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Tuesday 25 February 2014

British Dietetics Association going nowhere fast !

"So nice to hear all the appreciation for Registered Dietitians who work with evidence based practice to the latest research getting slated completely incorrectly - please get your facts right Low Carb Team member. We are not allowed to sell anything and in fact would lose our registration for doing so like anonymous above says. And I bet the Dietitians comments were taken out of context - the BDA conference isn't just aimed at Diabetics and for some people using breakfast biscuits might actually be helpful rather than eating nothing at all....."

This and other comments came in after I posted the post here. The post referred to the fact the British Dietitians Association was sucking up to junk food, namely Belvita Breakfast Biscuits. I said.

"Last weekend the Food and Drink Team took Belvita Breakfast to BDA Live, the annual British Dietetics Association conference. As headline sponsor the team was on hand to help keep the dietitians going all morning. Whether they visited the breakfast bar or attended the breakfast workshops they had the opportunity to hear about the science and nutrition behind the brand. The conference was a great success with 82% of dietitians agreeing Belvita Breakfast is a good option for breakfast and 71% admitting we had changed their previous perception."

So, we have some comments (always Anonymous what have they got to hide?) from a Dietitian trying to defend the indefensible, in my opinion. What have UK Dietitians achieved in the war against obesity and it's often linked type two diabetes ? Zilch. Are high profile Dietitians on the payroll of junk food ? Yes they are, from Coca Cola to Mars to Rosemary Conley. There are many more as reported on this blog. The rot is so entrenched in the US, a breakaway organisation has been set up called Dietitians for Integrity. Time for the same in the UK methinks.

The comment above says "Registered Dietitians who work with evidence based practice" that is a joke right ! The average Dietitian would not know a healthy diet from a box of spanners. From the bilge I have read over the years, the average Dietitian does not even have a basic grasp of human metabolism. They are programed like robots, leave University spouting decades out of date information, and follow the rule book. The rule book that has lead to epidemics of chronic disease. The eat sugar/starch with every meal lunacy. A short while ago I wrote the post below it says all you need to know, and clearly demonstrates why the BDA is going nowhere fast.


From the British Dietetic Association website re a recent meeting of members.

“Carbohydrate Advice in Type 2 Diabetes – The ‘Hot Potato’ of  ! ! Dietetics?”

“The latest UK nutrition guidelines for diabetes suggest an individualised approach to carbohydrate in Type 2 diabetes, and focus on calorie reduction and weight management in those who need to lose weight. But where does that leave more detailed or specific advice about carbohydrate for individual patients? What should Dietitians be advising their patients? Preliminary research into the current practice of UK Dietitians in this topical field will be reported, together with the current evidence-base. Participants in this session will have the opportunity to review their own practice in this area and contribute to the ongoing debate.”
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Diabetes care in the UK is abysmal for the majority of diabetics. The NHS audited annual statistics are grim, and they are grim year after year, no progress is being made, in fact the situation is getting worse. One of the keystones of good diabetes control is diet. And the experts on diet in the UK are the dietitians who are members of the British Dietetic Association. Recently they held a meeting and produced a survey conducted on some of their members opinions, some of the results you see below. As you can see their methods seem to be very unsound, in fact I don’t see any method at all. Clearly UK dietitians have no general guidelines or policy agreement to work to whatsoever. To the question How frequently do you advise carbohydrate restriction with type two diabetes on oral medication, sometimes was the answer for the most. The question what would be a realistic carbohydrate restriction in type two diabetes 30 to 50% of energy was the overwhelming reply.
The $64000 question is, how could any successful organisation operate with absolutely no overhaul common policy ? no corporate structure or method of operation whatsoever. Remember we are not talking about flogging nuts and bolts here, we are talking about the health of millions of people. Is it any wonder the UK diabetes statistics are so grim, when the very organisation that should be leading the way to better health for so many, could not run a whelk stall. Until the BDA at the very least, issue some basic guidelines to their members and have some sort of common policy, regarding carbohydrate control or restriction, the carnage will go on. It is my opinion, the BDA is at the very least partly responsible for the early death of countless diabetics. Will it be ever thus ?
Eddie




2 comments:

Anonymous said...

There are a few good dieticians who will speak out but for those few where would some diabetics be. Oh, yes, reading about how they can improve their health on blogs like yours.

Roy

Anonymous said...
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