Definition of an ADA Minion is someone who profits from dishing out harmful (American Diabetes Association Approved) high carb, grain based dietary advice… to diabetics.
I’ve had many exchanges online with ADA Minion but here are just a couple of posts about the exchanges.
My first post “Karen Johnson“, My favorite… a 3 post series, “Dean Jenkins” and one of the most satisfying, “CDE Responds“.
I share these for two reasons…
1) So you will see their thought processes.
2) So you can learn how to stand up to them too. Dean is an MD… he is just as wrong as the pitiful Karen is. In other words, MDs are not gods, they can be just as gullible and intellectually lazy as the ‘run of the mill’ nutritionist or dietitian. All were taught and believed what they read in a book… the same ‘Diabetes Dogma‘.
THIS POST will be an exchange with a future ADA Minion … she will be unless she reads and heeds my advice. I found out after this exchange that she is currently an Exercise Physiology Major.
I wanted to share it with you… so hopefully you can learn from the experience.
The Beginning
First I posted this on google plus, link is here.
My blood sugars are almost always ‘normal,’ in the upper 70’s and 80’s.
This morning my Overnight Fasting Blood Sugar was 79mg/dl. Two days ago it was 72mg/dl … I am loving the string of 70’s I’ve started.
What has changed? … I am eating only meats and leafy greens like the picture below. Here is a post https://www.diabetes-warrior.net/2012/03/19/nagging-question/
For 2 1/2 years now, unless I am experimenting… I’ve eaten this way. https://www.diabetes-warrior.net/a-meal-plan-you-can-live-with/
Please do not listen to those who say, YOU must eat carbs to survive… I thrive on very few.
Yesterday, I broke two personal records in one daily… here’s a G+ post.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/117293448846407739414/posts/UuJXZCErXaK
Let me ask you a question, I don’t care if you were “King or Queen of the Diabetic Educators” …. who in there right mind would read this… and then have the audacity to correct me? I have NORMAL BLOOD SUGARS! and I am obviously thriving… since I am breaking personal fitness records. It’s not just the one young lady… practically every diabetes educator I have communicated with has done the same thing.
The young lady commented on this post, giving me diabetes care and dietary advice… :)
I deleted her comment and sent her a private reply. Why? Because…
1) I did not want the ignorance in the post to influence someone, especially since I could not reply fully immediately. I’d hate for someone to read her damaging advice and think it was ‘good info’.
2) I want to correct her… but I did not want to embarrass her publicly. She was after all trying to be helpful. By doing this privately, I can be a little more stern than I would normally be if I did so publicly. I am a nice guy at heart. :)
My Reply
I did not save her comment to my post in it’s entirety but in replying with quotes, you will be able to see the key statements. My comments below are in the quote blocks.
I deleted your comment, I know you were trying to be helpful but … you have much to learn. I did not want your comment to mislead anyone.
The purpose of my posts is not to convince you to eat like I do… I’m showing what people can eat… especially those who are diabetic or others who have inflammatory diseases like asthma, arthritis, Crohns or Celiacs etc etc.
<<You should really try eating more fish, at least twice a week. >>
If you had bothered to read the links.. you would know this is an experiment. I know the value of fish.
<<especially for diabetics, red meats aren’t the greatest for every day meals. they should be ate on an occasional basis, >>
You are just wrong here, red meat is one of the best foods on the planet… especially grass fed, grass finished.
<<boneless skinless chicken is good to eat the rest of the week. >>
You will hopefully learn that saturated fats… including animal fats are good for you. I eat saturated fat every single day…and have for several years.
<<I prefer to stick to lean proteins in conjunction with whole carbs/grains. >>
Grains are one of the worst foods you can eat.
<<I wouldnt eliminate carbs out of your diet completely, just watch how you are consuming the carbs – fresh veggies, juice, etc are great for you, especially a diabetic.>>
I eat on average when I am not experimenting 20-30g (of carbs) per day, I never said I eliminated carbs….
Fruit juices are the worst thing a diabetic can drink… one of the worst you can drink….
<<my advice to you would be to add the meals you have been eating and monitoring your fasting blood sugar, >>
If you knew me… you would know that I have normal blood sugar for non-diabetics and I am drug and insulin free. I was once a drug and insulin dependent diabetic. Additionally I am in the best shape of my life….
Why would I listen to you and eat high carb grains and drink fruit juices??
<<who says carbs are always bad?>>
Show me where I said ‘carbs are always bad’?
I eat 20-30g per day… I said we do not require them.
That’s a big difference. Ignorant diabetes educators tell diabetics every day … you must eat 120g of carbs to LIVE… it’s a lie.
I have been thriving for 2.5 years… Here is my story… https://www.diabetes-warrior.net/about-me-and-diabetes/ there are many more links on my website about how I eat, move and live.
