The Healthy Way To Give Yourself Diabetes!
Mary Forgione writes in the LA Times about a little exchange our self-appointed food nanny-in-chief had with a kid she met:
"Last week, First Lady Michelle Obama held a holiday reception with children, parents and staff at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Chit-chatting with the kids, the subject of healthy breakfast came up. From the transcript:Child: What's your favorite thing to eat for breakfast on Christmas morning?
Mrs. Obama: Oh, wow, that's a good question.
Child: I usually eat Honey Nut Cheerios. (Laughter.) Mrs. Obama: OK, we're not going to do any advertisements. (Laughter.) But that is a healthy breakfast, it is."
As those of you who read here know, per Gary Taubes, the science (not the "science" put out by our government) says that it's carbohydrates -- sugar, flour, starchy vegetables like potatoes, apple juice -- that cause the insulin secretion that put on fat.
Taubes excellent, soon-to-be-published (and easy-reading) follow-up to "Good Calories, Bad Calories," "Why We Get Fat," will be out in a few days. Other sources of dietary science are Dr. Michael Eades and Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist.
Oh, and here's Dr. Davis on Cheerios and more foods that nitwits like Michelle Obama think are healthy:
Oatmeal yields high blood sugars. Even if your fasting blood sugar is 90 mg/dl, a bowl of oatmeal with skim milk, walnuts, and some berries will yield blood sugars of 150-200 mg/dl in many people.Cheerios yields shocking blood sugars. 200+ mg/dl is not uncommon in non-diabetics. (Diabetics have 250-350 mg/dl.)
Fruits like apples and bananas increase blood sugar to 130 mg/dl or higher.
Odd symptoms, such as mental "fog," fatigue, and a fullness in the head, are often attributable to high blood sugars.
A subset of people with lipoprotein(a) can have wildly increased blood sugars despite their slender build and high aerobic exercise habits.
Once you identify the high blood sugar problem, you can do something about it. The best place to start is to reduce or eliminate the sugar-provoking food.
More from Dr. Davis:
Cheerios does not 1) reduce risk for heart disease, nor 2) reduce cholesterol.It does, however, cause blood sugar to skyrocket and increase the small type of LDL--you know, the type that causes heart disease.
I do like Michelle Obama's fashion sense. In fact, I think she usually looks terrific, and, more than a few times, I've seen her in an evening dress or skirt I'd buy (but for what her husband's done to further trash the economy). She should stick to being a role model for dressing well, and keep her mouth shut about what people should eat.
I do so wish I hadn't tried the Muesli on my last cruise. I fight every day not to make some for myself, and this is after 10+ years on low carb (in other words: I KNOW better). So far I have been **mostly** successful.
I have a mail-in A1C test sitting on my desk, waiting on me to get up the nerve to send it in.
I guess "not wanting to know the truth" means I am a lousy realist.
gharkness at December 24, 2010 7:56 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/12/24/the_healthy_way.html#comment-1808020">comment from gharknessI find it helpful, gharkness, to know that repetition is the key to ingraining behavior, good or bad. I think of having a personal "culture," and the same goes for how I behave in my relationship and how we relate to each other (my boyfriend and I -- we don't ever talk to one another like we've forgotten we love each other). Vis a vis food/drink, personal culture is that I don't eat carbohydrates, save for a scoop of gelato about once a week. And that's a scoop Italian-style, meaning it serves one, not three (American-style).
Anyway, when I got sick last year, I was told to drink tea with honey. What I drank was more like honey with a side of tea. I noticed that I was using this to scam my way out of my low-carbing, and one night, I was just the bitch I needed to be, and told myself there was no way I was getting honey with tea. That night was hard, but the next night I did it again, and I began to have the "culture" of a person who just doesn't get that sort of thing.
Amy Alkon
at December 24, 2010 8:08 AM
I just ordered the book (Why We Get Fat) and can't wait to read it! Also, I've officially gotten off my ass and started eating low carb - I've had virtually no wheat or sugar this week. I figured that if I can pull it off on the week before Christmas, anything is possible. And it really hasn't been that hard! We had a pizza party at work, and I just peeled off the toppings and threw the crust away. Believe it or not, that's the kind of thing that was stopping me before - the embarrassment over looking "weird" for not eating like everyone else.
By the way, the very first positive thing I've noticed is being more clear headed. The "mental fog" was a very real problem for me.
KarenW at December 24, 2010 8:13 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/12/24/the_healthy_way.html#comment-1808031">comment from KarenWSuper, KarenW. And it really does help just to think of this as your "culture," and just do it. People may tease you, but if you expect that, and expect them to try to push you to eat things that are unhealthy for you, you can be ready. I carry sliced dry Italian sausage in my purse whenever I leave the house, just in case I get hungry.
Amy Alkon
at December 24, 2010 8:31 AM
As first lady, she could cause more harm. Nancy Regan gave us a SWAT team in every town and drug testing to get a job. Talk about intrusion.
Steve Daniels at December 24, 2010 9:17 AM
KarenW,
You picked a great time to start going low carb!
I recommend the latest Atkins book. It has a great listing of the carb count of various foods.
I wouldn't worry about looking weird. For the most part you can eat a very normal diet and most people won't even notice you're doing low carb.
JFP at December 24, 2010 11:41 AM
I've really been making the effort to eat low carb again in the last couple of weeks, and the one big difference I notice almost immediately is that I'm much calmer and experience WAY less of the free-floating anxiety that so often plagues me. My brain just does't spin like a hamster wheel when I forego the carbs, even when I enjoy the occasional double espresso.
deja pseu at December 24, 2010 1:56 PM
I suppose it's not so surprising that carbs can lead to diabetes, but I was shocked to read on Amy's Blog the other day that carbs are linked to arthritis too. Both run in my family, along with fibromyalgia and thyroid disease. So I did some googling, and both of those have also been linked to carbs.
I think I may have found out how to avoid some of the health problems that I've been fearing since childhood. With my diet, I (hopefully) get to stay healthy, and I get to have bacon! Can't see a downside.
KimberBlue at December 24, 2010 8:05 PM
"the same goes for how I behave in my relationship and how we relate to each other (my boyfriend and I -- we don't ever talk to one another like we've forgotten we love each other)."
Amy, your other comments are well taken and understood, but this, THIS little gem was hidden amongst the rest of your comment. Unless I've missed your already having done so, (and that is possible because I only made my way here recently thanks to Dr. Eades) this is so worthy of its own blogpost.
Hubby and I will be soon celebrating 19 years, and I can't remember a time, during any number of disagreements of opinion, when we have treated each other disrespectfully. Having both been married to others who didn't accord us the same respect, we know its enormous value.
gharkness at December 25, 2010 5:54 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/12/24/the_healthy_way.html#comment-1808630">comment from gharknessThanks, gharkness. It really doesn't take much, either. At the beginning of our relationship, I just decided that I would never talk to him in a shrewish way, no matter what, and I don't. Beyond the fact that it's ugly to talk ugly with somebody, he's very sweet to me, and he doesn't ever deserve to be talked to in an ugly or unloving way.
Amy Alkon
at December 25, 2010 9:09 AM
I really OD'ed on carbs during this month, due to the holiday get-togethers, but tomorrow, it's back to the old grind (after the leftover pies, cookies, cake, etc.) :-)
On the other hand, the taste of sugary soft drinks is starting to turn me off (I usually do diet drinks).
mpetrie98 at December 25, 2010 7:51 PM
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