J
Jenny
Guest
Alan,
You did a fine revision. I hope they pay some attention to
what you had to say!
-- Jenny - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight.
Type 2 diabetes, hba1c 5.4. Cut the carbs to respond to my
email address!
Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips,
recipes, strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/
Looking for help controlling your blood sugar? Visit http://www.alt-support-
diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm
"Alan" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
> On Thu, 03 Jun 2004 11:03:56 +1000, Alan
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >G'day All
> >
> >X-posted to misc.health.diabetes, alt.support.diabetes
> >
> >I would appreciate comments on the draft letter below.
> >The letter is intended for my local Diabetes Australia
> >quarterly magazine.
> >
> >I feel a little like Spartacus heading off to the arena;
> >"we who are about to die salute you". I'm not an expert,
> >so I know I'm asking to be drawn and quartered here, but
> >I'd respect informed, civil criticism before I "go to
> >press"
> >
> >If I'm wrong or uninformed, I'm happy to debate the point
> >or modify the letter as long as things stay civil.
>
> Thanks to everyone who gave advice on my draft letter,
> both here and by email. I've included a copy of the final
> epistle below. I sent it today, so too late to tell me
> it's a load of garbage now
>
> It will be interesting to see if they publish, I may be
> too late for this quarter's edition. I cut the words down
> from 1200+ to about 520.
>
> Thanks again for the constructive advice.
>
> Letter:
>
> To The Editor I am eternally grateful for the work the
> pioneers at Diabetes Australia did in helping us get the
> NDSS and the support system that we now have. The
> organisation continues to do a great job. But I have a
> basic difficulty with the logic of the dietary advice
> recommended by your dieticians.
>
> I see their advice like this:
> 1. Dieticians advise high complex carbohydrate
> consumption, apparently for heart, kidney and vascular
> health;
> 2. High complex carbohydrate consumption causes high blood
> glucose levels;
> 3. High blood glucose levels cause diabetic complications
> such as retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy and heart
> disease;
> 4. DA dieticians therefore recommend balancing the high
> complex carbohydrate consumption with medication or
> insulin to control blood glucose levels. This advice
> appears to be in line with the recommendations of
> overseas organisations such as the American Diabetes
> Association (ADA).
>
> Specific examples can be found on the DA web-site at
>
http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/multilingualdiabetes/he-
althpros/foodnut/ healthy.htm
> or the ADA web-site at http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-
> recipes/nutrition/starches.jsp .
>
> My difficulty in understanding this is because no-one
> seems to be investigating the alternative approaches.
> I don't mean herbs and supplements, just a better diet
> for diabetics, together with exercise, to enable
> minimal medication.
>
> To me, the most obvious alternative is to search for a
> diet for the diabetic which provides adequate
> nutrition for good health but does not cause high
> blood glucose levels. If such a diet is possible it
> would minimise the need for medication, particularly
> for type 2, with side benefits for overall health and
> health costs. I can attest that it is possible; I've
> done it, as have many others. However, when diabetics
> write to give examples, such as K ...... in the Autumn
> issue, they are dismissed and told that their
> improvement must be because of exercise, or weight
> loss, or some other factor.
>
> The method I followed, as a type 2, was simple. I
> started with a standard, sensible diet to lose weight.
> Then, as I followed that diet, I tested everything I
> ate one hour and two hours after I ate it. If I
> consistently found that something led to high blood
> glucose, I changed
> it. Sometimes I changed the food, sometimes the quantity,
> sometimes the timing, but always the aim was to
> minimise "spikes". Gradually I found I was eating
> significantly less carbohydrates, a little more
> protein and a little more "good" oils. And I did a
> little "lazy man's" exercise along the way. I also
> gradually reduced the high level of initial testing
> as results became predictable.
>
> After attaining a degree of control over my blood
> glucose, I now progressively review my diet to ensure
> there are no missing nutritional requirements and to
> further improve lipids etc. At diagnosis in 2002 my
> HbA1c was 8.2, now it's 5.9 and I take no diabetes
> medications. It's a long time since I've seen a
> "spike" over 8, rarely over 7.5. The improvements
> continued long after I reached my target weight. And
> my heart, blood pressure, lipids, kidneys and so on
> are also in good shape. Why do your dieticians
> continue to promote high carbohydrate consumption?
> What is it I'm missing, apart from complications?
>
> Cheers, Alan, T2 d&e, Australia. Remove weight and carbs
> to email.
