Daria Doering

My neverending battle with the medical establishment continues. My blood sugar level had gotten deep into prediabetes territory, and as it was one tenth of a point away from diabetes, I knew I had to do something. My cardiologist had been telling me for years to stop eating carbs, read Wheat Belly, etc. I saw a new integrative doctor and nutritionist, and they joined in the choir.

The only problem is that 1) I love carbs, 2) every book I’ve read that I regard highly, such as Blue Zones, promotes a Mediterranean or vegan diet, both of which make total sense to me, but not this new low-carb or Keto stuff … low-carb goes against everything I believe in, and 3) carbs are necessary to produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter that produces a feeling of well-being (and also reduces hunger), which antidepressant drugs seek to increase. As someone whose mental health is always a bit precarious, I felt that the last thing I should do is give up carbs. See https://www.psychologytoday.com/…/serotonin-what-it-is…

But I tried their plan, reasoning that I could eat a no-carb breakfast, consisting of two eggs, and that wouldn’t kill me. But after trying that for a month, my A1C was WORSE, not better. Not to mention that Blue Zones (my Bible in general) says that people worldwide generally eat an egg or two per week, so I didn’t regard this extreme egg eating as healthful in any way.

I did further research, and found that the American Society of Clinical Endocrinologists recommends losing 10% of your body weight to prevent diabetes. That made sense to me, and is something I’d love to do anyway. So I decided – back to what has worked for me in the past. I will do food journaling, and keep my food intake to around 1200 calories per day, indefinitely. I will combine my love of planning, my love of checking things off lists, and my love of cooking, and that should work for me.

So I started doing this, and have lost about 10 pounds in a month and a half. Though I also decided I would not weigh myself (later changed my mind about this), and would instead focus on the practice of eating right, regardless of the result.

So I saw the new nutritionist yesterday, and received the same BS lecture about how I need to lower my carb intake and eat more vegetables. Little to no mention of how great it was that I brought all my perfectly printed out food journals and nutritional analysis (which I’ve done for years on a fantastic website – www.FitClick.com), how wonderful that I have lost ten pounds, and how healthfully I eat (I already eat a lot of both raw and cooked vegetables). She also refused to prescribe an A1C test (average of your blood sugar levels over three months), claiming that it would “only lead to disappointment until I’ve been on her diet for more time.” Although she was very “nice,” I was so angry during the visit and depressed afterward … not good.

So this morning I went to CVS Minute Clinic and got an A1C test on my own. Even though the test is a measure of the average of your blood sugar over three months, and I have only been following my protocol for about a month and a half, my blood sugar level has fallen dramatically – from 6.4 to 5.6, which is normal and out of prediabetes territory!

So all I can say is F— these people and their absurd low-carb fad. I don’t like eating smoothies for breakfast or salad for lunch, because it leaves me feeling starving. I prefer the “miracle muffins” I bake for breakfast (no flour, sugar or fat), a bean burrito or vegan bologna sandwich for lunch (emphasis on legumes), raw veges and cottage cheese dip for a snack, and a normal dinner. I hope these folks don’t drive the many depressed people in this country to worse mental health or suicide.

I was seeking support in maintaining healthful eating, but none of them seem capable of saying, “Great job, keep doing what you’re doing!” nor appreciating all the amazing and healthful recipes I have created. I doubt I will ever see a nutritionist again in my life. Thankfully I have a supportive family, friends and therapist.

Most recently, an ad popped up on my Facebook feed for GenoPalate, a business that will supposedly take your DNA sample from 23andMe or Ancestor.com, analyze it, and tell you what diet you should be eating, based on your DNA.  What really grabbed me was their allegation that some people need a higher level of carb intake than others.  

So I managed to download my DNA report from 23andMe, and upload it to GenoPalate.  A week and $29 later I got their report.  Sure enough, I am one of those people who needs a higher level of carbs!  I feel so vindicated!