Dietitians and Nutritionists the good and the bad.

Over the years I have been told I am against dietitians and hate them all, nothing could be further from the truth. The first dietitian I ever encountered was vehemently anti low carb. This person was a Director of the British Dietetic Association and a University lecturer to trainee dietitians. As you will appreciate, we argued big time, with virtually no common ground. I have read so much poor information from so many dietitians, my attitude to them could have been highly jaundiced full stop. Fortunately I have come to know some fantastic dietitians who have taught me a great deal, and I still learn from them on an almost daily basis. I have started this thread to highlight the dietitians I believe are right and a positive force for good, and also to shine the spotlight on those who I believe are a health hazard to us diabetics, and not doing any favours for non diabetics. Please can we keep this thread for posts re. the above. Obviously all posts and comments re. dietitians and nutritionists most welcome. I will start this thread on a positive note with a great dietitian called Cassie. Here she explains what is so wrong with the system in the US.

""In all aspects of my life, I value integrity, and in my profession I want nothing less. When I think of the AND (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’) the very last word that would come to mind is integrity. Words like “embarrassing” and “hypocritical” come to mind.

My blood begins to boil as I think of all the times I’ve had to try to defend the AND and explain to my patients and clients that just because they are sponsored by Pepsi, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, does not mean these are healthy choices. This is a difficult battle to fight, and one that shouldn't even exist.

How am I supposed to educate my patients and clients on the importance of staying away from what I call “fake foods,” when they are the very foundation of my own professional organization? The very organization that claims to provide me with evidence-based information is putting on seminars sponsored by Coca-Cola.

Anyone, regardless of their level of education, can tell that there are major conflicts of interest existing here.The AND’s corporate sponsorships give me the same sick feeling as when I see a healthcare professional giving a lecture on diabetes while drinking a soda. It doesn’t make any sense, and it’s outright ridiculous.

I worked harder than I have in my entire life to obtain my professional credentials and these sorts of sponsorships make it no wonder that people are seeking health care professionals OTHER than RDs for their nutrition information, education and guidance. This breaks my heart, and in my eyes, the only way to get around this is to completely break free of these chains, and obtain sponsors with a “real food” approach, which is in line with the nutrition approach we should all be taking.

This is not an issue that should be taken lightly, as it is the foundation of our professional practices. Let’s have some integrity."

Cassie is a member of Dietitians For Professional Integrity whose site is here http://integritydietitians.org/

Cassie's website is here http://www.dietitiancassie.com/about/

I've seen a dietician only once, when newly diagnosed. Complete waste of time ( although I never really knew it at the time ). We spent about 30mins or so looking at pictures of fruit, rice, fish, bread etc. It was pretty much the advice DAFNE give out. Everything in moderation ( hate that phrase ) and eat a "balanced" diet. In fact, the advice I received could well have been given to anyone. There was no specific diabetic advice regarding lower carbs etc. I assume I was given this poor advice because I'm T1 and they just advise to inject more units to cover the carbs. Not something I'm happy doing. I wonder if the advice to T2's is any different ? I sincerely hope so !

Mo the advice for type two's is just as flawed and truly lamentable.

Hear we have a video from a British Dietetics Association spokesperson and dietitian Sian Porter. Talking about the dangers of saturated fats. You will notice she is pushing marg and hydrogenated oil products. The video was sponsored by The Fat Panel who Sian worked for. The now defunct Fat Panel was funded by the margarine industry.



Here we have a video from Isabel a nutritionist who really knows what she is talking about re. saturated fats.



Link to The Fat Panel "The Fat Panel is currently funded by an unrestricted educational grant from the Margarine & Spreads Association. Anyone wishing to offer further unrestricted funding to The Fat Panel should contact us by email on info@TheFatPanel.org.uk."

