Vee Jefferson On Blast by the low carb advocates Current mood: amused!
I wrote an article on the dangers of low carb dieting recently. After a couple of days of being live on the web, I learned that this total stranger was blasting the heck out of me. I mean he was calling me names and saying really nasty things about me - things you'd say to your worst enemy. At first I was intrigued, then amused. Go figure...little ol'e me causing all this drama. Guess I must be doing something right, huh?
Well as is turns out, this guy lost almost 200 lbs on a low carb diet and since has become the poster child for low carb diets. And by the way, congratulations! He's coined himself the 'biggest loser.' He's written a book on it and doing some other related things. Well no wonder he was so mad. But a couple of good things came out of this. First I got some free advertisement. Now it wasn't good advertisement, but what can you expect when it's free. But a link is a link is a link... I'll take it!
Second, I've actually been having a little writer's block lately and really needed a good muse. Think I've found it! And for this I can say, "Thank you."
Keep in mind a few things: (1.) My personal mission is health education and promotion of disease prevention, not participation in juvenile marketing strategies and name-calling to belittle another. (2.) I have the credentials and experience to write about health related topics. (3.) There are trusted, very well known health web sites that can back up what I say. (4.) For every danger that I list and Jimmy discredits as being untrue nonsense, he offers his solutions for that particular side effect and what he's done personally to avoid it. (5.) I don't make any money by telling you the diet is unsafe. Wonder how much he's making by telling you it is...
But really ... dude...really, I've written only one article on this subject. I'm not the queen of anti-low carb dieting. I'm not the 2006 anti-fad diet guru either. But I will gladly accept my new title of anti-low carb pinhead of the year, if I save just one life.
But on a serious note, my article was criticized because of it's lack of case studies and reference materials. And while it is true that case studies and references can add more legitimacy to any written work, the truth in this case is that I wrote this article from pure experience, both personal and professional. I never take for granted that the world is ignorant. I never take for granted that my readers are ignorant. But I do believe in educating people about the things that I have learned about, and I would never write an article about anything that I haven't researched or learned through experience. And in this day of computer savvy surfers, anyone with access to the internet can do the same. So I have listed some credible references below. Feel free to click on these links for additional information on the dangers sited in my article, The Dangers of Low Carb Dieting.
Related links:
The Washington PostHealth RisksWeb MD articleWeb MD - low carb done right (video)Medical doctor speaksDoctors reveal dangers of low carb dieting Johns HopkinsAtkins Diet Alert (Make sure to read the personal stories)
The word is out!The fight over low-carb dieting isn't about health, it's about healthy profitsDisease ProofOkay enough, enough already!
I know, but I really could go and on and on...
If you want more information on the subject, just type "the dangers of low carb diets" in your favorite search engine and hit enter...
Ketosis vs. Ketoacidosis Never once did I say these things were the same. You can't find that in my article anywhere. In my article on diabetes, I mention each of them as separate entities. They are different, but ketosis is dangerous too. Now of course Ketoacidosis is a medical emergency, but long term ketosis is also very damaging the body, period. Someone read the article and assumed because I was talking about the dangers of ketosis, that I was referring to DKA. There is nothing benign about the effects that ketosis can have on the body.
Never did I mention any specific diet, but it seems that the Atkins' diet advocates are the ones I've offended the most.
I specifically stated that low carb diets can be dangerous, and they can. I see the repercussions all the time. I know people and have had patients who think that if one pill is good, then 3 will be "triplely" good. And so for them the diet is extremely dangerous in my opinion. Back in 1998 I did the diet too. One morning I woke up and felt very weak. I felt as if I were going to pass out. I knew the signs - my blood sugar was dangerously low and I fixed it quickly. Now what if I had not known what to do about this? This is why I wrote the article. So the all-you-can-eat steak and eggs dinner is exactly what I was referring to. In the article I am referring to and clearly state that the very strict low carb diets were my focus - the ones that don't offer the body enough carbs to function properly.
But this is the thing, we're in America. Everyone has the right to their opinions. I don't see any need in viciously attacking anyone because of a difference of opinions. "Low carb diets - some dangerour truths revealed" was one article, and I do not wish to spend anymore time debating this particular issue.
Thanks to all for the feedback, and have a wonderful, safe, and healthy holiday season.
Sincerely,
Vee
|