Dr. Bernstein on the ACCORD study

[Rose1942]

I love where he mentions that the ADA says that diabetics are either too stupid or too lazy to follow a low carb diet.

http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2008/03/26/5701.html

[Azlocarb]

Dr. Bernstein is such a great example and it is a shame he does not get the recognition that he deserves. Recently a co-work found out that here granddaughter had been diagnosed with type 1. I told her about Dr. Bernstein and she ordered his book and gave it to here son and daughter in law and they pretty much told here to mind her own business. They are following the ADA diet for there little girl and my co-worker is afraid to push to hard as here daughter in law and here already don’t get along very well and she is afraid she will be shut out of here granddaughters life. It is a very sad situation.

[KiaKaha]

I have the same situation with my brother in law.

He has recently become diabetic but doesnt accept that I too am diabetic. Even though I have been one for a few years longer than him. Admittedly his bloods were up in the 300's when they diagnosed him (I was only ever up to about 200). He just keeps telling me its not the same - I dont need medication - he has to have it!!! He cant accept that I had a choice and chose this WOE over accepting medication. Lo and behold he is now on blood pressure meds as well - but he's being really good - he's having his oatmeal and small potato each day. All I can say is - guess who is getting a copy of the Bernstein book this Christmas!

[skeeweeaka]

Aw don't wait for Christmas, I think he needs that book now especially with his blood pressure increasing.... Such a sad situation with the low fat community and high carbs...

[tom sawyer]

You have to be really careful about pushing this WOE on people. I've informed a lot of folks who've asked me about it, and of course relatively few have seen the light. Its sad but there are those who would rather die than give up the SAD. It does take committment, and this is in short supply these days. You pretty much have to let everyone come to their own realizations, in their own time. Being a good example is about all you can do.

[Angeline]

I feel the same way. It's frustrating to have the info that will help people but be drowned out by all the dogma out there.

Maybe we should start a sticky thread and collect all the really really good articles out there. They would have to be short, simplified, convincing, and be impossible to dismiss. They would need to have lots of credibility. We could also include more scientific minded articles that could be presented to doctors for the people who feel the need to change their doctor's mind.

We need some kind of resource to convince people. I know that I utterly fail when I try to convince them myself. I simply don't have the credentials, credibility nor enough of a way with words to turn people around.

[KarenJ]

I feel the same way. It's frustrating to have the info that will help people but be drowned out by all the dogma out there.

Maybe we should start a sticky thread and collect all the really really good articles out there. They would have to be short, simplified, convincing, and be impossible to dismiss. They would need to have lots of credibility. We could also include more scientific minded articles that could be presented to doctors for the people who feel the need to change their doctor's mind.

We need some kind of resource to convince people. I know that I utterly fail when I try to convince them myself. I simply don't have the credentials, credibility nor enough of a way with words to turn people around.

I feel the same way. For awhile, I was collecting as many studies as possible, assigning them to categories (low fat bad, low carb good, etc), and storing them in a word file. I could send a quick email to someone with hundreds of studies, in link form, with synopsis for each.
When my brother asked why I continue this low carb nonsense, I sent him my collection. He dismissed all of it simply because one of the studies was a meta analysis (Volek. It was a good one). :rolleyes:

Perhaps the sticky at the top of this forum could be updated. There are a lot of newer studies that haven't been added yet.

[Angeline]

I wouldn't want all the studies, that would be overwhelming, just the ones that are especially convincing. I'd love to convince my DH of the health benefits of low-carb. I simply haven't been convincing enough and he has very little tolerance for discussion of the subject.

But I think he's pretty representative of the general population. Not really interested in the subject and tends to trust people with "credentials". Something to convince him would have to be short (so he reads it), very "punchy" to keep his interest, and would have to be from a credible source. That last is easy as he believes anything written in the big name papers, and anything with the word "study" in it. I tried to explain to him that studies aren't all created equal but he got impatient with the subject and I never got to my point.

If I can get through to him, I'll be able to get through to anyone.

[AJCole]

I am fairly well educated and a voracious reader - but over the years I have learned that other people just don't care - want to read so much - want to do any critical thinking. I think its like getting the holy ghost, it is very personal, and you don't get it unless you get it.

[costello22]

I am fairly well educated and a voracious reader - but over the years I have learned that other people just don't care - want to read so much - want to do any critical thinking. I think its like getting the holy ghost, it is very personal, and you don't get it unless you get it.

Amen!

I'm excited about the success I'm having, so I've talked to a couple of overweight/obese coworkers recently. One thing I've learned is that it isn't just a matter of educating people. You have to undo the false ideas they have from years of indoctrination by public health officials and doctors. One guy looked pretty skeptical when I talked about the idea that increased appetite and decreased physical activity could be viewed as symptoms of the obese condition, rather than causes.

I urged both of them to read Good Calories, Bad Calories in order to see how flimsy (even nonexistent) the evidence is for the low-fat diet. But even if I could convince them to pick it up, would they really slog through the whole thing? Would they really read it with an open mind?

GCBC brought such a paradigm shift for me. It changed the way I see myself, my weight, and other obese people. I feel such compassion now when I see very fat people. I'm now aware how much I had absorbed the gluttony/sloth view of obesity and obese people. And I'd applied that view to myself.

But, as you say, I love to read, think, analyze things. And, honestly, I was open to the message. I'm really grateful to Gary Taubes for doing this research and writing this book.