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Comment by Maryanne McKay on Fad diets: what do dietitians say about the latest crop?

Maryanne McKay — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 13:26:49 +1200

What a lot of rubbish!...the arrogance and ignorance is breathtaking!..

Comment by Rob on Fad diets: what do dietitians say about the latest crop?

Rob — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 12:01:41 +1200

So lchf is a fad diet...and so is the current advice that we have been following for the last 40 yrs which told us to increase carbs and reduce fats for heart risk. Clearly both the heart foundation and diabetes associations are out of touch with current science. Firstly id like you to ask heart foundation to show scientific proof that shows saturated fat 100% causes heart disease which will be interesting to see and they might want to pass on to there American counterparts considering they are dropping both cholesterol and saturated fat as nutrients of concern for heart disease.....they won't be able to come up with any evidence is the answer to this.
As for diabetes....type 2 diabetes is completely reversable once carbs and sugar are reduced. Both carbs and sugar convert to glucose most rapidly and when the body cant process the extra glucose in the system the liver and pancreas send the excess to the fat storage parts of our bodies. Its a shame that both heart and diabetes foundations are both heavily compromised by who financially supports them in either case by big pharma or big food industry. Its one thing to say EVIDENCE shows this it's another to actually back it up with true evidence. How about they put there money were there mouths are and release docs for all of us to see.....i bet they don't...itll be the tired old they know best and trust us.....pffft.

Comment by Peter on Fad diets: what do dietitians say about the latest crop?

Peter — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 09:38:04 +1200

Articles like this perpetuate the mis-information on various Ways Of Eating(WOE). The Pro/Cons are extremely misleading and inaccurate.

Why? Suggesting that various WOEs are unsustainable suggests that there is a vested interest in keeping our population eating foods(or taking drugs) that ensure on-going revenue for businesses that are starting to see the effect of people making better choices. Diabetes New Zealand and The Heart Foundation seem to be working very hard at protecting the very same businesses that produce the foods that (in the last 50 years) are making our population fat.

So disappointed!

Comment by Jamie Scott on Fad diets: what do dietitians say about the latest crop?

Jamie Scott — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 18:04:41 +1200

The authors of this piece could perhaps do with a lesson in researching a topic. I will limit my comments to the Paleo section, though I can see errors in the other sections covered.

The authors are quite wrong on a number of fronts. I suspect this comes down to reference the most extreme and narrowminded versions of Paleo they could find. This is the equivalent of someone finding fault with medical professionals and modern medical practice on the basis of Dr Oz.

I can assure you that Paleo/Primal HEURISTICS for whole food eating patterns do not limit starches, including potatoes, kumara, yams, taro, et al. Nor do they limit dairy, legumes or even whole grains. What is encouraged is for people to find what works for them best. In practice, this means that some people discover they are not particularly grain (typically wheat) or dairy tolerant, and I see this frequently in my own practice. Where there are no individual issues with any dietary component, people are encouraged to include these in their overall diet pattern.

The above has been the stance of the main proponents of a Paleo framework/template for many years now. However, authors, such as the ones here, seem to either remain ignorant of this fact, or choose not to cite these positions, possibly due to them not suiting the narrative the authors wish to convey.

It is a pity research into these topics is so poor, and misinformation is continually spread. In the end it only reflects badly on the authors and their profession.

Jamie Scott
Nutritionist.

Comment by Dr Greg Brown on Fad diets: what do dietitians say about the latest crop?

Dr Greg Brown — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 17:49:13 +1200

I have used paleo/LCHF-type diets extremely effectively with my patients for both weight loss and as adjunctive treatment for a variety of chronic diseases, including type I and type II diabetes. Unfortunately the authors of this article do not seem to appreciate the pathophysiology of diabetes or ketoacidosis (which is NOT the same thing as ketosis). Using a whole foods dietary approach will never result in ketoacidosis. What it will do is reduce the requirement for insulin and/or oral hypoglycaemic drugs and result in improved glycemic control. Yes, caution is required with diabetics on those drugs capable of causing hypoglycaemia, but as long as a dietary change is made carefully in conjunction with a reduction in medication then it's perfectly safe. I have seen patients completely reverse type II diabetes and end up on no medication whatsoever. If this is a "fad", it's damned effective.

Comment by Kurt Lass on Fad diets: what do dietitians say about the latest crop?

Kurt Lass — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 00:43:07 +1200

The statement below about LCHF diets is wrong about T2DM and ketoacidosis:

"Not suitable for people with type 1 diabetes or people with type 2 diabetes on medication (other than Metformin) because of the risk of hypoglycaemia or ketoacidosis"

Ketoacidosis is ONLY possible in the complete absence of insulin. Only Type 1 diabetics are susceptible because they produce no endogenous insulin. Virtually all T2DM patients produce some insulin except perhaps a very small percentage of late stage patients who should probably be classed as Type 1 because their pancreatic beta cells are burnt out.

