I watched a Youtube video just posted by Ivor Cummins, a resource I’ve found in my search regarding heart health issues. In this video. Ivor interviews Dr. Gary Fettke and his wife Belinda. Dr. Fettke practices in Tasmania (an Australian island just south of the continent).
Dr. Fettke, a low carb way of eating proponent, found that his patients improved in significant clinical measure, when they adopted his low carb recommendations. Unfortunately, he was brought up on professional charges that threatened his ability to practice medicine and lecture at a university.
I’ve been aware of parts of the story revealed in the video but I’ve never seen veganism, 7th Day Adventists, Kellogg’s cereal, dietitians, and meat eating connected before. I’m naturally suspicious of conspiracy theory thinking but I think the historical connections (over 100 years) between these seemingly disparate topics raise a larger issue.
It begs the question: Is there an ideological and spiritual driver between the Adventists, cereal manufacturers, dietitians and their professional associations and their collective rejection of eating meat? It also invites the question as to what extent these forces have influenced the eating guidelines adopted by governments around the world.
Here’s the video. I found it fascinating. I’d be interested in any comments.
Ok, I am 12 minutes into this, but my husband and I are finding this hilarious so far. Both of our doctors are 7th Day Adventist’s and the clinic is owned by that church. Neither of them have ever questioned our diets whether they have been low carb and or low fat vegan. They are just pleased that we are both in good health for our ages.
All religions are filled with old superstitions and rules which still have great influence on people. Equating eating meat with sinfulness is one of the silliest I have heard. Why were sooo many religions so focused on trying to stop people from masturbating?
Many vegans don’t eat meat because they honor animals and not just cats and dogs. Many animals like pigs are very intelligent and some of us just prefer not to eat them especially if they were raised in factories. Factory farming is a blight on our society. When low carbing at least I ate animals raised on farms.
There is no doubt about it that the low fat plant based diet is extremely healthy for diabetics or for anyone else who wants to follow this way of eating. Many type 2s lose weight and are able to discontinue all of their meds. Low carbing is NOT the only way to do this.
Ok, I am going to watch the rest of this. I do agree that the food pyramid way of eating is extremely unhealthy but it is improving. I have never met a hospital dietician with whom I agree.
The US convenes a panel of experts to serve on the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. This panel produces a report that informs food policy for the next five years. Here’s a link to a story that raises the issue fo conflicts of interest.
The food industry is keenly interested in seating committee members sympathetic to their particular industry. Several members of the 2020 committee have links to organizations including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Beverage Association, and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
It would be nice if only nutritional science informed the biases of committee members but that expectation is naive.
The policy that they set heavily influences the diet decisions of hospitals, schools, nursing homes and many other institutions.
I’d like to think that we, as a society, can grow wiser. Money is indeed a corrosive influence but I think giving up is exactly what these moneyed-interests want. We should never give up on reaching for better whether personally or for social institutions.
I dont know about veganism vs. Meat eaters. I fall somewhere between veganism and low carb and try to do a mid-carb, low meat way of eating, so I have no stake (or steak) in this game. However, I doubt the 7th day adventists have that much power. There are over a billion muslims and Jews in the world, but bacon still tops everything and I have to ask if things have pork in (I eat pork, but my husband doesn’t, and with a name like Becky, it’s not weird for me to ask). Even in Egypt, where 90 percent of the population is Muslim, the Christians still have access to pork. Unless the adventists have a lot more money, it seems unlikely to be them alone.
At present there is, in Australia, a push by Vegans to take over the diets of all Australians. I think it was yesterday that there was a big peaceful rally outside Melbourne’s main train station. Very disruptive. Vegans have also closed down or caused hassles by demonstrating outside several cafes.
We all have a strong connection with our style of eating choice. Mix in a religion and a willingness to suspend critical thinking in deference to the larger religious goals and that creates a potent movement – one based more on religious faith than on dispassionate observance of scientific fact.
I share many attributes of the plant based way of eating. I don’t eat any processed grains and concentrate on whole foods, two facets of the plant-based whole foods movement. I’m wary, however, of a style of eating influenced more by religious faith than rational assessment and choices.
Most of the vegans I know are atheists, pushy atheists at that. I’m not so sure any one side has overwhelming scientific data because the waters are so muddied. That’s why I kept to the middle of the road because neither low carb nor vegans could convince me that they had all the answers.
