I think we're winning.
 

Does anybody else get the feeling that the tide is turning and that low-carbing is starting to win the diet wars?

Not quite yet imo. There's certainly been progress lately (think the Tim Noakes trial for example), but there are still plenty of important hurdles to overcome yet.

As I see it, probably the biggest hurdle still to overcome is the need for dietary guideline reform, particularly in the States since so many other countries borrow from there. The Nutrition Coalition's efforts in this area have been immense thus far, but there's still more to be done.

The recent Food for Thought conference in Zurich was also very interesting, in that it brought a lot of people together from all sides of the debate. That doesn't happen very often, and personally I'd like to see more of it. Get people who disagree with each other into the same room - as opposed to sniping from across the internet - and let them at it for as long as it takes.

Yes, I think things are moving in the right direction, but to say we're "winning" is perhaps just a bit premature, at least until we start to see some real policy change take effect.

I thought that myself this morning when this new Readers Digest article (in about as middle of the middle road as possible) showed up on Twitter.
Ten Health Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet.
https://www.rd.com/health/healthy-e...fits-keto-diet/
The same media group have negative articles on Ketogenic too, some linked within this one. It was a long path from the RD 2011 article based on Why We Get Fat and Dr Westman's Low carb diet (word Ketogenic not even in that article)

Then, like Grav, the near impossibility of turning US Dietary Guidleines around brought me back to reality. The USDA has made one tiny step toward embracing lower carb eating patterns, while also hiring lobbyists from the corn syrup industry to write nutrition guidelines. The 2018 Farm Bill being debated now appears to keep the corn, soy, sugar subsidies intact while reducing SNAP benefits. The dietary guidelines determine the food eaten by our military, our grannies in nursing homes, schoolchildren, etc. The Nutrition Coalition impact has been great for a tiny non-profit effort, but any meaningful change after 2020 seems so far away for now.

Who are "We"? And what is there to "Win"?

I feel that the mainstream is starting to see the light, but there's a long road ahead still. And in the meantime, there's too much distracting woo being propagated, making it harder to discuss facts.

One of the reasons I think the tide is turning is I'm starting to see some new low-carb products entering the mainstream and actually being advertised as low-carb again.

For example, most burger joints have lettuce wrapped options now, and it's not just a secret menu item, but it's actually on the sign and being advertised.

I've seen some low-carb and lower-carb tv dinners pop up new at the supermarket.

More and more products are claiming to have "no added sugars".

I can actually find shirataki noodles in most grocery stores now.

I recently discovered that one of my coworkers is also going low-carb from information she learned elsewhere.

Coca-Cola is appearing to be pushing their "Zero" line of beverages as a replacement for their traditional sugary drinks. I think they see the writing on the wall that what happened to the Tobacco companies is going to happen to them, so they pre-emptively trying to head this potential future legal problem off at the pass by changing their product to be less harmful.

I see a lot more people using coconut oil and it being available in stores. Palm oil is being used in processed foods again after the trans-fat scare.

Just lots of little signs all going in the right directions.

We still can't seem to be free from low-fat dairy though. Sigh.

Unfortunately, it's a very long haul to change dietary dogma, especially when it's been thoroughly ingrained for the last 50 years, and nearly everyone who remembers the day and age when everyone knew that starches and sugars were what really made you fat is a senior citizen (or already dead).

The shift from full fat to low fat/fat free didn't happen overnight, or even over couple of years. It started in the late 70's, but the push for more and more grains/starches, low fat, and minimal animal products didn't reach it's peak until the early 90's when the USDA came up with the official food pyramid promoting grains as the basis for a healthy diet.

That we are seeing some products labeled as LC is encouraging, but it's still going to be a long haul, especially since the USDA and medical establishment is still rather adamantly opposed to consumption of saturated fats and "eliminating entire food groups" (grains).

By the way, I'm actually seeing whole fat yogurts and cottage cheese these days (for the most part, there's always been lots of whole fat cheeses available) - unfortunately, if you read the ingredients on the yogurt and cottage cheese, it's usually fat free dairy with sufficient cream added back to it to raise it to full fat levels. Still better than the final product being low fat, and definitely better than fat free.

Say an ad on TV for a low carb eating plan----floored me. A very jazzy name, none of the ones I have encountered here on our forum.

Definitey lc though and showed how easily participants dropped huge number of pounds, like two fitting into the old pants of one of them.

A nice change is coming.

Also didnt the UK just adopt LC as a treatment method??

Waiting to hear from friend who scheduled a meeting with his nutritionist to discuss DANDR----if she is the same one i saw, there is no support there. ( I ignored her advice and dropped everything in the trash, kept following DANDR)

Speaking of ads I heard a radio the other day for "Dr. Bernstein" diet clinic, and when I looked it up it seems to be low-carb.

His name seems familiar--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFNGdKSXx64

I have not watched any of his information, so cannot judge his work, but I will listen to him.....Im expecting LC, but at this poin I am more interested in that he as a type 1 perspective.

There are 2 Dr Richard Bernsteins. One wrote the "Diabetes Solution" (it's been updated many times), is a medical doctor in NY with type 1 diabetes and is now over 80 years old. His entire focus is diabetes and his dietary plan has always been low carb. He is a hero and a pioneer in the field of low carb eating for type 1 and type 2 diabetes. I followed his eating plan for many years.

The other Dr Richard Bernstein is in Canada and seems to run weight loss clinics. I don't know anything about him, only that sometimes people confuse the two.

Good to know!

I am VERY impressed with Dr Bernstein. Was an engineer, helped his wife go to medical school. Used her stationary to get a blood glucose meter used at hospitals as the mini were not available and started testing himself after eating different foods. Realized quickly the wrong road was taken by everyone--doctors wanted the patients. Then put himself thru medical school. An unsung hero!!

Im on to part 2.

Definitely sharing with my friend. Over the years I have watched her increase in weight, and counted on her high tech monitor and administrator devise to keep bg in line. I started a converstion last week about how to use food to control BG, as I watch all the junk, and good stuff, her kids eat. Generally typical SAD.

Actually ... the other one with the diet clinics in Canada is Stanley Bernstein. He goes by "Dr B". The diet is extremely low calorie (like 600/day) and virtually fat-free. Carbs are lowish, but still make up over 50% of calories. The diet requires vitamins to be injected because the lack of dietary fat prevents adequate absorption from the gut.

Some have called it a medically supervised eating disorder :exclm: