That Health Rules

This is called the Paradox of Food:  you need food to live and survive but the very reason for disease and illnesses stem from the abundance of food and poor nutrition!

I practice a field dealing with the metabolic diseases where poor nutrition plays a key role in its onset and progression to develop complications.  Control of blood glucose requires the right balance of nutrition, exercise and medications. The same formula apllies when treating obesity, hypertension and high cholesterol.

The problem with handling these diseases stem from the medical field lack of understanding of nutrition and the lack of importance given to medical nutrition therapy!   If you make rounds in the hospital … you see the diet prepared for a diabetic hypertensive is almost similar if not similar to the other patient in the other room who is not a  diabetic…  It may not be the dietician’s fault but the doctor prescribing the diet!  This is where I am very particular with my patients because I believe the long term success of successfully controlling their blood sugar or blood pressure or cholesterol stem from not what I give them as medications but what they take in as food!

The recent 2008 ADA recommendation for Nutrition  reasons out why Nutrition is important:

Clinical trials/outcome studies of Medical Nutrition Therapy have reported decreases in HbA_1c (A1C) of 1% in type 1 diabetes and 1–2% in type 2 diabetes, depending on the duration of diabetes . Meta-analysis of studies in nondiabetic, free-living subjects and expert committees report that MNT reduces LDL cholesterol by 15–25 mg/dl . After initiation of MNT, improvements were apparent in 3–6 months. Meta-analysis and expert committees also support a role for lifestyle modification in treating hypertension .

The proportion of calories in the specific nutrition Rx will now be individualized and should be prescribed by your doctor.  I have my own personal dietician in my clinic now that I offer free couseling to my patients where personal preferences of food is taken into consideration.  I believe in individualized counseling so as to offer a  more successful diet regimen.  No prepared diets printed on a piece of paper!

I have been a proponent of using a 40% of total calories from carbohydrates for my diabetic patients as more and more data are coming out regarding the benefits of limited carbohydrate not only for losing weight but for better glycemic control.  It is but proper that for the first time the American Diabetes Association came up with their position paper recommending the same.

For me…it is plain and simple challenging one’s self discipline in not giving in to the “want” but following to the details of what is nutritious and healthy!!!

Live Life To The Fullest…By Eating Right!