Gov't Food Guides Hinder or Helpful?

Here is what I think about the Guide Please let me know what you think.

Is it actually in your job specs that you have to peddle the party line about carbs?

I’m so relieved that I never had to go through this rigmarole. The only time I came close to a dietitian was in a carb-counting course where the official line was, ‘you can eat whatever you like, you just have to cover it with insulin’.

Actually what I found most amazing in that course was that there was a lady there in her mid-20s who’d been dx T1 at age 7. She was trying to lose weight ahead of her wedding and proudly proclaimed, ‘I never count carbs. Only calories.’

Seems like your trying to help without burning up the guide into a smoldering pile of ashes. As Lila asks, is it mandatory that you “toe” the party line? If not, burn it . . . or at least keep a copy around for your colleagues.

Personally, my position has always been that its a guide, nothing more . . .not a an ideology or a blueprint for success nor set in stone but that its someplace to start (considering that for many the “guide” is probably better than what they were doing). Unfortunately for many the “guide” is a little bit too late.

Keep on doing what your doing. We need more people in the medical field more open minded about conventional wisdom.

Thanks for the comments. I work pretty autonomously, and it is usually left in my office, I agree it is a guide and it is quite surprising how little the general public knows about basic eating principals. I use other tools, and have the luxury of supporting the patient through numerous visits. I was born to question things, and so I will keep plugging away, Cheers!

I am just figuring this out. It was a shock teaching DM 2 patients for a few years about lower carb, higher fiber carb, etc diets and then hearing from dieticians that in order to treat my new Dx of DM 1 I had to eat a certain amount (a lot) of carbs. I love carbs so I happily abliged. But after weight gain and feeling like a sloth, I am taking some advice from fellow Type 1-ers and cutting back on my intake just as you said.

I’m in the medical field, I am usually very healthy and have a good BMI but I still listened to this outdated info! haha So it’s good to have medical professionals such as yourself taking a second look at guidelines and using personal experience to make decisions.

It is not just Canada, I blame the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Dietetic Association (ADtA). Here is what I said to an earlier question when someone asked about become a CDE.

I am downright ashamed of the “system.” The ADtA/ADA has assumed responsibility for establishing nutrition guidance and they have done a terrible job. They have repeatedly failed to use sound evidence for developing their recommendations and they continue to promulgate wrong headed nutrition advice.

The ADtA has just released their latest report (1) and despite overwhelming evidence, the report can’t even “suggest” that lowering carbs leads to improved blood sugar control. The “analysis” is a total mess and because of the disaster, the report concludes that diabetics should eat what everyone else should eat. Yes, that is why we are told to eat the USDA food pyramid. I continue to be angry about this. It is wrong to let this happen and people are hurt because of this.

(1) “The Evidence for Medical Nutrition Therapy for Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in Adults” by Marion J Franz, MS, RD; Margaret A Powers, PhD, RD; Carolyn Leontos, MS, RD; Lea Ann Holzmeister, RD; Karmeen Kulkarni, MS, RD; Arlene Monk, RD; Naomi Wedel, MS, RD; and Erica Gradwell, MS, RD. It appears in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Volume 110 Issue 12 (December 2010)

Ten years ago the first and last time I went to a dietitian she was talking muffins I was talking sauerkraut. I told her I did not eat muffins before diabetes and certainly did not intend to start now. Guide much too grainy and carby.

Yes BSC Infuriating. I have voted with my feet. I no longer waste my $20 donation and my $15 for the CDA magazine.