There are some very exciting things happening behind-the-scenes in Washington, DC right now as it relates to the next USDA-recommended Food Pyramid and Dietary Guidelines set to be released in 2010. As I blogged about in December 2007, President George W. Bush named Cornell University psychologist Dr. Brian Wansink (author of the bestselling 2007 book Mindless Eating) to head up the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy & Promotion. I was greatly encouraged by this appointment of Dr. Wansink because he has been very open to the low-carb message being heard for people like me out there who need to "lose a lot of weight on a serious diet."
In that blog post I wrote about his new leadership position over the 2010 nutritional recommendations, I was very hopeful and expectant that Dr. Wansink would continue to have those open lines of communication with the experts in the low-carb community to give their input about what should be included in the next updated Food Pyramid.
"It should be thrilling to know that there will now be someone within the USDA who isn't antagonistic against livin' la vida low-carb," I wrote in that December 2007 post. "Hopefully this open line of communication between Dr. Wansink and the low-carb message will remain that way while discussing the 2010 dietary guidelines."
So, imagine my delight when I saw this notice from the USDA (Note: this links to a PDF file download) requesting nominations for the new Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Yes, that's right! They're taking nominations for who we think should be on that committee. This is open to any citizen of the United States to submit their choice(s) for who would be best qualified to serve in this capacity.
Dr. Wansink's appointment is through January 20, 2009, so there is little time to waste. That's why the nominations will only be considered through May 24, 2008. In other words, time is of the essence here. If you care about seeing the low-carb nutritional approach represented on this dietary recommendations panel (and you undoubtedly do if you read my blog!), then the time for action on this is RIGHT NOW! And we need to spread the word to everyone we know to do the same.
These new dietary guidelines are reviewed every five years and are supposed to reflect the latest research studies regarding diet and health to better inform the public about how to eat for managing their weight and health. The previous Food Pyramid in 2005 was an improvement upon the past ones, but was still sorely lacking any concept about the negative role of carbohydrate and the increasingly passive role of dietary fat, including saturated fat, in the American diet.
We NEED people who understand this connection to be seated on this committee for the sake of the future health of the American people. The low-fat lie has dominated the official government dietary guidelines since its inception in 1980 and we need to make some crucial changes in this policy if we're gonna get serious about this issue before it is too late. Haven't we suffered with the high-carb, low-fat message long enough? Will we continue to put up with such blatant disregard for the overwhelming evidence and real-life changes that are happening thanks to the healthy low-carb lifestyle? I'M NOT!
What is this committee actually gonna be doing? They will first look at the 2005 dietary guidelines and determine if any changes are necessary based on "a thorough evaluation of the most current scientific literature." If sufficient evidence is found to make changes, then new guidelines will begin being discussed by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee in the Fall of 2008 through a series of two- or three-day meetings over a period of time. These meetings are open to the public as required by federal law.
The Secretaries of Agriculture (Ed Shafer) and Health and Human Services (Mike Leavitt) will oversee the reports from this advisory committee which will be led by Dr. Wansink. So, naturally, he will want to surround himself with the best possible candidates for this vital public health policy position. But who qualifies?
They are looking for people who are "knowledgeable of current scientific research in human nutrition and be respected and published experts in their fields." Additionally, according to the notice from the USDA, candidates for the advisory committee also need to be "familiar with the purpose, communication, and application of the Dietary Guidelines and have demonstrated interest in the public's health and well-being through their research and/or educational endeavors."
Here are the specific areas of expertise they want to be represented on the panel:
- Chronic Diseases such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and cancer - Energy Balance issues involving exercise - Epidemiology - Food Safety and Technology - General Medicine - Gerontology - Nutrient Bioavailability - Nutrition Biochemistry and Physiology - Nutrition Education - Pediatrics - Public Health - Evidence Review Methodology
I can think of quite a few qualified people who meet and surpass this criteria required by the USDA to appear on the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. I'm officially offering the following five names up for consideration to be nominated for this all-important position at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy & Promotion:
There are many more who fit the description of what the USDA is wanting for this distinguished panel, but any or all of these five individuals are more than qualified to offer all the evidence the committee wants about the low-carbohydrate nutritional approach and its impact on health. At the very least, we need a minimum of one of these low-carb experts to be placed on the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.
Here's what you need to do to nominate someone:
- Write a letter of nomination stating the name and affiliation of the nominee, why that person deserves to be nominated for this position, and a statement that the nominee would indeed be willing to serve (I have spoken with each of these five individuals I am nominating and they are all willing to serve if selected)
- Provide your name, address, and daytime telephone number along with the name, address, telephone number and e-mail address of the nominee (much of this information can be found at the links provided above--if you provide their name and the school they are located at, then that should be enough information for them to contact the nominee)
- Share a copy of the nominee's curriculum vitae or resume (again, this information can be found at the links I provided above for each nominee)
When you gather all of this information, simply e-mail it to DG2010Nominations@cnpp.usda.gov no later than Saturday, May 24, 2008. You can also submit nominations via snail mail to Carole Davis, Nutrition Promotion Staff Director, Co-Executive Secretary Guidelines Advisory Committee, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1034, Alexandria, VA 22302. Or you can also fax your nomination to (703) 305-3300.
If you have any questions about this process, simply call (703) 305-7600. If you need any additional information about these candidates after you nominate them, then please don't hesitate to e-mail me and I'll be happy to get what you need. We all need to do this for the sake of our nation's future health policy. Don't put it off thinking there will be others nominating--MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR! We NEED to get a low-carb expert on this panel, so our unified voice behind these nominees will go a long way!
By the way, I am attempting to arrange a podcast interview with Dr. Brian Wansink and he has been in contact with me about this. Hopefully I will be able to conduct this interview soon and put a bug in his ear about having a low-carb researcher/practitioner serve on the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. You just don't know how HUGE it would be to have a Westman, Vernon, Feinman, Phinney, or Volek on this committee--these are the people in the low-carb research world who are making the rest of the scientific community stand up and pay attention to the high-fat, low-carb diet again. Won't you do your part to nominate them TODAY? THANK YOU!!!
Mary Vernon leads the charge for low-carb diets for diabetics
I have lots to share with you that I heard and saw at the ASBP/Nutrition & Metabolism conference in Phoenix, AZ I attended earlier this month. It was an amazing experience being around the superstars of the low-carb scientific world and hearing the very latest research that unequivocally supports livin' la vida low-carb. Anyone who tells you there isn't any real evidence that low-carb is a viable nutritional approach has chosen to ignore the literature. It's there!
As I previously noted, I met an extraordinary couple while in Phoenix who head a television production company called Atlanta Teleproductions. Richard and Melanie Vogan have over three decades of filming experience each that was put to good use with all these amazing low-carb researchers in one place. Anyone who was attending that meeting would have seen Richard behind the camera taking video footage of Melanie interviewing everybody they could during those few short days. They were kept quite busy moving their equipment from location to location.
Although the original plan was to try to piece together a documentary of sorts with all these experts, Richard and Melanie now believe the videos they shot are much too important to chop up and remove key elements. For the sake of the integrity of the answers that were provided and to expose the positive message to a wide online audience, they are posting the interviews commissioned by the Nutrition & Metabolism Society individually in an exclusive Internet series.
"The interviews that we got are so incredible we realized they should not be edited," Melanie explained to Livin' La Vida Low-Carb. "We now have lots of content and the possibility of lots more. As much as I would love to do a documentary, for now this is the most viable option."
And that's why they created a new web site called DiabetesNewsStand.com which is "dedicated to the education and prevention of the diabetes epidemic." How is gonna do that? By sharing amazing videos online with the most knowledgeable and successful doctors and diabetes experts in the world today. It's am ambitious project that certainly warrants the support of anyone who cares about taming the exploding diabetes epidemic with real, innovative solutions to the problem--not more of the same failed treatments centered around prescribing more and more medications and insulin.