The REALLY sad thing about it? … certified nutritionists, dietitians and diabetes educators spread the same tired and failed ‘low fat, high carb, grain based’ dogma.
I wonder how many diabetics this young person has harmed with this pathetic advice? Not as many as Hope Warshaw, she’s harmed thousands, if not millions through her books and speaking engagements. Click here for one of many posts on ‘High Carb Hope”.
The other thing that struck me about this? Here is college student dishing out harmful dietary advice to someone who is successfully self managing their diabetes … and no one will say a word.
Yet, when I do it… I’m told by the State of North Carolina that I can’t suggest or share my knowledge with others.
It seems everyone can be a nutritional ‘guru’ dishing out advice… everyone but me.
Here is how I eat, “Click Here“.
Here is how I move, “Click Here“.
This might be a stupid question (maybe you’ve addressed this before):
Have you ever thought about getting certified so you don’t have to put up with the BS you are dealing with from NC?
I was considering the last few days to see what it would take to do that myself.
Thanks, I get that question a lot Zack. If I lived in a state where all I had to do was take a test… I might. But in NC it’s much more than that… I don’t recall the exact requirements but it does require a lot of course work. I am not, I can not sit through a bunch BS lies about carbs, grains and saturated fats. Worse still… I’d have to answer the questions wrong… to pass. It’s not in me. :)
I am imagining it’s not that different in Jersey. I have to look into it, but I wouldn’t want to have to answer incorrectly either on some test.
You would also lose your license if you didn’t only repeated state-endorsed dogma.
I’m not a diabetic but this reminds me of way back when in the early 80s when diabetics were warned to stay away from almost all sugar and high calorie foods and certainly all refined sugars and also processed foods…
Slowly through the years the ‘diabetes agency people’ have turned to being more lenient by coming up with exceptions and allowances to the diabetics diet, almost like indulging small children, and the things that they knew were bad back in the 80s are now all right for diabetics these days if they tweak the recipes a little. It seems like they are completely unaware of the concept of sugar content and GI of food.
“Juice is great for you, especially for a diabetic” Unbelievable.
Ah, so many people telling me to eat a high carb diet full of bread, potato, pasta and rice. I’m in the UK and the doctors and diabetes “experts” are constantly saying this. So many web sites and diabetes organisations saying the same. It’s so frustrating.
I started with fasting numbers of over 8mmol/l (about 145+) every day. I tried the recommended UK diet (the same as ADA) and this didn’t help in the least. I switched to low carb and within two days my fasting BG fell to the low 5’s (90’s).
BTW, had to add an unrelated comment because I noted in another post that you said you had never known of a vegetarian type 2 diabetic hitting “normal” numbers. Well, here I am ;) I’ve got to the point where my fasting glucose is always between 4.8 and 5.5 (86 – 99) and I am almost always under 7 (126). I say almost always because in the past couple of months I got a reading of 7.1 (128) once, an hour after a breakfast of fruit that I miscalculated and had too much pineapple. I do eat cheese and eggs. These are a great source of yummy fat. My exercise so far has been just 30 minutes of brisk walking per day – I’m about to add HIIT, following good research results on HIIT and insulin response. http://www.healthhabits.ca/2009/01/28/hiit-training-the-cure-for-insulin-resistance-type-2-diabetes-metabolic-disease-and-obesity/
I love that people can’t understand how I’ve gone from 200 pounds to 160 pounds eating cheese and double cream, improved my fitness, energy and general wellbeing and the people around me think I’m eating unhealthily!
Steve, You likely are following recent moves by the ADA on licensing, but thought this Forbes article was a good summary, with a number of interesting comments so far.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelellsberg/2012/04/05/american-dietetic-association/
A friend of mine, and site member sent me your way because I’m experimenting with butter and eggs (12 eggs and 1/4 pound of butter daily), where you discussed positive impact of more fat. Low fat = heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and death. Yet, most traditional medical professionals continue to curse fat and encourage people to eat more refined sugar (grains, even the so called whole grains).
Keep up the smartness. Stupid is the enemy.
Keep up the good work! It amazes me that the modern medical industry touts “dogma” as actual proven science. You’ve stepped on toes, and rightfully so. Truly I think many who work in the medical fields believe they are doing the right thing, they believe what they’ve been taught, and too few have done their own research. One listen to (the audiobooks) Bruce Lipton’s Biology of Belief or the Wisdom of Your Cells, and the truth is brought to light. Candace Pert’s Molecules of Emotion, and more recently, Dr. Burzynski’s movie really show how these Boards and Agencies work. Further, Food Inc, Food Matters, Hungry for Change and The Corporation are all documentaries that are fantastic sources of information. It’s not about health at all, it’s about protecting the profits of incredibly large corporations. Sad, very sad. Keep up the good work…more of us are beating the same general drum…diet and lifestyle matter. It really is the difference between having good health that requires little medical care or having very poor health, where your hard earned money goes to support the “sick care” rather than helping you enjoy your life to the fullest.
