Healthy food

mkeatonmom4

My doctor had me make an appointment with a nutritionist. She told me that I should focus more on plant based foods. Less on meat and dairy products. She also said that the pasta was healthier than the meat even if it is not always whole grain. That carbs are more important and healthy then meat. My husband tells me corn is the worst food to eat. She said it was not. As long as it is not heavily processed. What do you think.

harper16

Why does she think that diet is the best option for you?

L1zardQueen

Pasta is healthier than meat? Does this person have a college degree in nutrition?

mkeatonmom4

She has been nutritionist for 20 years. She takes about the 5 blue zone areas in the world. Okinawa, 2 in The Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and a group in the Us of Seventh Day Adventists. The all had variations Of a Mediterranean diet. Mostly breads, fruits and vegetables. Very little meats and cheese. The breads were not as highly processed as American breads. She said that obviously she would want me to eat whole grains more. If I was having spaghetti. She said focus more on the pasta and vegetables and less on the meat. I was diagnosed pre diabetic. My doctor recommended taking to this nutritionist.

PAPYRUS3

Hopefully she sent you to see a dietician. Although there are some sound nutritionists out there, there are many that practice 'weird science'.

I'm curious too on your doctor's advice? Do you have specific issues that would require you consuming certain foods/nutrients?

glassyo

mkeatonmom4 wrote: »

She has been nutritionist for 20 years. She takes about the 5 blue zone areas in the world. Okinawa, 2 in The Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and a group in the Us of Seventh Day Adventists. The all had variations Of a Mediterranean diet. Mostly breads, fruits and vegetables. Very little meats and cheese. The breads were not as highly processed as American breads. She said that obviously she would want me to eat whole grains more. If I was having spaghetti. She said focus more on the pasta and vegetables and less on the meat. I was diagnosed pre diabetic. My doctor recommended taking to this nutritionist.

Nutritionist or registered dietician?

L1zardQueen

The blue zones are the ones to follow, for sure. But is she a registered dietitian? What type of protein does she suggest? Fish is an option.

mkeatonmom4

She suggested plant based protein like beans

harper16

mkeatonmom4 wrote: »

She suggested plant based protein like beans

Is there a medical reason she feels this diet is best for you?

mkeatonmom4

I am really confused because my last doctor recommended a low carb high “lean protein” diet. This one is suggested a high carb low protein diet.

mkeatonmom4

Pre diabetic

harper16

mkeatonmom4 wrote: »

Pre diabetic

Ask to speak with a registered dietian and not a nutritionist.

Hanibanani2020

You can’t go wrong with plant-based imho but I would seek a dietician to get more answers as it feels like you’re seeking answers here that your nutritionist can’t or won’t give you which isn’t great for a professional.

mkeatonmom4

She is a registered dietitian!

TonyB0588

As a prediabetic, my doctor gave me a very long list of acceptable foods. Some allowed with no restriction, and others in smaller quantities, but certainly not a very limited diet. You just need to be wise, and watch your portion sizes.

mkeatonmom4

She also said that I only needed 4 oz of dairy a day

L1zardQueen

To me, 4 ounces of dairy is a lot. Does she give you a calorie amount?

kshama2001

mkeatonmom4 wrote: »

She has been nutritionist for 20 years. She takes about the 5 blue zone areas in the world. Okinawa, 2 in The Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and a group in the Us of Seventh Day Adventists. The all had variations Of a Mediterranean diet. Mostly breads, fruits and vegetables. Very little meats and cheese. The breads were not as highly processed as American breads. She said that obviously she would want me to eat whole grains more. If I was having spaghetti. She said focus more on the pasta and vegetables and less on the meat. I was diagnosed pre diabetic. My doctor recommended taking to this nutritionist.

That's actually not an accurate description of the traditional Okinawan diet, which was high in the purple-fleshed Okinawan sweet potato (NOT the same sweet potato in American supermarkets) and low in grains and fruit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawa_diet

In short, the Okinawans circa 1950 ate sweet potatoes for 849 grams of the 1262 grams of food that they consumed, which constituted 69% of their total calories.[9]

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Doesn't sound like an accurate description of the Mediterranean diet either, as you made no mention of fish, and the Mediterranean diet includes moderate to high consumption of fish, as well as moderate consumption of dairy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_diet

The Mediterranean diet is a diet inspired by the eating habits of Italy and Greece in the 1960s.[1][2] The principal aspects of this diet include proportionally high consumption of olive oil, legumes, unrefined cereals, fruits,[3] and vegetables, moderate to high consumption of fish, moderate consumption of dairy products (mostly as cheese and yogurt), moderate wine consumption, and low consumption of non-fish meat products.

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Honestly, it sounds like this person has a bit of a vegan agenda. I applaud people who chose veganism because of their own ethics, but not those who distort the benefits of veganism.

I wouldn't consider the traditional Okinawan diet a practical choice as 1. you may not be able to find that type of sweet potato and 2. who wants to eat 69% of calories in Satsuma sweet potatoes anyway?

But the Med Diet should be a much easier way of eating. Show her this link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_diet and ask her to clarify about fish and dairy.

lynn_glenmont

mkeatonmom4 wrote: »

She also said that I only needed 4 oz of dairy a day

That's pretty vague. 4 oz. of cheese is a lot for most people. 4 oz. of low-fat or nonfat milk or plain yogurt isn't much.

lynn_glenmont

mkeatonmom4 wrote: »

She has been nutritionist for 20 years. She takes about the 5 blue zone areas in the world. Okinawa, 2 in The Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and a group in the Us of Seventh Day Adventists. The all had variations Of a Mediterranean diet. Mostly breads, fruits and vegetables. Very little meats and cheese. The breads were not as highly processed as American breads. She said that obviously she would want me to eat whole grains more. If I was having spaghetti. She said focus more on the pasta and vegetables and less on the meat. I was diagnosed pre diabetic. My doctor recommended taking to this nutritionist.

Did you discuss with her what you're currently eating? Because more of X and less of Y could mean more X than Y, or it could mean more X than your baseline X and less Y than your baseline Y. I'm thinking that if she knows more about your medical condition, based on the referral from your doctor, and more about current/historical eating patterns than we do, we maybe shouldn't be too quick to criticize her advice or offer contrary advice. And if she meant the former (more X than Y), telling people that grains and veggies should take up more space on their plates than meat isn't exactly controversial. It's pretty standard public health advice.

kshama2001

mkeatonmom4 wrote: »

I am really confused because my last doctor recommended a low carb high “lean protein” diet. This one is suggested a high carb low protein diet.

I assume you need to lose weight, yes? If so, simply losing weight helps with pre-diabetes more so than any particular diet.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/people_with_pre_diabetes_who_drop_substantial_weight_may_ward_off_type_2_diabetes