Regular "V-Issues" will be presented on this new web site to share from the researchers, physicians, authors, nutritionists, and advocates of healthy living for people suffering from diabetes. As they are posted, I will highlight each of them here at my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog so you'll be made aware.
First up is this interview with Dr. Mary C. Vernon, who discusses insulin resistance, the role of insulin in the body, blood sugar abnormalities, traditional vs. dietary measures for controlling diabetes, and so much more. As you will quickly notice, Dr. Vernon is arguably the most articulate and ardent supporter of a low-carbohydrate dietary approach for controlling diabetes in the world today. Her enthusiastic and impassioned plea for people to take notice of livin' la vida low-carb is difficult to ignore.
Kudos to Richard and Melanie Vogan for starting off their new "V-Issues" series with a bang by presenting this fabulous interview with Dr. Mary C. Vernon to the online world. You'll be seeing a lot more of these in the coming months, so be sure to check DiabetesNewsStand.com for even more outstanding interviews and comments from the biggest names in low-carb living!
If you would like to support this effort to share even more videos from low-carb experts in the future, then e-mail Melanie at melanie@diabetesnewsstand.com or call her in her Atlanta office at 770-777-1265. After spending some quality time with Richard and Melanie, I can tell you they are as committed to the cause of sharing the truth about livin' la vida low-carb as I am. Whatever you can donate to this cause I know will be used for the greater good of promoting low-carb to those who need to hear it the most.
Still On Cloud Nine After ASBP/Nutrition & Metabolism Low-Carb Conference
The 2008 ASBP scientific meeting in Phoenix, AZ was amazing!
Sitting in a room full of bariatric physicians with lecturers who sometimes sound like they're speaking a foreign language with all the science and medical jargon they spout off isn't exactly the most ideal way to spend a few days away from home. But when all of the top low-carb researchers and practitioners from North America gather in one place to share their latest findings in the world of livin' la vida low-carb, you can't help but get super-excited about what is to come in the future of diet and health as the evidence in favor of low-carb diets continues to mount. What a weekend it was!
My only regret is that I didn't have a chance to interview more people at the conference than I did. However, I did get in a few outstanding ones in my limited time--Dr. Richard Feinman, director of The Nutrition & Metabolism Society and co-Editor-In-Chief of the Open Access online journal Nutrition & Metabolism, Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades from Protein Power (see Dr. Mike's blog post about the conference by clicking here), the producer of the hit CBC-Newsworld documentary film My Big Fat Diet (which we were able to watch on Sunday morning) about a group of First Nations people who returned to their native high-fat, low-carb diet named Mary Bissell, and a 45-minute chat with the author of Good Calories, Bad Calories Gary Taubes. These and MANY more interviews for my podcast show will be coming in the next few months from various people who attended the conference, so get ready.
Speaking of Gary Taubes, it was such a pleasure meeting him in person. He's taller than I thought (he said the same thing about me) and could literally talk for hours about this unique role of carbohydrate in the obesity epidemic. You could really sense all the years he has invested in this subject has shaped his thinking about this so acutely that he is now a man on a mission. And he said it on several occasions throughout the weekend that he plans on pursuing this for as long as he has the energy and desire to do it. We need people like Gary Taubes who are unwilling to back down just because the message goes against conventional wisdom. He is certainly on the forefront of a revolution that could very well see a breaking point very soon.
I was happy to see many of my fellow low-carb friends and champions of this cause at the 2008 ASBP/Nutrition & Metabolism conference in Phoenix:
JACKIE EBERSTEIN, who worked with Dr. Atkins for three decades and is one of the most knowledgeable Atkins diet experts in the world today.
DR. JONNY BOWDEN, author of Living The Low-Carb Life and various other books on nutritional health. It was a genuine surprise to see him there and he didn't even recognize me at first when I was speaking with Dr. Jeff Volek. Jonny greeted Jeff and started to walk away when I said, "Hey Jonny, it's Jimmy Moore!" The look back on his face was priceless! :) THANKS Jonny!
CASSANDRA FORSYTHE, who described herself as "Jeff Volek's slave" (she works with him at the University of Connecticut) was there as well and we got a few minutes to chat about the future of low-carb (read her blog post about the weekend by clicking here). She is certainly one of the rising stars in low-carb research and a name you will be hearing a lot more from in the coming years long after the old-timers have since passed on. She was a lot shorter than I expected, but I'm sure she could still kick my butt! :P
It was a real pleasure meeting Melanie Vogan from Atlanta Teleproductions, Inc. who was filming various interviews with people behind the scenes in the world of low-carb and I was honored to be a part of that. Melanie and her husband snagged a whole bunch of footage from everyone to piece together a documentary about the healthy low-carb lifestyle. I'm excited about this chance to share low-carb living in such a positive manner and Melanie is just the person to do it. She's fully committed to using her talents in the video broadcasting realm to make it happen. We'll be hearing more from her in the future and I'll let you know when the documentary will be available.
The days went kinda like this: wake up, go to breakfast (they weren't the best in the world considering this was an OBESITY conference), listen to a few lectures, take a break, listen to a few lectures, a time for questions and answers, go to lunch (which weren't any better than the breakfast!), listen to a few lectures, take a break, listen to a few more lectures, ask more questions from the speakers, and then go on your own for supper where most of us hung out at the Lantana restaurant each night just to chit-chat about whatever (the supper menus were the best--check out what I ate during this trip at my menus blog). Sounds riveting, doesn't it? Actually, YES IT WAS!!! When you get to come face-to-face with all these people you blog about, this is a VERY big deal. I liken it to being at the Super Bowl (which ironically was in Phoenix this year!) for fans of livin' la vida low-carb.
It was kinda cool sitting across from Dr. Eric Westman and Dr. Mary Vernon while sitting next to Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades for supper (in fact, Dr. Mary Dan couldn't finish her steak, so I happily obliged!). Rubbing elbows and listening in to the conversations that went on was absolutely priceless. I can't wait to share some of the findings that were presented at this conference as well as my interviews because it was a fabulous time for Christine and I to get away despite the hacker who brought down my forum just before I left.
Although I didn't get to hang out with her as much, I was happy to see my friend and fellow blogger Laura Dolson from the About.com Low-Carb Diets site (you can read her comments about the Phoenix event by clicking here). We had a chance to talk briefly on Saturday night, but I would have loved to been able to talk some more. There just wasn't enough time in the weekend to fit it all in!
The weather was certainly a shock to my system going from a cool, humid climate here in South Carolina to the hot, dry climate in Arizona. On day two when I was planning on several interviews with people, I totally lost my voice. My nasal passages were like the Sahara desert and my groggy voice was only soothed after several hot lemon tea sips and constant water helped lubricate the voice box again. Whew, I hated that feeling and would never make it living in Phoenix, Arizona. But it was a fun place to visit and meet several of my readers who live there.
Dave and Kelly Damron (author of the book Tiny Toes and the blog Twin Peas) were very kind to pick us up from the airport and take us back on Sunday. I've had my nightmare experiences with cabs in New York City, so Kelly helped prevent that from happening in Phoenix. We enjoyed meeting up with them for dinner on Saturday night and talking about our failed IVF cycle experience in December. This is what Kelly dedicates herself to like I do low-carb, so it was kinda cool having someone who has been through it and survived despite great odds. Dave and Kelly both commented how well Christine and I have handled our situation and I told them it has only made us stronger as a couple. THANK YOU Kelly for all you are doing and I wish you and Dave all the best raising those little twin female munchkins. :) Hope to see you again someday.
