I haven’t quit sugar and I’ve no intention of doing so because Nutella, doughnuts and the red velvet Tim Tams* that Adriano Zumbo has just developed with Arnott’s. Also, candied bacon.
So looking at the I Quit Sugar Facebook page the other day was a pointless exercise that was only ever going to end in stress eating (of foods mentioned above). And the development of a twitch in my right eye.
The I Quit Sugar (IQS) Facebook admins had caught on that last week was National Diabetes Week and were outraged – OUTRAGED – to discover that on some diabetes sites were recipes containing sugar. Because, you know, sugar causes diabetes. Right?
Wrong!
But let’s not allow facts, a broad evidence-base, and the medical fraternity to get in the way of a good bit of ignorance, will we?
I know; I should have walked away. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. Instead, I read. And read and read and read post after post after post of ignorance and judgement and lies.
Whilst for the most part I sat there shaking my head at the witlessness of the posts, it was when people started outright lying that I decided that I had to write something. One woman claimed that the Australian Paediatric Endocrine Group (APEG) is run by ‘pharmacy companies that make insulin’. She went on to say that JDRF is ‘owned and run by pharmacy companies with an interest in insulin’.
Both these statements are complete lies. The APEG Council is made up of very highly regarded healthcare professionals. The current President of APEG is Professor Fergus Cameron who is the head of Diabetes Services at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
JDRF is a global not-for-profit, raising much-needed funds which go towards research that is looking to find a cure for, and improve management of type 1 diabetes. Run by pharmacy companies? I don’t think so.
The conspiracy theorists on the IQS bandwagon remind me of the anti-vax brigade. The ridiculous claims that the entire medical establishment is simply trying to keep people unwell and feed the pockets of Big Pharma is offensive. The only difference between the two is that the anti-vaxxers are stupid and dangerous. The IQS zealots are just plain stupid.
But here’s the other thing that I find so offensive about so many of the posts from proponents of IQS – the judgement. One woman (in a comment that has now been removed) said she’d like to ‘slap diabetics who eat sugar’.
Quitting sugar is a personal choice – a lifestyle choice, if you will. In exactly the same way that doing yoga, going for a run, not eating red meat or only wearing stripes is a personal choice. These things may work for you, which is terrific, but judging someone because they still want to eat sugar – or wear polka dots – is crazy.
The foolish conspiracies on the IQS website say the advice provided by the medical establishment and health organisations should be questioned and ignored.
But, as I posted in my comment on their FB page, whose integrity should we really be questioning here? Researchers and healthcare professionals with years of training in their specialised field? Organisations supporting people, and raising money to help researchers further developments in living well with these conditions? Or money-making endeavours based on pseudo-science with no evidence-base run by a celebrity?
DISCLAIMERS
*I am so not sponsored by Arnott’s, but seriously – these are amazing! And perfect for an intended week of eating only red food to coincide with a new-found addiction to True Blood!
Professor Fergus Cameron is a member of the Medical Advisory Committee of the Diabetes Camps Victoria Program at Diabetes Australia – Vic. I am employed by DA-Vic and the chair of this committee.
9 comments
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July 21, 2014 at 4:57 pm
Sara
Argh! I also have a problem when people say they “quit sugar”. I’d be slightly more okay if they said they’d quit refined sugar if that’s what they mean. Or do they really not know there is sugar in bananas, apples, bread, pasta, greek yogurt?! You can’t just quit sugar!!!
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July 21, 2014 at 4:59 pm
RenzaS
You’re being logical, Sara. And you are informed. Two things that mean you are definitely not welcome on the IQS brigade.
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July 21, 2014 at 6:28 pm
Sara
That makes me so sad. Being part of that group is just everything I ever wanted! 😐
Oh wait… Nutella. Peanut Butter M&Ms. Low treatments when I experience hypoglycemia. Nevermind.
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July 21, 2014 at 6:04 pm
pumpinglaura
My eye is twiching, arghhhh.
And slap a diabetic? Charming
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July 21, 2014 at 9:50 pm
Mel @ The cook's notebook
I find it ironic because there are so many sweet recipes on the IQS website. They might not use “sugar” but surely they are not all that great for you unless in moderation. Just like sugar. Sigh. And pass the chocolate.
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July 22, 2014 at 4:36 am
Jacquie Paul Wojcik
I was just thinking how this doesn’t really work with anything else. Like, if you “quit salt” you’d totally get a goiter, right?
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July 22, 2014 at 11:11 am
Tony
Another good read thanks Renza.
I thought it dovetails nicely with your post on militant people with diabetes.
Fanatics hey 🙂
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July 22, 2014 at 7:15 pm
Gabrielle
Thank you for such a great post! I am like you I read the IQsugar posts and get so enraged by the ignorance these people show about chronic conditions such as diabetes and obesity. As a dietitian I have had IQ sugar groupies troll me online and my profession slagged. Little do these people know that they have only quit fructose! Replacing fructose with glucose in the form of rice syrup is no better for your health. Second to in my experience people don’t develop diabetes Soley from eating sugar, in fact most of my diabetic clients don’t even eat refined or fructose sugar!
So thank you wants again, let’s spread the word and stamp out this fad diet trend!
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July 22, 2014 at 11:09 pm
RenzaS
Thanks for your comment, Gabrielle. I really don’t want to stamp out IQS. I just want the comments about diabetes to be factual and accurate. If someone wants to quit sugar, that’s their business. I won’t criticise their choice. But the second they start criticising my choices, I will say something. Thank you for reading. I’m sorry you’ve been targeted online. Given the militant attitude of many of those whose comments I read, I’m not really surprised.
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