I received an interesting comment today from a ms_ash_henderson:
you took what they wrote in the study and then generalized that all grains are bad. Basically the study said that high blood sugar levels are bad (which, btw someone with undiagnosed diabetes would have pretty much no matter what they eat, as by definition they lack insulin to take the sugar from their blood and into their muscles, so it would build up). Whole grains are encased in fiber which causes them to break down slowly, thus not causing a spike in blood sugar. Encouraging people to eat animal fat, which will most definitely clog your arteries is a bad recommendation. I notice that you are not an RD or MD, so perhaps you should abstain from giving nutritional advice – as you are clearly not qualified – and stick to showing people how to cook.
Interesting comment. It was in regards to a post I did on a cool Primal Breakfast.
First, doctors – MD’s know little about nutrition. They are there to treat symptoms. In fact, if they need information for a patient for nutritional purposes, they send them to a dietitian.
I just had a dietitian tell me a couple weeks back that I had to eat more grains, so my insulin would not affect me as much. Sure. So I will eat more grains, which will make me even more insulin resistant, so I need to take more, then crash and burn.
Honestly, you are right, I do not have an MD or a RD by my name. I do have diabetes though. I know how grains affect me. My meter can attest to that.
I can read though. I read a lot. I have done a LOT of reading regarding food.
Whole grains are encased in fiber, which delay the breakdown into glucose. They do break down though, only after a longer time. That does not matter in the end, because even though it happens at a later time, you will still have a blood sugar hike, just not immediately. That is why the GI is flawed for a diabetic, a lot of that list that is “good” for you will spike you after 4 hours. Don’t believe me? Test 3 to 4 hours after eating pasta and you will see what I mean.
Diabetics that are undiagnosed have blood sugars that are out of control, exacerbated by fructose. Believe me, protein does not spike me. I know this because my blood glucose meter tells me, not some doctor or a “RD”.
Finally, since you seem to like challenge, put your money where your mouth is. I am not a doctor, but Dr. Bernstein is. He is also a type 1 diabetic that dropped everything he was doing, and went into the medical field to challenge the standard diet for diabetics. Read his book “The Diabetes Solution” for real data from someone who is infinitely more qualified than I am. (Link goes to my Amazon Store)
If that is not enough for you, try Gary Taube’s book “Good Calories Bad Calories“. IT will challenge the fool notion that saturated fats are so bad for you. (Link goes to my Amazon Store)
Finally, it is my blog. Thanks for your suggestion to stick to what I know. I hope you understand that I will not follow it though – I am better because I push myself every day.
Perhaps you need to get out of your comfort zone, to learn more about what you are eating, and how it affects you.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
All points of view have a valid place in the discussion. Your first hand experience belongs front and center. But kudos to you for including this (less than nice rant) and another point of view. GREG
Yeah, I’m waiting for something similar – I posted a recipe for citrus beurre blanc sauce on my site today and started the whole thing off with “Fat is not bad for you!”
I’m not a doctor either, but Mike and Mary Dan Eades are, Al Sears is and Mary Enig has a PhD next to her name and they’ll ALL be more than happy to tell you the benefits of animal fats and the dangers of grains, especially the kind of processed grains that make up a large portion of the standard American (and Canadian!) diet today.
@GREG – Thank you for the kind words. I have no problem with opinions. I was taught that you need to back them up though. (At least, that is what they taught me in school.) What I saw there was nothing more than a rant. I just could not help it, I had to make light of it.
@Jan – Good for you! I have that sauce on my banquet menu over the winter, and it is a popular one.
I take exception to the whole, “stick with what you know and shut up” mentality. Tell the truth, the “expert” I saw had all the same rote she gave to all the other patients, even when I told her, and recited what she was going to say. You know, things like the plastic food to show what the portions should be, what I should be eating. How fruit has no glucides. (Sure, want to see my meter after I eat a tonne of fruit?) That is where the problem lies. We have “experts” who are only spouting off what they learned in school. There is no experience, hell, the girl was maybe 20 if she was a day older… so tell me – even though she is a dietician – what basis of experience does she have to council me on nutrition? She has what she has been taught in school, that is it. It has already been shown that what gets taught is HIGHLY influenced by the special interest groups. Scary, no?