One of my longtime blog readers Jeri Sessler met with us on Friday and we had a blast just chatting it up over lunch. Jeri is such a sweetheart and I'm glad we got to meet her and spend a few minutes enjoying each other's company. What a delightful lady! We also met a relatively new fan of the livin' la vida low-carb concept who makes her own YouTube video series called the Monkaboo Project. Monyka is a real trip! I appreciate her engaging personality and it really shines through in person just like it does in her videos. We agreed to do a little segment for her latest video that I think you'll enjoy. That was a lot of fun! ;)
All in all, it was a superb few days in Phoenix and I'd like to personally thank The American Society of Bariatric Physicians for extending an invitation to me and Christine to attend. We appreciate the privilege of coming to events like this despite having no background in medicine or nutrition. Anyone who is interested in the subject of weight loss, diet, and health needs to know about the fabulous work of ASBP as well as the Nutrition & Metabolism Society. Dr. Vernon was commenting about how the Nutrition & Metabolism portion of the week tripled from what it was in Nashville last year. This is real progress and I expect the numbers will continue to rise each year as the evidence keeps building and building in favor of low-carb dieting for weight and health management (and diabetes was a HUGE focus of many of the researchers as they see this as the primary front for legitimizing low-carb once again to the general public).
Here's my take-home message from this conference--get involved, take the passion you have for what you believe in, and make a real difference in the world. I'll be blogging more about some specific things you can do to put some grassroots feet to spread the word. Let's just say it's time to turn up the heat on Congressmen in Washington, the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and anyone else who needs to listen to the low-carb message in a clear, unbiased manner. I have been inspired to begin working on a major project to help facilitate this. Stay tuned for many amazing things to come on this front!
Now it's time to get caught up on e-mails, bringing my forum back online again, and, oh yeah, SLEEP! :)
The winner of Diabetes Educator Of The Year 2007 has been named
It's been several months in the making and now a winner has been chosen in the first annual American Diabetes Wholesale-sponsored Diabetes Educator of the Year for 2007 award--Barbara Odom, RN, PHN, M.ED.
CONGRATULATIONS to Ms. Odom for winning with 43.1% of the 1991 votes that were cast. She is a U.S. Navy Veteran, a Registered Nurse of 36 years and a Certified Diabetes Educator since 1985. After retiring in 2001, Ms. Odom has since been a regular volunteer and monthly support group leader in the San Diego area by providing workshops and education fairs about the subject of diabetes.
The field of nominees began in the hundreds and was whittled down to five earlier this year, including highly-respected low-carb diabetes doctors Richard K. Bernstein and Mary C. Vernon, as well as Marcia D. Draheim, RN, CDE and Fran Kiger, RN, CDE. You will recall back in October 2007 I officially nominated Dr. Vernon for this award and named her in my Top 10 Low-Carb Movers & Shakers of 2007 list soon thereafter. Because of your enthusiasm for her, Dr. Vernon was included among the five finalists named in late January 2008 until the voting ended on February 22, 2008. The winner was announced on Monday.
Dr. Vernon garnered 26.2% of the votes to come in second place and win a $250 American Express gift certificate as well as a well-deserved plaque for her runner-up achievement. Dr. Bernstein, another low-carb pioneer in the field of diabetes, was a close third with 23.5% of the total votes cast.
It seems that despite our best efforts to try to bring the low-carb community together voting for either Dr. Vernon or Dr. Bernstein were unsuccessful and the vote was indeed split between the two candidates as many feared would happen with two qualified candidates. The combined vote totals for just these two nominees were half of the total votes cast--more than enough to give either Dr. Vernon or Dr. Bernstein a plurality of votes to win.
According to my site statistics for the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog, well over 500 people clicked on the link to vote in this contest. THANK YOU to everyone who voted and helped Dr. Vernon become the second place winner and giving her the recognition she has earned for the amazing work she is doing on behalf of the healthy low-carb lifestyle for diabetics. We appreciate the opportunity to tell the diabetic community about the great work she and Dr. Bernstein are doing.
I personally spoke with a representative from American Diabetes Wholesale today to confirm these results since the final vote tallies were not available to the general public. They made the decision to withhold the actual vote tally from the public so as not to embarrass the finalists who did not garner as many votes. Let me assure you the votes were accurate and I've seen them with my own eyes.
Special THANKS again to everyone who voted and CONGRATULATIONS to Barbara Odom for winning Diabetes Educator of the Year for 2007.
Meet the lady that created the Jimmy Moore you know today
When looking back at the span of your life in hindsight, isn't it funny how you can point to some very clear, defining moments that shaped you into the person you have become? For good or bad, there are most certainly events and occurrences that happen in our lives that have forever molded us into the people we are today--especially from our childhood. Today I am going to share one such story with you from my own life to illustrate a point as it relates to your quest for weight loss and getting healthy.
In Episode 109 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" I bare my soul to you about an unforgettable encounter I had with my 8th grade advanced English teacher (no, that's not really her at the top of this post, but it's pretty darn close!) that forever changed my outlook on life and created this self-motivated monster of a man you know today. The challenge of proving to her that I was worthy of more than she was saying about me very likely gave me the drive to go on to be the success in weight loss and life that I enjoy in 2008. It was THE turning point in my life that quite literally made me into the man I was meant to be.
Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod to hear today's podcast:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 109 [17:09m]: LISTEN NOW | Download
When that old hag 8th grade English teacher outright told me that I'd "never be that good at English," it lit a fire within me to prove to her just how wrong she was. But not everyone responds that way to adversity. Unfortunately, some people react to criticism by crawling into a shell and accepting it as fact. NOT ME! Maybe I just needed the right circumstance to pull that out of me and boy did it ever!
Remain encouraged and inspired about your low-carb life by:
Have you ever been told you're not good enough to do something, including weight loss? How did you respond to your critics who say you CAN'T when you honestly believe you CAN? Do you let people like that get under your skin or do you suck it up and move forward with what you know is right for you anyway? Provide you feedback in the show notes section of Episode 109 and tell us YOUR opinion about all this. Are you an overcomer or do you let what other people say overcome you? I'm anxious to hear your thoughts!
One final thought: Don't forget to go vote for Dr. Mary C. Vernon to become "Diabetes Educator of the Year." As an ardent supporter of the healthy low-carb lifestyle (listen to my podcast interview with her in Episode 50), we need to put Dr. Vernon over the top for this prestigious distinction to provide mainstream recognition within the diabetes community for the cause of livin' la vida low-carb. You only have until next Friday, February 15, 2008 to cast your ballot, so DON'T DELAY and do this TODAY! Let's make sure that's Dr. Vernon they're applauding for her fabulous work with diabetes patients. THANK YOU for rallying behind this nomination and awarding Dr. Mary C. Vernon the "Diabetes Educator of the Year."
Two of the five finalists support livin' la vida low-carb
Well, you did it and in a BIG way!
In October 2007, I shared with you an opportunity to nominate a strong advocate of the low-carb lifestyle to be named "Diabetes Educator of the Year" for 2007. Her name is Dr. Mary C. Vernon from Lawrence, Kansas and anyone who has met her will tell you just how incredibly passionate about this way of eating she is for both her overweight as well as her diabetic patients. Livin' la vida low-carb is well-represented by the work Dr. Vernon is doing and I am pleased to tell you that she has been named among the five finalists for this prestigious award.
At the same time, another powerhouse low-carb proponent was also nominated for this award: Dr. Richard Bernstein. You gotta admire Dr. Bernstein for hanging tough in the midst of some rather vocal voices of dissent over the years, but now the tide seems to be turning in his direction. I'm proud of him for being named among the finalists for this award and congratulate him on being rightfully recognized as one of America's best and brightest diabetes doctors.
