a matter of life and death, it's pretty **** important to keep your knowledge up to date. Especially if he 'guidelines' were formulated based on a report written more than 20 years ago.

How many patients will these dieticians have seen in those 20 years? Didn't they wonder why so many have poor control and complications despite following the NHS dietary advice?

It's criminal, is what it is !

swimmer2 said:

I hope you're not suggesting that's an excuse. If you're being paid to be knowledgeable about something, especially a matter of life and death, it's pretty **** important to keep your knowledge up to date. Especially if he 'guidelines' were formulated based on a report written more than 20 years ago.

How many patients will these dieticians have seen in those 20 years? Didn't they wonder why so many have poor control and complications despite following the NHS dietary advice?

It's criminal, is what it is !

Click to expand...

Of coursww you must know swimmer that those wih poor control and '/or complications are not really following NHS dietary advice. they are lying and following a basic diet of choccie biccies. Its he only explanation! :lol:

Except that the NHS advice is pretty much a diet of choccie biccies... oh and an apple.

How about a good investigative journalist ? I'm sure that there must be someone on Channel 4 or 5 who would really enjoy looking into why the advice for Diabetics is so bad. There is a Bureaux of Investigative Journalists .........what do you think?

Nikkig said:

How about a good investigative journalist ? I'm sure that there must be someone on Channel 4 or 5 who would really enjoy looking into why the advice for Diabetics is so bad. There is a Bureaux of Investigative Journalists .........what do you think?

Click to expand...

I couldn't get Watchdog interested - when I cooperated with them on diabetic chocolate. Even the email they gave me ceased to function immediately after they interviewed me.

xyzzy said:

Did you see the committee has been discussing carbohydrates since April 2008 wonder when they are due to report their findings

Click to expand...

"It was agreed that the Secretariat aim to bring a draft
summary report to the January 2013 Working Group meeting and present it to
SACN in June 2013"

PhilT said:

xyzzy said:

Did you see the committee has been discussing carbohydrates since April 2008 wonder when they are due to report their findings

Click to expand...

"It was agreed that the Secretariat aim to bring a draft
summary report to the January 2013 Working Group meeting and present it to
SACN in June 2013"

Click to expand...

Can anyone find it ???????????