Most of the vegans I know, and I know very few, are atheists or agnostics. We tend to be free thinkers who are concerned about our own health, animal rights and the environment. Some are nice and some are obnoxious.
I am a vegan, I am not an atheist, I know a lot of vegans and I don’t know one that’s an atheist or agnostic. I have been a vegetarian for over 50 years now and a vegan for over 30 years now.
Slowly the benefits of being a vegetarian came out over the years. Benefits for the body, the planet and the cruelty of the industry of raising meat to eat. Also across my table to read every month 15 plus magazines about research going on in supplements, nutrition and health. And one thing kept showing up consistently, the health of a vegetarian or vegan diet. The loaded powerhouse of nutrition that comes from a variety of colors of veggies and fruits, beans and grains. Not too many ever listed meat as a source of much of anything except what was bad about it. And if you think about it, the “normal” persons sugars stay in an appropriate range, but people have all sorts of health issues in that “normal” range. And to help your health they know that more fruits and veggies in a “normal” diet helps their health, a lot of research on that. So why wouldn’t that be the same with a controlled diabetics health too? And why does the majority of doctors, nutritionists etc think eating more fruits and veggies is better for you?
Sure things change, but there is no low carb long term research to show low carb is healthier, and in fact there’s short term research to show it’s not. There is a lot of research on the health of a vegan/vegetarian diet. You can always find a few doctors that will agree with anything out there, I know that from attending days of lectures where 15 doctors a day would get up to do a lecture.
Low carb is one of the ways that people use to help control blood sugar. And it does work. I don’t go about attacking it until someone seems to attack vegetarians or vegans. And low carbers seem to love trying to say theirs is the only way, the best way. If you want to eat low carb to control your blood sugar go ahead, controlling your blood sugar is important, but it’s not the only way nor necessarily the best way to do so, my vegan diet works too.
I couldn’t agree more Marie. I am spiritual but don’t consider myself to have one answer, so consider myself agnostic.
Just trying to get across the point that the vegans I know are not backed by some religion that is trying to change what people eat.
My town has an extremely high percentage of 7th day Adventists and as far as I can see dietary choices within the religion are on a case by case basis. Some are absolutely rabid about not eating any animal products and don’t want you to eat them either whereas others do eat some meat or are vegetarian and wouldn’t dream of trying to force anyone into eating a certain way.
I didn’t watch the video BTW but I seriously doubt that the Adventist community as a whole has the power to vastly influence national or worldwide dietary recommendations.
I’ve tried pretty much every diet you can think of to help control my bg’s including ones that claim to “cure” diabetes and IMO every diet will work in it’s own way whether plant based or low carb, it just takes adjustments in when and how/how much you administer your meds (If you take meds that is).
These people are animal activists and well as vegans. I don’t think religion comes into it. They claim due to climate change we should all eat vegan because of the water and feed animals use. It is quite a potent mix!
7th Day Adventists are great! They make a religious meat loaf out of cereal that doesn’t have meat. I love it when they invite me for dinner. It is delicious beyond my wildest imaginations, but it destroys my blood sugar. I cant stop eating it once I start. I can post the recipe if anybody wants it, but its not for Terry. Its super high carb.
The Adventist rule, in general (as its been described to me), is that they don’t eat “bottom feeders,” so no lobster or other things that feed at the bottom of the sea. Also, no red meat. No pigs. I think pigs are considered “bottom feeders.” I dont totally understand, but I know from experience what they eat.
The Adventists are the founders of Little Debbie. Hostess cupcakes contain beef tallow (can’t eat). Little Debbie is clean (can eat).
I dont eat any creatures (except eggs) for the reason that I find them adorable. Have been a non-creature eating human for 30 years.
What are you doing up so early, @Terry4? Its like 5am where you are. You should be sleeping, not liking posts, LOL. I’m waiting for the hearing to start.
This is a common time for me to wake up. It’s my body’s idea, not mine! To accommodate this circadian vagary, I try to get in bed at 9:00 p.m. Sleep has been a challenge for me for the last six months.
I’ll look for the Senate hearing coverage, too. Tomorrow’s House hearing should be interesting as well.