Isn't it amazing that 40 percent of the finalists for "Diabetes Educator of the Year" sponsored by American Diabetes Wholesale are unabashed supporters of the low-carbohydrate nutritional approach? Who would have ever guessed that would happen in a million years? But that's EXACTLY what has happened and it should give us all hope that perhaps the message is finally breaking through and people are getting it now. It is interesting this is happening at the same time the American Diabetes Association (ADA) finally gives credence to low-carb diets for diabetics. Progress is happening, albeit ever-so-slowly, but it IS happening!
So, with two low-carbers among the top five finalists for "Diabetes Educator of the Year," what is the low-carb community to do? If we are not unified behind one candidate, then the low-carb vote will be split and one of the other three finalists will win. Since we'd like to see a low-carb champion crowned with the title of "Diabetes Educator of the Year," I would encourage everyone to rally behind Dr. Mary C. Vernon to win this award.
Taking nothing away from Dr. Bernstein, I think Dr. Vernon has established herself among the medical mainstream while still holding true to the low-carb philosophy when she was named the President of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) last year following her win as Bariatric Physician of the Year in 2005. She co-wrote a fantastic book explaining how the Atkins diet can help control Type 2 diabetes in Atkins Diabetes Revolution and her continued published research into this subject area reveals her genuineness about presenting factual data for informing her patients.
If you have never heard or been exposed to the work of Dr. Mary C. Vernon, then please read my blog interview with her and then listen to my my podcast interview to see for yourself why she is such a worthy candidate for this title. Also, be sure to check out her "Ask Dr. Vernon" blog where she directly addresses how low-carb living is positively changing lives for the better in the diabetics willing to give it a chance.
Let's not forget that Dr. Vernon was featured in Men's Health magazine in November 2006 for the work she is doing on behalf of thousands of diabetic patients. That media attention gave Dr. Vernon quite a platform for speaking out on television and in various other news mediums talking about livin' la vida low-carb all year long. She is certainly a worthy recipient of the title "Diabetes Educator of the Year" for 2007.
To vote for Dr. Vernon, go to the finalists web site and click on "Cast Your Vote Here" at the bottom of the page. Then mark "Dr. Mary C. Vernon" and vote. The panel of judges includes a representative from the South Florida division of the American Diabetes Association, Dr. Kimberly Mistiszyn of the Rand Eye Institute, and Chris Maguire from the sponsor of this award American Diabetes Wholesale.
You only have until February 15, 2008 to cast your ballot, so DON'T DELAY and do this TODAY! The winner will be announced on March 1, 2008 and recognized in a special ceremony in Boca Raton, Florida. Let's make sure that's Dr. Vernon they're applauding for her fabulous work with diabetes patients. THANK YOU for rallying behind her nomination and putting her over the top for this award.
We'll let you know what happens! Please leave a comment below after you vote for Dr. Vernon so we can keep track of her support. It's high time low-carb is given credence within the diabetic community and catapulting an ardent advocate like Dr. Mary C. Vernon to the heap for "Diabetes Educator of the Year" will certainly help.
2-14-08 UPDATE: They have decided to extend the voting for "Diabetes Educator of the Year" one additional week through February 22, 2008, so be sure to VOTE NOW if you haven't done so yet!
'Dogma Instead Of Data' Low-Fat Diet Recommendation Dogging Doctors
Pick a health ailment, any old one will do. Now think about what your family doctor would tell you about it in terms of your diet in order to help alleviate the symptoms of that condition. Whether it's diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension...you name it, the answer is always the same--EAT A LOW-FAT DIET!
Doesn't that just frustrate the heck out of you? Without any real evidence pointing to WHY the low-fat lie which has been such a miserable failure is so strongly recommended, doctors unfortunately take on a mob mentality and just do what everyone else in their profession does. They dutifully write out those prescriptions for Lipitor, promote eating grains and sugar to diabetics as long as you are taking your medicines and insulin, urge hearts patients to engage in hours upon hours of exercise which only make them hungrier, and then the granddaddy of them all--EAT A LOW-FAT DIET! UGH!!!
But is the low-fat diet recommendation actually based on any consequential long-term scientific data that has been proven to be highly effective for managing disease? Or has this dietary dogma been allowed to run rampant for decades without the necessary checks and balances that come from the results of actual data from real people who have actually survived living that way?
More and more people are beginning to see through this charade thanks in part to the September 2007 release of the book Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. But we're probably still at least a generation away from the practicality of overcoming this "dogma instead of data" mode of thinking we are currently in as you will see from the following e-mail I received from a concerned reader.
Here's what she wrote:
Hi Jimmy,
I've been a lurker for many years and I'm now signed up at your forum page. I did a quick search on Dr. Eades archives but couldn't find anything on this subject.
I have a very close friend who for over a year has had 3 tests come back with her Liver Enzymes being very high. She is only slightly overweight, but doesn't really follow a decent diet. However, her cholesterol numbers were all good.
She is not a heavy drinker, only occasionally, and doesn't take a lot of medications (in fact, she hardly ever takes ibuprofen or Tylenol). The tests they ran for hepatitis came back negative.
My concern and the reason I am e-mailing you is that they tell her the only way to solve the high Liver Enzyme problem is to eat a low fat diet--which of course gets my hackles up immediately!
Are there any studies you can point me to, or articles that I could print out and give her before she starts on this path and ends up wrecking the good cholesterol she already has? Thanks a bunch.
Since I am not a doctor, I decided to pose this reader's e-mail to a low-carb one who I personally know and trust--Dr. Mary C. Vernon from Lawrence, Kansas. I love the way Dr. Vernon looks at all the possibilities based on what she has seen in her own patients and then shares her thoughts in language that anyone can easily understand.
Here was her response:
Liver enzyme elevation, in my experience, can, of course be due to infections (Hepatitus C, etc.), drugs (alcohol, acetaminophen) and abnormal glucose metabolism (high insulin levels). In my simplistic brain, I think this is because the high levels of insulin cause the liver to make fat, but block the liver from moving the fat out as fast as it is made.
It is still important to consider all the other causes. Even though carbohydrate restriction causes almost miraculous improvement in many patients, one would not want to leave a treatable infection untreated. If the triglycerides are elevated or the HDL depressed--and the GGT is not elevated--then this is the picture most likely to respond to carbohydrate restriction.
Finally, I don't really know what to say regarding the low-fat recommendation. Doctors (with the exception of a few renegades like myself) do what they are told and they don't actually look at the evidence behind the recommendation. This is a fine system if the recommendations are actually valid science and not just dogma.
However, when the recommendations are "faith based" rather than grounded in science--or as I say "dogma instead of data"--then you have the situation in which we find ourselves in today.
We truly need more people like Dr. Mary C. Vernon, the current President of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP), who are willing to buck the trend and choose to look at the data rather than adhering to the dogma as 99.99% of the doctors in the United States have chosen to do. We could blame it on them for not knowing any better, but they are merely doing what they've been taught over the years. The Taubes book can help educate them, but we need examples like Dr. Vernon to continue to SHOW what can be done when low-fat is NOT the answer to everything.
What can be done to change the hearts and minds of those medical professionals who care about their patients but don't know about the amazing weight and health benefits of livin' la vida low-carb? Will we EVER begin to see even an incremental change in their philosophy in light of decades upon decades of dismal failure with the low-fat diet? Share what YOU think should be done to turn the tide so that doctors and patients will at least have a choice between a low-fat or a low-carb nutritional approach.
It has been an ongoing "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog tradition since I started blogging in 2005 for me to share with my readers the ten most influential members of the low-carb community over the past twelve months. This list is totally subjective and is based on my own personal opinion about the people who have made a difference for the sake of the low-carb lifestyle.
You can see the honorees from both 2005 and 2006 to get a small taste of this rather distinguished group of leaders on behalf of livin' la vida low-carb. It's never easy coming up with a list like this because you don't want to leave anyone off who is worthy of being listed. But you'll have your chance at the end of this post to share other noteworthy names for this list if you feel I have omitted any.