Link to Sian Porter at the fat panel http://www.zoominfo.com/s/#!search/profile/person?personId=1235340663&targetid=profile

Loose Cannon wrote:The now defunct Fat Panel was funded by the margarine industry

Ho Ho Ho!! What a surprise eh!! Although it is warming to see the worm turning with consumers ditching the 'Frankenshite' low fat spreads in favour of real butter-Everywhere I go I'm seeing these 'Frankenfat' products appearing to be permanently on half price offers as they just can't shift it! I once told Duggie over at DCUK there'd be a margarine mountain and it looks like there will be soon-well,I wouldn't want to be called a liar!

My PT is a dietician ad nutricionist he took both exams, think it was the D one first then the N and he said the first was a total waste of money £3k l think it was. He gives out diet sheets paleo based he is very much into paleo but doesn't know anything about LCHF although is interested.

When l first started LCHF as diabetic he stopped giving me diet advice advice as knew nothing about it but was there to give general help and general advice.

l did some of his drop a size in .... months competitions he runs and he asked me to give a brief talk of LCHF how it worked and had affected/helped me to the people who entered as well as the paleo talk he has with them so that people could understand a bit more about eating and what to avoid and if they wanted they had a couple of choices on eating. His (paleo) is similar but more carbs.

I am the only one he doesn't punish if l eat outside my normal. in fact when l was stuck food wise and ended up having a hamburger a couple of times on a Friday coming back from work we both agreed they left us feeling stomach ached... anyone else has one they wear a weighted vest to do the boot camp in

Professor Susan Jebb, of Oxford University is a dietitian and the Governments health 'Tzar' on obesity. She's is also a member of Scientific Advisory Boards for Coca-Cola, Heinz, PepsiCo, Nestlé and Kellogg’s.

An article in the Telegraph caught my eye an extract you see below. I am rapidly building up a list of so called independent professionals commenting about diet in newspapers and on TV, Susan Jebb was a new name to me.

“Every year, people pour millions of pounds down the drain to no avail following one fad diet or another,” said Professor Susan Jebb, of Oxford University, an advisor on obesity for the government."

This is true, most people who lose weight pile it back on again, diets don't work for most people, a lifestyle change for life is required for many people especially type two diabetics. Imagine my astonishment to learn Susan is on the payroll of Rosemary Conley’s Organisation. But wait it gets worse.

"Furthermore, a Food Standards Agency meeting which Dr Jebb chaired in 2008 concluded that Conley’s portion pots could be a valuable aid to losing weight. A spokesman for the MRC said that while it is ‘committed to transparency, scientific ­integrity and independence’, its scientists can ‘provide scientific advice or consultancy to third parties’.

The spokesman went on to say that Dr Jebb declared her work with Rosemary Conley before taking up the MRC job.

In 2003 she was criticised for saying there ‘was not a shred of evidence’ that the Atkins diet –which urges followers to cut out carbohydrates such as bread – worked. It was later revealed that MRC research into the topic was partially funded by the flour industry.

So there you have it, yet again we find a dietitian or highly influential person (Susan is both) in nutrition and diet linked to big pharma or the junk food industry and in this case, on the payroll of Rosemary Conley  a commercial outfit peddling weight loss products (now gone out of business since this article). Hang on a minute didn't she say in the Telegraph “Every year, people pour millions of pounds down the drain to no avail following one fad diet or another,” Rosemary Conley won't be amused. Oh well another day another dollar. So often we see, fact is stranger than fiction, but that's the dietitian business. Meanwhile the nation becomes more obese by the day.

Suzie Walker a nutritionist got it right in a comment.

Geez, for goodness sakes, when are the NHS and BDA going to realise that calories are not the answer and calorie restriction is DEFINITELY NOT THE ANSWER.

1. Carbs not fat are the enemy
2. Calorie restriction hinders metabolism and can lead to muscle catabolism
3. Weight loss is therefore muscle and water not FAT LOSS
4. Eating fats = Fat Loss
5. Follow the new Swedish guidelines - HFLC (High Fat Low Carb) and put a stop to this obesity epidemic not to mention reverse Type 2 Diabetes, hypertension and blood fat levels.
Suzie Walker- Nutritionist

Link to some information. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1299513/Obesity-adviser-Government-paid-diet-firms.html