> --
> Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
You did a fine revision. I hope they pay some attention to
what you had to say!
-- Jenny - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight.
Type 2 diabetes, hba1c 5.4. Cut the carbs to respond to my
email address!
Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips,
recipes, strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/
Looking for help controlling your blood sugar? Visit http://www.alt-support-
diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm
"Alan" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
> On Thu, 03 Jun 2004 11:03:56 +1000, Alan
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >G'day All
> >
> >X-posted to misc.health.diabetes, alt.support.diabetes
> >
> >I would appreciate comments on the draft letter below.
> >The letter is intended for my local Diabetes Australia
> >quarterly magazine.
> >
> >I feel a little like Spartacus heading off to the arena;
> >"we who are about to die salute you". I'm not an expert,
> >so I know I'm asking to be drawn and quartered here, but
> >I'd respect informed, civil criticism before I "go to
> >press"
> >
> >If I'm wrong or uninformed, I'm happy to debate the point
> >or modify the letter as long as things stay civil.
>
> Thanks to everyone who gave advice on my draft letter,
> both here and by email. I've included a copy of the final
> epistle below. I sent it today, so too late to tell me
> it's a load of garbage now
>
> It will be interesting to see if they publish, I may be
> too late for this quarter's edition. I cut the words down
> from 1200+ to about 520.
>
> Thanks again for the constructive advice.
>
> Letter:
>
> To The Editor I am eternally grateful for the work the
> pioneers at Diabetes Australia did in helping us get the
> NDSS and the support system that we now have. The
> organisation continues to do a great job. But I have a
> basic difficulty with the logic of the dietary advice
> recommended by your dieticians.
>
> I see their advice like this:
> 1. Dieticians advise high complex carbohydrate
> consumption, apparently for heart, kidney and vascular
> health;
> 2. High complex carbohydrate consumption causes high blood
> glucose levels;
> 3. High blood glucose levels cause diabetic complications
> such as retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy and heart
> disease;
> 4. DA dieticians therefore recommend balancing the high
> complex carbohydrate consumption with medication or
> insulin to control blood glucose levels. This advice
> appears to be in line with the recommendations of
> overseas organisations such as the American Diabetes
> Association (ADA).
>
> Specific examples can be found on the DA web-site at
>
http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/multilingualdiabetes/he-
althpros/foodnut/ healthy.htm
> or the ADA web-site at http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-
> recipes/nutrition/starches.jsp .
>
> My difficulty in understanding this is because no-one
> seems to be investigating the alternative approaches.
> I don't mean herbs and supplements, just a better diet
> for diabetics, together with exercise, to enable
> minimal medication.
>
> To me, the most obvious alternative is to search for a
> diet for the diabetic which provides adequate
> nutrition for good health but does not cause high
> blood glucose levels. If such a diet is possible it
> would minimise the need for medication, particularly
> for type 2, with side benefits for overall health and
> health costs. I can attest that it is possible; I've
> done it, as have many others. However, when diabetics
> write to give examples, such as K ...... in the Autumn
> issue, they are dismissed and told that their
> improvement must be because of exercise, or weight
> loss, or some other factor.
>
> The method I followed, as a type 2, was simple. I
> started with a standard, sensible diet to lose weight.
> Then, as I followed that diet, I tested everything I
> ate one hour and two hours after I ate it. If I
> consistently found that something led to high blood
> glucose, I changed
> it. Sometimes I changed the food, sometimes the quantity,
> sometimes the timing, but always the aim was to
> minimise "spikes". Gradually I found I was eating
> significantly less carbohydrates, a little more
> protein and a little more "good" oils. And I did a
> little "lazy man's" exercise along the way. I also
> gradually reduced the high level of initial testing
> as results became predictable.
>
> After attaining a degree of control over my blood
> glucose, I now progressively review my diet to ensure
> there are no missing nutritional requirements and to
> further improve lipids etc. At diagnosis in 2002 my
> HbA1c was 8.2, now it's 5.9 and I take no diabetes
> medications. It's a long time since I've seen a
> "spike" over 8, rarely over 7.5. The improvements
> continued long after I reached my target weight. And
> my heart, blood pressure, lipids, kidneys and so on
> are also in good shape. Why do your dieticians
> continue to promote high carbohydrate consumption?
> What is it I'm missing, apart from complications?
>
> Cheers, Alan, T2 d&e, Australia. Remove weight and carbs
> to email.
> --
> Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.