We owe a great deal of gratitude and respect for these people who are sincerely making a real difference both behind-the-scenes and working directly with those who need to hear the positive and uplifting message of the amazingly healthy low-carb lifestyle. These are the real heroes in the realm of low-carb in my book and I am ecstatic to share them with you today.
So, without further delay, here are my top ten low-carb movers & shakers of 2007:
1. GARY TAUBES
What can you say about a journalist who decided to take the health establishment head-on by challenging their premise that it is fat that makes you fat? When Gary Taubes wrote his now infamous "What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?" column back in 2002, I don't even think HE knew the kind of impact it would have on our culture at the time. So, naturally, when he released his long-awaited book Good Calories, Bad Calories in September 2007 continuing this same topic of conversation, it should be no surprise that the public interest in low-carb has once again spiked. And the ripple effects from this book alone will be felt for many years, maybe even decades, to come.
2. DR. JEFF VOLEK
I've met Dr. Jeff Volek in person twice and he wouldn't necessarily stand out in a crowd by his physical stature. But the low-carb researcher from The University of Connecticut more than makes up for it with his high-quality studies on the impact of a high-fat, low-carb diet on fitness and health. He's mentoring the low-carb researchers of tomorrow like the great Cassandra Forsythe while working on some excellent studies on the positive role of saturated fat in the diet. He recently co-wrote the book Men's Health TNT Diet and is actively involved in educating the public about exercise and the health benefits of low-carb living.
3. ADAM CAMPBELL
Speaking of the Men's Health TNT Diet, the other co-writer Adam Campbell is the outstanding Features editor for the #1 men's health magazine in America and what an incredible writer he is. He made national waves last November when he wrote a column taking the American Diabetes Association to task for promoting a diet for diabetics that is making them sicker. His solution? Livin' la vida low-carb! Adam also has an excellent blog called "The Fitness Insider" with regular low-carb friendly news and information that you won't want to miss.
4. DR. LARRY MCCLEARY
Earlier this year, I had never heard of Dr. Larry McCleary until he and I were introduced by our mutual friend Dr. Mike Eades. But from the first time I began corresponding with this man who is one of America's leading neurosurgeons, I knew he was someone very special. He released a book about how low-carb diets can improve brain health called The Brain Trust Program (which he was kind enough to ask me to write a blurb for the back of his book) and has been actively promoting livin' la vida low-carb for treating all sorts of brain ailments, including Alzheimer's, migraine headaches, and even brain cancer. Find out more about what Dr. Larry McCleary is up to at DrMcCleary.com.
5. DRS. MICHAEL & MARY DAN EADES
What more can you say about the king and queen of livin' la vida low-carb since the untimely death of the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins. Even as all the other so-called leaders of low-carb living went into hiding, Drs. Mike & Mary Dan Eades who wrote the Protein Power books kept right on plugging away and have been for the past several years. That's one reason they are the ONLY three-time honoree on my annual movers & shakers list because they just keep the spirit of the low-carb lifestyle alive with all they do. Be sure to keep up with both Dr. Mike's always witty and sometimes eye-opening comments about the state of nutrition in modern times at his blog as well as the scrumptious recipes and food information with a creative flair Dr. Mary Dan give you at her blog. And don't miss checking out ProteinPower.com for even more about the work of this low-carb royalty.
6. DR. JONNY BOWDEN
How can anyone not like Dr. Jonny Bowden? The man exudes enthusiasm, excitement, and energy and he takes all of that, packs healthy nutritional messages it into a nice, neat package for people to understand, and then delivers a wallop of a punch right between the eyeballs for those who need to learn more about diet and health. Every low-carber should own a copy of his classic book Living The Low-Carb Life as well as his latest release 150 Healthiest Foods On Earth. Jonny has taken a more stealth approach to promoting livin' la vida low-carb and I can respect that because I know he still believes in this lifestyle at his very core. You can still hear those principles being taught in his motivating audio series. Get caught up on the latest from Dr. Jonny Bowden at JonnyBowden.com.
7. MICHAEL K.
Unless you live the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area, you may not know who Michael K. is. But for the customers at the Low-Carb Central store there in Hales Corner, Michael was a very special man who helped positively impact the lives of the literally thousands of people who walked inside his store. I was even privileged to conduct a speaking appearance and book signing at Michael's store last year when I got to know this incredible man. It is with great sadness that this honor for Michael is happening posthumously because he went home to be with the Lord a couple of weeks ago. On behalf of all those people who were positively touched by the low-carb ministry of Michael K., I'd like to express sincere sympathy for his wife Marilyn during this difficult time. We are praying for you and love you very much. It was a blessing to have known Michael and shared even a few moments with him on this Earth.
8. JUDY BARNES BAKER
What a delightful woman Judy Barnes Baker is! When she decided to release a low-carb cookbook called CARB WARS earlier this year, I don't think even she realized it would become one of the bestselling low-carb cookbooks of the year. But that's exactly what has happened and I'm so proud of Judy. She too asked me to write a quote for the back of her book and I was happy to oblige. Don't miss her companion web site for her book for more recipes, low-carb information, and background on this super lady. Visit CarbWarsCookbook.com to catch up with all that's happening with this rising superstar in the wonderful world of low-carb.
9. DR. MARY C. VERNON
If ever there was the perfect illustration for passionate in the dictionary, then it would have to be Dr. Mary C. Vernon. As the current president of The American Society of Bariatric Physicians and on the front lines for the controlled-carbohydrate cause, Dr. Vernon has been a leader for those suffering from obesity and diabetes by helping them overcome their physical ailments. That's one of the reasons I nominated her for "Diabetes Educator of the Year" earlier this month because she has proven herself quite worthy. Being around Dr. Vernon is infectious and you can't help but get all excited about livin' la vida low-carb when she speaks about this incredible way of eating. Go to her "Ask Dr. Vernon" blog to find out why this back-to-back mover & shaker deserves this distinction.
10. LOW-CARB FRIENDS/ANTI-KIMKINS BLOGGERS
Finally, I couldn't let this list of the year's most influential movers & shakers go by without recognizing and honoring the impact of a collective group of people who helped bring awareness and concern about one of the biggest scams to ever hit the low-carb community. Yes, even I was pulled in by it and later apologized to my readers for not knowing better sooner. But the members of the online forum called Low-Carb Friends did. The "Why the Fascination with Kimmer?" thread is chock full of the day-to-day soap opera that has surrounded what has been known as the Kimkins diet since early in the year. The egregiousness of this starvation/anorexic diet that has since caused some major health problems for the most ardent supporter spawned a whole boatload of anti-Kimkins blogs. The most famous one of them all is Kimkins Exposed by someone or a group of people calling themselves Just Ducky. The duck avatar soon became synonymous with those who didn't want to see the good name of the low-carb lifestyle being drug down with this dangerous diet scheme from a woman named Heidi Kimberly Diaz, a weight loss fraud who never lost a pound and a well-known scam artist. The low-carb community owes Low-Carb Friends and the anti-Kimkins bloggers an appreciative THANKS for all the work they did to expose this before more people got hurt.
So that's my list of the Top 10 Low-Carb Movers & Shakers of 2007. What do you think? Are there any glaring exceptions I left off of my list who should have warranted further consideration for their contribution to the low-carb cause? Feel free to share your comments below and make the case for other honorees.
Dr. Mary C. Vernon is worthy of the title "Diabetes Educator Of 2007"
Of all the health issues we currently face in the world today, there is one that rises to the top of the list to rival even obesity as an out-of-control epidemic. That would be the mostly preventable but now all-too-common occurrence of Type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that there are currently 73 million Americans who are either diabetic or pre-diabetic with healthcare costs associated with this disease adding up to $132 BILLION in 2002 alone.
