The ADA dishes up more bad advice

Dear Reader, Every now and then, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) changes its guidelines. And the latest set borders on malpractice, if you ask me. They recommend that people with diabetes consume at least 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal. Per meal?! I don't even recommend eating 60 grams of carbohydrates per DAY if you're trying to lose weight. Anyone with diabetes or a blood sugar disorder who tries to follow these guidelines would not only gain weight, but would need more medications (hmmm... perhapsthat's the real reason for these guidelines). And the bad advice doesn't stop with the ADA guidelines. In fact, I am looking at a magazine right now that is published specifically for people with diabetes. The minute I turned to the Table of Contents it became crystal clear why diabetes is spiraling out of control in this country... In one article they talk about fat substitutes in a chocolate chip cookie recipe. The ingredients include: chocolate chunks, white flour, brown sugar, and sugar. What makes this recipe "healthy"-- at least according to them--is that they recommend using canola oil (don't even get me started on how unhealthy that is) and egg whites instead of the whole egg. There are so many things wrong with this picture, it isn't even funny. But the main reason I brought up this magazine was because of one article in particular--about spreading your carbohydrates throughout the day--your 180 grams of ADA-recommended carbohydrates. I'd hate to see what would happen if you didn't spread that enormous quantity out over the course of a day (the effects are bound to be bad enough even if you do). This article recommended that the typical diabetic eat 13 times a day. Now let's consider what that would look like: You could be eating at 6:45a.m.; 7:15a.m.; 7:45a.m.; 9:00a.m.; 10:00a.m.; 11:30a.m.; 2:25p.m.; 3:30p.m.; 5:00p.m.; 6:00p.m.; 6:30p.m.; and 9:00p.m. Even if you're just snacking, that's still a ridiculous amount of food. I got nauseous just typing it! Besides, recent research shows that this emphasis on snacking is a major contributor to the obesity and diabetes epidemics. But do you know what the worst part of the whole thing is? They don't care what kind of carbohydrate you eat! It can come from ice cream or from brown rice--it's all the same to them. But here's a newsflash for the so-called "experts" at the ADA: All carbohydrates are not created equal! The only types of carbs you should be eating are complex carbs like the kind naturally present in vegetables and whole, unrefined grains.