I’m proud of you dude. So many people have been telling me the Primal Blueprint lifestyle I’m on is detrimental. What they don’t understand is the dynamics of it all but it’s even better for someone who was suffering rise from the ashes because of knowledge (you). Diabetes is no joke – my friend has lost both his legs because of it and I have tried so hard to explain this to other people that it’s not about looking good DAMN IT it’s about not dying early and suffering your entire life. Everyone tells me that ‘You need to check your cholesterol and BP all the time because you’re eating like this on this diet’ and they don’t know ANYTHING about those dynamics BECAUSE of lies they’ve been told their entire life (cholesterol is a good example – your body needs it, especially your brain). Primal/Paleo is the only diet in the world that is worth the effort and I don’t need to have a license to tell people the truth about why they’re suffering and dying early. Some times simple people destroy or crucify the things they don’t understand even when it’s the flipping truth.
I could NOT agree more with your entire comment… thank you. I phrase it like this, “it’s about adding more years to your life and more life to your years”.
I have definitely added life to my years…and while the final chapter is not yet written, with normal blood sugars I’m sure I’ve added years to my life. Cheers my primal friend!
Great site! I might suggest you look into buying vbulletin, it has a great blog section as well as forums section. You could have it hosted outside of the Country on an anonymous server. The State of NC and their minions would be powerless to silence you as your website is hosted outside the confines of NC as well as the USA.
Hi. I’ve never read your blog before, but I heard it mentioned on Free Talk Live last night and thought I would check it out this morning.
I’ve read up on the low carb thing for a long time now and decided to jump in feet first a week before Christmas. I went from consuming about 300 or 400 carbs a day to 90-120 carbs a day. Throw in some moderate exercise 6 days a week and the results have been awesome. I went from 310 pounds on December 18th to 256 this past Saturday morning. That’s 54 pounds in a little over four months. I’m not diabetic, but I want to make sure that I never become one and I think this is the best way to do it.
I think what you’ve gone through is a lot like what medical marijuana activists and users have gone through. I think the government and the ADA know exactly how well low carb works, but they’re getting their pay offs from the food and drug industries. So yeah, keep up the good work. The only way to win against the government and corporations is to keep telling the truth.
Hey Steve! Several Masters Level Holistic Nutrition whatevers (we can’t call ourselves nutritionists in NC – it’s against the law) are following this story. And we’re here to help you because we’re on your side. Now, look, there’s something very simple you should know: your body runs on protein, fats, and carbohydrates. I’m talking about the kind of carbohydrates your body recognizes as good for it, like vegetables. Vegetables are carbohydrates! That’s what they are. Pass the word. Eat your carbohydrates :-) Just don’t count them. Phytonutrients? A fancy word for plant food. Good luck, fight the good fight. (And so you know, although I’m a nutrition professional, I can’t hang a shingle in this state or make a living because I’m not a registered dietician.)
Thanks Lynn… good to know I have support locally too! :) When the time comes I will need and ask for your help.
All the best to you and yours.
Steve,
Good for you. My mother is a diabetic on the “pump” along with kidney problems. Her dietitian has her using a “creamer” on her cereal since she can’t have dairy products. This “creamer” consists of nothing but hydrogenated coconut oil and high fructose corn syrup. Quite a dangerous combination for a diabetic, or anyone for that matter. I go over dietary issues with her all the time, but being diabetic for some 30+ years, her attitude is if there was something better they would have told her by now.
I wanted to offer my services, in that if they attempt to shut you down I would gladly republish your information on my site, with full Author rights to continue publishing.
I have shared your story here http://markmccoy.com/wp/2012/04/26/north-carolina-says-no-to-the-free-exchange-of-ideas-for-nutrition-blogger/
Maybe we will differ on political/philosophical issues, and maybe not, but your situation is one prime example of why I have adopted my position. Resistance, disobedience, and individuality.
Good luck to you, and consider my offer, please.
Mark McCoy
Thank you Mark. I will indeed consider your offer, if/when the time comes.
I generally don’t discuss politics or religion on my site because both can be so polarizing. My ‘job’ is to educate people about ways to eat and of course reduce blood sugars. :)
However freedom of speech and the freedom to ‘hear’ opposing views (including nutritional) transcends politics… imho. Thank you! :)
Steve, I’m a NC resident and if you any kind of support (against the legal threats or otherwise) I am there to help. As a former mil-blogger, I know all about threats to take down my blog. My grandmothers on both sides both had diabetes and my mother deals with it every day. I also have to watch my diet and get harassed(!) by coworkers for “being skinny.” If you need help of any kind, my email is in my profile.
Thank you for the offer… if and when I need assistance, I will yell for help. :)