One such leader in the diabetic world exists--DR. MARY C. VERNON.
Dr. Vernon is an unsung hero in my book. She is a board certified bariatric physician with a private practice located in Lawrence, Kansas. In 2004, she collaborated with Jacqueline Eberstein on the bestselling Atkins Diabetes Revolution book from Harper-Collins. Her current leadership position as the President of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) has earned her the respect and admiration of her peers, including a nod as Bariatric Physician of the Year in 2005.
Her research into diabetes has been published and appeared in some of the most prestigious medical journals in the world, including the American Journal of Medicine as well as Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders. Her zeal and enthusiasm for livin' la vida low-carb as a means for weight and health management make her a true pioneer for alternative methods for treating patients.
I have been truly honored to have had the opportunity to interview and meet Dr. Vernon not just once, but twice--first at my blog and most recently on my podcast show. Her "Ask Dr. Vernon" blog provides unprecedented public access to one of the nation's most foremost diabetes experts as she answers reader-submitted questions about a controlled-carbohydrate nutritional approach for managing diabetes.
In other words, Dr. Vernon is the real deal. She doesn't just talk a good game (although she is quite articulate about how low-carb living can help improve obesity and diabetes), but she sees results in the thousands of patients who come through her Kansas clinic. If anyone deserves recognition and the honorable distinction of "Diabetes Educator Of The Year," then I can think of no one better suited for that title than Dr. Mary C. Vernon.
That's why I hereby nominate her for that prestigious distinction among her peers and I want to encourage the faithful readers of the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog to join me in voting for Dr. Vernon for this honor. The winner will be featured in an upcoming feature story for Diabetes Health magazine which is read by many of the ADA-indoctrinated. Let's show them there is a better way by highlighting the success that Dr. Vernon is having with low-carb.
To submit your nomination for Dr. Mary C. Vernon, go to the "Diabetes Educator Of The Year" nomination form and fill out the form. Keep in mind you only need to fill in the blanks with a yellow star next to them, so don't worry about filling in any of the other blanks. Feel free to share up to 250 words in the box provided explaining your nomination. But just share from your heart why she deserves this distinction.
Wanna see what Jimmy Moore wrote about Dr. Vernon? :)
In the sometimes contentious field of diabetes care, there is one person who has risen to the top of giving diabetics an extremely effective alternative from the usual methods for treating this terrible disease. Her name is Dr. Mary C. Vernon from Lawrence, Kansas.
Although the typical advice recommended by the ADA and most diabetes health providers is a high-carb, low-fat diet, Dr. Vernon is among a minority of voices who believes this advice is absolutely absurd. And she knows firsthand the positive impact that a controlled-carbohydrate nutritional approach is having on the A1C levels of her patients.
Many of those patients are able to either greatly reduce or eliminate their need for blood sugar-controlling medications and even insulin for Type 2 sufferers. This is indeed a miracle for many diabetics who have tried to find a natural way to control their disease. The low-carb lifestyle is changing people's lives for the better!
Dr. Vernon was featured in a major "Men's Health" magazine column in November 2006 for the work she is doing on behalf of diabetics and is a worthy nominee for Diabetes Educator Of The Year.
Short, sweet, and to the point--that's all you need to do. It's so super easy and I finished my nomination for Dr. Vernon in only three minutes. Please take just a moment RIGHT NOW to do this because it WILL make a real difference for the cause of livin' la vida low-carb in the realm of diabetes care to have someone like Dr. Mary C. Vernon recognized for the tireless work she has invested into spreading the positive message with her patients.
Be sure to cut and paste your nomination text in the comments section of this post so we can see the impact we are making on this nomination. With literally thousands of visitors each and every day, we can stand together in unity behind Dr. Vernon and give her the big push into the spotlight she deserves to be a beacon of truth for diabetes sufferers the world over.
THANK YOU in advance for helping with this effort and I'll let you know if she ends up winning this award or not (cross your fingers). You have until November 30, 2007 to submit your entry, but don't delay. Let's flood them with praise and admiration for Dr. Vernon so they will have no other choice but to give her the title of "Diabetes Educator Of The Year." Wouldn't that be AWESOME? It could happen with YOUR help. So do your part TODAY and don't forget to share your entry with everyone in the comments section.
Please Stop Feeding What Your Diabetes Wants--Carbohydrates!
It's time for some straight talk for anyone who is suffering from diabetes, particularly the Type 2 version. Whether you realize it or not, there is an incredible opportunity for you to be able to come off of your drugs and insulin with a natural, dietary approach to treating your disease (which Men's Health columnist Adam Campbell brilliantly wrote about late last year).
While there is no outright cure for diabetes once you get it, this method for taking it on has been very impressive for the brave diabetic men and women who have taken the plunge and tried it for themselves. What is this wondrous, even miraculous "cure" for diabetes? It's what I like to call livin' la vida low-carb.
The fact is low-carb living is SAVING lives even as some rather grim statistics were released by the health commissioner of America's largest city--NEW YORK! Look at this because it is a microcosm of what is happening across the United States:
- A half million adult New Yorkers diagnosed with diabetes. - Another 200,000 have diabetes but don't yet know it. - Mortality rates from diabetes rose 75% since 1990. - 80 percent tested their blood sugar, but only 16% knew their number. - $6.5 billion dollars spent on diabetes care in NYC alone in 2006.
Let's be perfectly clear here--diabetes is not to be played around with feeding it gobs and gobs of carbohydrates. That's EXACTLY what it needs to survive and thrive. If you want to defeat diabetes, then the best way to do that is to see what triggers blood sugar and insulin spikes (something the incredible Dr. Richard Bernstein has touted for decades).
Hmmm, what could that be?
Oh yeah, IT'S CARBS! Not just sugar and white flour, but also starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn as well as those so-called "healthy" whole grains. No matter what kind of label you put on it, all of these foods will be recognized by the body as sugar and act accordingly.
For diabetics, this is dangerous!
The intolerance to carbohydrates is why carbs are so toxic for people with diabetes. And yet we see the ADA STILL recommending upwards of SIX SERVINGS OF CARBOHYDRATES A DAY while greatly reducing their fat and portion sizes (and they have completely vilified saturated fat as the great evil in the diet!). Are they TRYING to kill diabetics? Veronica Atkins said in my interview with her recently that the ADA has their "head in the sand."
This continuing support for diabetics to eat carbs in such high quantities by the ADA runs counter to much of the most up-to-date research out there today:
Dr. Richard Feinman from SUNY Downstate told me in my interview with him last year that he believes the ADA is trying to subtly back into supporting livin' la vida low-carb in light of all the evidence without admitting they were wrong.
"I have seen many patients who were heading for disaster and who have turned their disease and their lives around simply by avoiding foods they cannot tolerate: carbohydrates," Dr. Feinman explained.
"This simple, effective approach could reverse the epidemic of Type 2 diabetes," she predicted. "Patients should at least be given a choice of a non-pharmacological approach."
She's talking about livin' la vida low-carb, of course! And this is the biggest rub--why wouldn't the ADA want an all-natural treatment for Type 2 diabetes if their motivation is to actually help people with the disease? With serious questions about the safety of using diabetes drugs like Avandia looming large right now, isn't it time the ADA rethinks their position on the use of low-carb diets to control diabetes? There's no doubt that they should!
Let's voice our concerns as a low-carb community that cares enough about the future of diabetes treatment in this country to share the latest research into this disease with those who are supposedly the primary source for educating diabetics.
You can reach the ADA by telephone at 1-800-DIABETES (M-F, 8:30am-8:00pm EST), by mail at American Diabetes Association, ATTN: National Call Center, 1701 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311, or by e-mail at AskADA@diabetes.org. We need to make our voices heard on this issue because it's too important to just keep ignoring.
