Sometimes, it can help you remember fast too.  ;)

I think so.  If I were to take some serious time to put together all my
thoughts and ideas about diabetes, Jenny's site is nearly exactly what
I'd build.  But since she did it, I don't have to.  ;)

Well, the ADA is a big organization, so it stands to reason there'd be
some people within it who are right and some who are wrong, same as any
group.

When I was diagnosed, what confused me about the then-current ADA
recommendations was that they were completely opposite to veterinary
recommendations.  Somehow, what diabetic humans needed for optimum
health was different from what every other animal needed.

That made me curious.  At the time, I knew little about diabetes, but I
had a pretty good research library to use since I was a biochemistry PhD
candidate.  I did a lot of reading about how different foods affect
blood glucose and came to my own conclusions about the healthiest diet
for me.  My diet had little correlation to what the ADA said at the time.

Amusingly, it also had little correlation to what I do now!  It's been
twenty years, research has progressed on a lot of topics, and we know a
lot today we didn't know back then.  Conclusions change as research
progresses and that's how it should be.  Back then, I didn't know trans
fats were bad, I didn't know how important phytochemicals were, I didn't
know about diurnal rhythms and why I didn't *actually* have to eat every
4 hours round the clock to control my bg, and I didn't have a meter so
never really knew if I was achieving my goals.

My ideas have evolved, but so have the ADA's.  I remember... a year or
two after my diagnosis, I saw a newspaper article that the ADA was
changing it's recommendations.  They had decided that starch was nearly
equivalent to sugar in a biological sense.  That seemed pretty obvious
to me, starch is just a big polymer of glucose, so it was pretty
obviously the same in the body.  But the conclusion the ADA made from
that was that it was OK for diabetics to eat sugar after all.

I really have no idea if the ADA's current recommendations are better as
I lost interest in the organization back then.  I came to the conclusion
that I was much better at reading research and deciding what was good
for me than they were.

Course, we have bg meters now, so diabetics no longer have to read the
science literature themselves to discover what is best; we can just go
ahead and find out for ourselves without any understanding beyond what
our meter says.

The American Diabetes Association is a wonderful organization.  They
do a huge amount, especially for children with Type I diabetes.

  But. They. Are. Wrong. On. Most. Of. Their. Dietary. Advice.

The ADA takes wonderful advocacy positions, fighting for better health
care coverage for diabetics.  For better insurance coverage of meds,
pumps, testing supplies.  For better physician and nurse education on
diabetes.  For more research money to understand diabetes.

  But. They. Are. Wrong. On. Most. Of. Their. Dietary. Advice.

The ADA does a huge amount to raise public awareness of the problems
of diabetes, to get people to get checked for blood sugar problems, to
get diabetics to have regular eye exams and foot exams.

  But. They. Are. Wrong. On. Most. Of. Their. Dietary. Advice.

The ADA has brought crucial legal help to diabetics who've faced
criminal charges for their behavior during hypoglycemic episodes.
They regularly keep innocent people out of jail.

  But. They. Are. Wrong. On. Most. Of. Their. Dietary. Advice.

The ADA supports important research.  Indeed, some solid research
demonstrating the health benefits of low-carb diets have had ADA
sponsorship.  The ADA is a godsend.

  But. They. Are. Wrong. On. Most. Of. Their. Dietary. Advice.

The ADA's dietary advice is no worse than the other professional
organizations.   In several ways, it's actually better.  But get your
dietary advice elsewhere.

Where?  Well, if you've read phlaunt.com/diabetes, you know that a lot
of us follow low-carb diets and like Dr Richard K Bernstein.  His
'Diabetes Diet' has good recipes, meal plans and philosophy.
 http://www.amazon.com/Diabetes-Diet-Bernsteins-Low-Carbohydrate-Solution/dp/0316
737844

There are others.  Honestly, though, I get most of my low-carb recipes
out of 'Joy of Cooking'.  Start out with meat/fish/poultry, add oil,
add nuts, add butter, add low-carb veggies, add seasoning.  The result
will be low carb and you don't have to look up anything in a table.
If you know how to cook, you should be able to build a low-carb
omelette for breakfast without looking at a recipe book.

Andy, there's more to say about carbs, hyperinsulemia, diets,
atherosclerosis than can fit into one post, or even one book and one
website.  Keep coming back here, asking questions.
Adam Becker Sr.