The fact is that T2DM is a a disease of carbohydrate intolerance. The first line treatment should be to reduce carbohydrates. LCHF diets have proven highly successful in the management of T2DM and in fact have been shown by many clinicians to normalize blood glucose and enable T2DM patients to reduce or eliminate metformin and even exogenous insulin in more severe cases.

Any risk of hypoglycemia is easily managed by slow reduction of carbohydrates, monitoring of BG and slowly reducing drugs like metformin as the reduction in carbohydrates reduces hyperglycemia instead.

Anyone who want to find out how good LCHF diets are for treatment of T2DM and how to implement them should read information by Steven Phinney, Jeff Volek, Eric Westman, Tim Noakes, Sarah Hallberg and Jason Fung,

Comment by LMM on Fad diets: what do dietitians say about the latest crop?

LMM — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 11:02:12 +1200

The article was incorrect* (see editor's comment) regarding LCHF diets and CHO. You are forgetting that dairy products and fruit/veg included in the diet have CHO's. While saying that some saturated fats are ok, they also advocate using healthy fats (ref. Dr Grant Schofield, AUT, NZ). He also discusses what might cause failure of the diet which is precisely what you state: not keeping to reasonable amounts of each food group. The truth is that we can overdo any eating habit.
I'm also interested in why you would have to add multivitamins to a diet that is cutting down on simple CHO's and encouraging fruit, veggies, appropriate amounts of proteins?
I have not had trouble adjusting to this way of eating. As with ordinary eating one has to find the right level for themselves. In addition, out of 21 meals a week, 3 are 'off'. So, in the end it is about rearranging, not excluding food groups.

Let's be honest: It is the very Food Pyramid advocated by educated people since the 70's based on the FDA's assumption that fat must be bad for you and encouraging us to eat carbs that has been a very real factor in widespread obesity in the Western World. Here we are 40 years later trying to regain balance.

Why not go to the website for Dr Grant Schofield and look at his 'What the Fat' book to get a balanced view of what this lifestyle change really is.

EDITOR's RESPONSE: This article is based on advice from dieticians working for the Heart Foundation and Diabetes New Zealand. Nursing Review is happy to publish the comments of people who disagree with this advice but publishing them does not mean endorsement.

Comment by Cleethorpes UK on Fad diets: what do dietitians say about the latest crop?

Cleethorpes UK — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 07:16:43 +1200

So a hunter-gatherer diet is a fad because it eliminates man-made 'foods' whereas the 'healthy eating' guidelines recommend PUFA oils that have only been around about a century, so that's obviously not a fad?

Comment by Arthur H Hazeldine on Fad diets: what do dietitians say about the latest crop?

Arthur H Hazeldine — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 17:30:25 +1200

It was this information from so called "dietitians" , The Food Pyramid etc that caused me to need a triple heart by-pass operation and become a type two diabetic.
Some may ask, "how do you know that was the cause?"
Well, I am a person who wants to know why things happen.
It did not take me long to realize that I had been given wrong information.

By simply changing dietary and life style habits, I am now no longer diabetic, all my symptoms that I had , such as high blood pressure, memory loss, joint pain,diabetes and general weakness and tiredness have gone. At eighty one years old I am enjoying a life of gardening beekeeping and walking, which I am sure that had I believed the doctor who told me that diabetes can only be "managed" not cured,I would not be able to have. This same medical center has told me that I am no longer diabetic, with a message from the doctor "What ever you are doing, keep doing it!"
What ever I am doing is,The LCHF diet!
I have not taken any prescription drugs or advice from doctors or dietitians since dumping the medications in the bin and taken control of my own destiny..
My only regret is, that had I known twenty years ago, what I have learned in the last five years, I believe that I would not have developed the problems at all!

Comment by Maggie B on Fad diets: what do dietitians say about the latest crop?

Maggie B — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 18:02:45 +1200

I think this is a very useful guide and healthy eating tips are terrific. New Zealand has the third highest rates of obesity in the world (after US and Mexico), which is pretty shocking.

When people need to lose weight, I can recommend using the 5:2 diet covered above, which many in my family have used with great success, and been able to maintain. It is relatively easy because you only have to think about energy intake 2 days a week, and using a (free) app like MyFitnessPal makes that simple. Focusing on keeping your calories down on those two days also helps train you into becoming aware of the energy content of lots of foods. Also, when you have had to be careful on two days, you really begin to appreciate your food more generally and don't want to binge and ruin it on the other 5 days. You can learn all about it for free on the website: http://thefastdiet.co.uk