Eventually, as Dr. Feinman says, the ADA will HAVE to embrace the controlled-carb nutritional approach to diabetes management. Sooner or later, it will come!
Get to know diabetes and obesity practitioner Dr. Mary C. Vernon
If you are livin' la vida low-carb and/or have Type 2 diabetes, then there is a doctor that you should be abundantly aware of for the tremendous contributions she is making for the cause of health in the United States today. She is Dr. Mary C. Vernon and she has a private medical practice in her hometown of Lawrence, Kansas.
I previously shared with you my podcast interview with Dr. Vernon a couple of weeks ago as well as an interview at my blog last year to introduce you to this remarkable doctor who is actively using the low-carb nutritional approach as an effective means for controlling her patients' blood sugars as well as their weight.
She is on the frontlines of the debate over how to best treat Type 2 diabetes as the co-author of the book Atkins Diabetes Revolution and has been going around touting the Duke University study that found dramatic improvements in diabetics who went on the Atkins diet to treat their disease. Dr. Vernon is constantly at odds with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) who insist people with diabetes should eat all the carbs they want as long as they take their medicine. But Dr. Vernon says carbohydrate restriction is the key, not medicine.
After meeting Dr. Vernon in person twice over the past couple of years, I can tell you there is nobody more devoted to seeing people get healthy the low-carb way than she is. Educating her patients and helping them see real results just through changes in their diet is what helps motivate her to keep doing what she's doing. She even is willing to answer questions from people across the country and around the world through her informative "Ask Dr. Vernon" blog.
Because of all that she has done to change how people view the low-carbohydrate nutritional approach as a viable alternative to the low-fat diet, I named Dr. Vernon among my Top 10 Movers & Shakers of 2006. Additionally, her work got national recognition when it was highlighted in this outstanding column by Adam Campbell in Men's Health magazine in November 2006.
Because of all the added attention being given to Dr. Vernon over the past year for her work to change the dynamics of how to best treat diabetes and obesity, she has been getting more and more attention from the diabetic media, including CNBC's dLife.
If you are ready to be inspired and reinvigorated about why you are livin' la vida low-carb, whether you have diabetes or not, then check out this brief 4-minute clip of Dr. Vernon during her recent appearance on dLife:
WOW! Can we clone you, Dr. Vernon? :)
While it would be nice to have access to doctors who are as committed to their obese and diabetic patients as Dr. Vernon is wherever you live, that is sadly not the case. But as the current president and a member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP), she assures me that there are others out there who are just as passionate as she is about livin' la vida low-carb.
Click here to locate a bariatric physician in your area and ask them if they are open to using a low-carbohydrate approach to treating obesity and diabetes. If they say YES, then you've found a doctor who can help tailor an effective strategy for helping you.
THANK YOU, Dr. Vernon, for being a shining example of what a doctor is supposed to be like with their patients--empathetic, caring, willing to listen, and knowledgeable about what really works. You are a real hero and on behalf of my readers here at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog, I salute you today. God bless the work you are doing!
Let's party in Dr. Vernon's name with a porterhouse, shall we?
If you need low-carb support, then Dr. Mary C. Vernon is on your side
My trip to Nashville, Tennessee earlier this month for the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) obesity conference has give me plenty of podcast material for the next several months. I will be airing a series of interviews with bariatric physicians across the country to encourage and educate you about what is being done to help the overweight and obese shed the pounds and get healthy.
It was so inspiring to hear from these dedicated and devoted doctors, including the president of ASBP who is helping her patients in Lawrence, Kansas overcome great obstacles in their health, including diabetes and obesity. Her name is Dr. Mary C. Vernon and I was fortunate enough to have her sit down for a 15-minute interview to talk about livin' la vida low-carb.
Listen to our historic Episode 50 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" (50 shows down and many more to come!) from one of the true giants working on the frontlines of real-life application of the low-carb lifestyle with such tremendous results:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 50 [21:47m]: Play in Popup | Download
There is no more enthusiastic low-carb supporter in the medical community today than Dr. Vernon and her passionate desire to see her patients get healthy is very infectious. This woman exudes confidence because she knows the facts are on her side in the many scientific studies that have and are continuing to pour in about livin' la vida low-carb.
Even my fellow blogger Laura Dolson from About.com's Low-Carb Diets site noticed that while she was there (hey Laura, it was GREAT to meet you at last!). Let me know if you agree with me and Laura that we need more people like Dr. Vernon trumpeting the cause of low-carb to the masses. Share your comments and let me know what you think about this incredible woman.
How can you check out "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show?" It's easy:
I hope you are able to listen to all of Episode 50 because Dr. Vernon doesn't hold back. She talks about why she uses low-carb as a starting point for her patients who come to her, where low-carbers can go to find pro-low-carb doctors like herself, and something simple advocates of this way of eating can do to bring about more funding of the scientific studies into low-carb diets. It's all in my interview with her in today's podcast.
Nathan Stanley is another voice of reason in the health debate
Hey, have you seen the newest contributor to the Health Hacks Podcast? His name is Nathan Stanley and is not just a fan of my blog and podcast show, but also a HUGE supporter of livin' la vida low-carb as a nutritional approach. You can listen to his debut podcast about why he as an athlete (high school wrestling coach) chooses low-carb by clicking here.
Although I conducted eight interviews with various people on Friday, I was only able to do one more today because the schedule was so jam-packed with presentations on the latest low-carb research from people like Dr. Eric Westman, Dr. Mary Vernon, Dr. Jeff Volek, Dr. Stephen Phinney, and Dr. Richard Feinman. We had to cut out a little early to make it home at a reasonable hour.
As I was listening to the various presentations about the veracity of livin' la vida low-carb today, the future blog post ideas were popping into my head so fast that I could barely write them all down. But I will attempt to take these and project to you what I have learned based on the knowledge shared in these fantastic seminars from today. If you are a proponent of the low-carb nutritional approach, then take heart...the science is there for all the world to see.
Special thanks to Dr. Mary C. Vernon and Sharon Cooper for coordinating many of the interviews for my podcast show. I look forward to sharing these with you over the next few months likely as a regular feature on Thursdays. There were a wide variety of voices that I'm sure you'll enjoy hearing from, so be sure to check 'em out!
Since I was in Nashville, I decided to look up my high school friend Laura Creekmore who has that fantastic blog called Fixin' Supper. We went out to a nice BBQ place off of Hermitage Road in Nashville and enjoyed catching up on lost time. My wife Christine and I were enamored by Laura's two adorable kids and were glad to be able to see her while we were in town.
Also, I recently blogged about one of my weight loss inspirations being a radio talk show host who held a weight loss contest three years ago named Ralph Bristol. Well, Ralph recently moved from South Carolina to Nashville, Tennessee to become the featured morning host of "Nashville's Morning News" on SuperTalk 99.7FM WWTN. His show is a lot different from the one he did here, but it was neat to hear him on the radio again. I even called up and gave my opinion about something he was talking about on Friday morning.
It's time to hit the sack now (that's going to bed for those of you who don't read Southern!) because I'm just plain TARD! No, not ritard, although Christine has been known to call me that from time to time. The body is slowly getting delirious, so I had better stop typing before I go off saying something REALLY weird. Goodnight John boy! We'll be low-carb blogging again in no time. SEE YA!
With my wife Christine snoozing away in the other side of this darkened room, I'm sitting here in the wee hours of the morning near the airport in Nashville, Tennessee looking out the window of the Marriott hotel awaiting the sun to rise for another beautiful and exciting day. Why am I in Music City USA right now? I'm so glad you asked. :)
While not everything discussed at this conference is going to be a friendly message to livin' la vida low-carb, I am holding out for Saturday's event when the Nutrition & Metabolism Society seminar will highlight some of the latest advances in low-carb research. WOO HOO! People like Dr. Eric Westman, Dr. Jeff Volek, Dr. Stephen Phinney, Dr. Richard Feinman, Dr. Jay Wortman, and others are scheduled to present their findings. This will be the most exciting part of the weekend!
That's tomorrow, though, and will be an all-day event. As soon as the final speaker is finished on Saturday, Christine and I will be hitting the road back home for the 5-hour trip to Spartanburg, South Carolina. We're excited to be here and to share with these physicians attending (whether they support low-carb or not) that livin' la vida low-carb does indeed work very well and I'm living proof. It's been fun watching their reaction when I tell them I did the Atkins diet. HA!
So, what about today? Well, I've got a series of future podcast shows with several of the obesity experts who are here. Some are affiliated with low-carb research, but others are simply providing the best possible care as they know it to their obese patients to help them overcome their lifelong struggle with poor weight and health.
Still others are providing studies that could explain why we got to be so obese in the first place. I'm looking forward to recording those interviews throughout the day today. They're certainly gonna keep me busy!
The research community is where the rubber meets the road currently for livin' la vida low-carb and I'm so excited to be in the midst of such learned and knowledgeable experts who are attempting to show the world that this way of eating is not just viable, but actually a preferred nutritional approach to combatting obesity and disease for a whole lotta people. I'm like a kid in a candy store...sugar-free, low-carb candy, that is!
I've got a busy schedule while I'm here, but I'll try to blog some updates when I can. THANKS for your ongoing support for what I am doing with my blog and podcast show. SEE YA LATER!
My e-mail box has been rockin' and rollin' lately with lots of outstanding questions and comments from people who are livin' la vida low-carb to lose weight, improve their health, and radically change their life for the better. That's exactly what it did for me and I am happy to provide a place of refuge where people feel comfortable enough to ask questions that will help them get to that same place in their own life.
As I have stated many times, though, I am not a doctor or a nutritionist (although I am looking into trying to become a trained dietitian--if only there were a program that was "low-carb" friendly to teach people like me the ins and outs of it all). So the information I provide here is from two perspectives. First, it is from my own empirical research and investigation into this amazing lifestyle change known as low-carb living. And second, it is from my own personal experience losing a ton of weight and improving my health with this remarkable nutritional approach.
With that said, I sometimes receive a much more complicated question from a reader desperate for an answer that I have no idea how to respond to it. That's okay because I never pretend to have all the answers. But I do know a few people in the low-carb community who DO have the knowledge and experience to accurately provide answers to the tough topics.
Here's the difficult e-mail I received late last week:
Dear Jimmy,
Thanks so much for your blog. I am enjoying and learning so much. Personally, i have been pregnant and/or nursing for the past 11 years, so my weight has been all over the place and low-carb living during the past 4 years has helped me so much with all of the typical issues.
Alas, this e-mail question is not about me, though--it's for my husband.
He has had extremely high cholesterol/triglycerides issues (total cholesterol is about 400 and triglycerides are over 1200). About 3 years ago he did the low-carb thing and lost about 30 pounds (was still overweight but no longer obese) and his numbers went way down to normal or almost normal (while taking the drug gemfibrozil). After resuming normal American eating habits again, he gained the weight back and was switched to another drug and the numbers are through the roof again.
I also have a question about another issue he has--kidney stones. These have been determined to be made from uric acid. In my research one of the recommendations for improving this is to avoid eating meat and even chicken. My husband wants to go back to his low-carb ways, but how do we know if this low meat thing is for real or if it is the standard government scare tactic that "saturated fats are bad" line?
So I suppose my general question in the end is when it comes to diet recommendations for specific medical conditions, where can I get reliable information that is "low-carb friendly?" Thanks for all your work in the low-carb world!!
WOW, where do you start with an e-mail like that?! I've never heard of cholesterol and triglycerides being that high, but it is obvious livin' la vida low-carb would SUBSTANTIALLY reduce both numbers as it has in the past. If it worked so well before, then why would this person subject themselves to the "normal American eating habits" again?
That's why you constantly hear me talk about making this way of eating a permanent lifestyle change. People sometimes look at me like I'm some kind of alien when I declare to them that I am still on the Atkins diet. What?! Why would you keep doing that "extreme" diet long after you have gotten your weight and health under control? My answer--precisely because I want to KEEP my weight and health functioning the very best it can for the rest of my life. Period. End of story.
Call it "extreme" all you want, but it's working EXTREMELY well for me. :)
Regarding my reader's question at the end about where to find reliable "low-carb friendly" medical advice, it is available from a couple of outstanding sources that I very highly recommend to you. I have previously discussed them here at my blog, but I'll share them with you again--the "Ask Dr. Vernon" blog from low-carb practitioner Dr. Mary C. Vernon (who helped me out with this e-mail today which I will share with you in a moment) and "The Salerno Strategy" blog from Dr. John P. Salerno who used to work directly with Dr. Robert C. Atkins at his Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine a few years back.
Additionally, there are people like Regina Wilshire from the "Weight Of The Evidence" blog, Protein Power author Dr. Mike Eades and his fantastic blog, Adam Campbell from "The Fitness Insider" feature at Men's Health magazine, and so many others. I know most of these people personally and rely on their many years of collective low-carb wisdom to guide me when I am stumped about how to answer an e-mail like the one I shared in this post.
Thankfully, Dr. Vernon stepped up to the plate to answer this one for me:
This is a common problem. Here's why-
Elevated triglycerides are a marker for abnormal glucose metabolism. I'd argue that evidence exists to show that the high levels of insulin tell the liver to make fat--that is, to synthesize triglycerides.
Get a 3 or 5 hour glucose tolerance test with insulin levels at the baseline (fasting) and 2 hour draw. Best is a 5 hour GTT with insulin drawn at every blood draw. The insulin and glucose normals are described in Atkins Diabetes Revolution. I have seen many patients completely normalize their triglycerides and cholesterol levels by using carbohydrate control.
Now, about the kidney stones--
The kidney stone formation is linked to the underlying metabolism with the high insulin levels just like the trigylcerides are. It's not the protein, it's the carbs that cause the kidney stone formation in susceptible people. The Atkins diet gets blamed, I think, because if you cycle on and off of it, as your husband did, then you might form stones when you are off of the diet.
When you begin to control carbs enough to lose weight, usually one loses the extra water that high insulin levels pull into your body. This causes increased urine production and "washes out" the stone. So it seems to happen on the diet, but really happened before. I've followed lots of patients and I have only had one patient with "new" kidney stones in all these years!
OK, so let's hypothesize that my data and I are both wrong. What if some folks do form kidney stones on the diet? Potassium citrate can be used as a preventative. I discuss this with anyone who has a history of kidney stones because I want my patients to be healthy and feel good. Passing a kidney stone does not feel good.
So, check out the glucose tolerance test, get your husband to discuss potassium citrate with his physician, and keep the carbs controlled. Patients with the metabolic response to carbs like your husband has will always have it. Losing the weight doesn't make the tendency to have this problem go away. So make the changes lifestyle changes.
He is at risk for blood vessel damage based on what you have told me--so if he has chest pains take them seriously and get medical attention immediately.
Hope you find this helpful.
Mary Vernon
I learned a lot from Dr. Vernon's response and I appreciate her willingness to provide an answer to this very complex question by my reader. You can send your own questions to Dr. Mary C. Vernon anytime by visiting her "Ask Dr. Vernon" blog anytime. She may feature the answer to your question in a future post, so give it a try!
As always, I am happy to field your question about livin' la vida low-carb anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. Of course, with over 1650 blog posts, it is possible I have already blogged about the issue you are concerned about (most of the time I have). If you do a Google search of "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" and then the subject matter of your question, then most of the time you'll find my columns. If not, then give me a shout, okeydokey! SEE YA!
