Quote :

"CHARLOTTE — The North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition is threatening to send a blogger to jail for recounting publicly his battle against diabetes and encouraging others to follow his lifestyle. Chapter 90, Article 25 of the North Carolina General Statutes makes it a misdemeanor to “practice dietetics or nutrition” without a license. According to the law, “practicing” nutrition includes “assessing the nutritional needs of individuals and groups” and “providing nutrition counseling.”"

Quote :

"When he was hospitalized with diabetes in February 2009, he decided to avoid the fate of his grandmother, who eventually died of the disease. He embraced the low-carb, high-protein Paleo diet, also known as the “caveman” or “hunter-gatherer” diet. The diet, he said, made him drug- and insulin-free within 30 days. By May of that year, he had lost 45 pounds and decided to start a blog about his success. "

Quote :

"But this past January the state diatetics and nutrition board decided Cooksey’s blog — Diabetes-Warrior.net — violated state law. The nutritional advice Cooksey provides on the site amounts to “practicing nutrition,” the board’s director says, and in North Carolina that’s something you need a license to do. Unless Cooksey completely rewrites his 3-year-old blog, he could be sued by the licensing board. If he loses the lawsuit and refuses to take down the blog, he could face up to 120 days in jail."

Quote :

"Cooksey posts the following disclaimer at the bottom of every page on his website: “I am not a doctor, dietitian, nor nutritionist … in fact I have no medical training of any kind.”"

http://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/display_exclusive.html?id=8992

It would not be difficult to find many individuals (some of them diabetics) that have had incredible success using low carb/paleo/primal diets.

It would also not be difficult to find medical professionals or "nutrition gurus" advocating total nonsense, like Karen Ansel (spokesperson for the American Dietetics Assocation) suggesting that it's better to eat a donut in the morning over skipping breakfast: http://www.parade.com/health/stay-healthy/2011/06/12-whats-healthier-breakfast.html

This guy decided to advocate an approach not condoned by the corporate-backed nutrition cartel. Now he's going to be censored or put in jail if he doesn't comply.

4/23/2012 11:51:02 AM

The board is just pissed that he's trampling on their territory and apparently something he advocates differs from what they advocate, so they're worried about dollars.

4/23/2012 12:03:18 PM

The government is the only one who can tell you what to eat.

4/23/2012 12:21:51 PM

More content from the dietitian left out in the OP from the Parade article:

Quote :

"No one recommends starting every day with a doughnut"

Quote :

"For longer-lasting energy, choose a piece of fiber-rich fruit instead. "

How else can I take a quote out of context?

/credibility

[Edited on April 23, 2012 at 12:26 PM. Reason : ]

4/23/2012 12:23:19 PM

Quote :

"The government is the only one who can tell you what to eat."

Fixing sick people is big business. Keeping people sick, then, is also big business.

4/23/2012 12:25:29 PM

censorship sucks.


They need to put the government's logo that says "government unapproved" at the top of the page, but otherwise let people make decisions on their own.

4/23/2012 12:27:10 PM

^You've got that backwards.

[Edited on April 23, 2012 at 12:29 PM. Reason : 'Government Approved']

4/23/2012 12:29:01 PM

They're fine with "healers" who claim to heal people using everything from essential oils to crystals, but give some nutrition advice based on your own experience and you've gone too far.

4/23/2012 12:43:14 PM

I don't see the problem here.

Good for him. He ate some different food and lost weight and got healthier. Great.

He's responding to health-related questions from the public on his website. This is perceived as "counseling".

You are required to be licensed to give professional nutrition advice. He's not licensed.

Any other professional medical organization would probably do the same thing.

4/23/2012 1:00:19 PM

^He is only providing free "advice" and clearly states he isn't formally educated or licensed in the field. I see no problem with it. It's not professional advice.

The whole point is that it is silly that you have to be licensed to give your OPINION. I read lots of OPINIONS from DIY people who aren't licensed contractors but know what they are doing. I don't take it all for gospel but sometimes it is nice to have another avenue (especially in the nutritional world where overweight, unhealthy yet licensed and educated doctors will give you completely false and outdated diet advice at times)

[Edited on April 23, 2012 at 1:08 PM. Reason : ]

4/23/2012 1:02:06 PM

^^The problem is that requiring a license, and criminalizing it to give guidance with out it, puts a monopoly on the information and service.

Nutritionist and dieticians are notoriously behind the curve on science/research, and dogmatic about carbs being a necessary part of the diet.

I can see prosecuting someone giving out false information and hurting people, but what this guy was putting out there was anecdotally and empirically valid.

[Edited on April 23, 2012 at 1:06 PM. Reason : ^]

4/23/2012 1:06:27 PM

hell, half the people in the "beach body" thread have given out advice on here... should they be prosecuted as well??

4/23/2012 1:08:06 PM

I was talking to my plumber the other day and said I had a headache, he advised me to take advil. I need to sue him because he's not a doctor.

4/23/2012 1:15:59 PM

Quote :

"He is only providing free "advice" and clearly states he isn't formally educated or licensed in the field."

the Board director said that even though he posted a disclaimer, you can't try to get the public to trust you as an "expert"

We'll see how the case turns out and whether or not there's a technicality about his disclaimer, and whether he can respond to questions publicly

Quote :

"(especially in the nutritional world where overweight, unhealthy yet licensed and educated doctors will give you completely false and outdated diet advice at times)"

That's why dietitians exist in the first place. THEY are the diet experts - NOT the doctors.

Quote :

"Nutritionist and dieticians are notoriously behind the curve on science/research"

lol. You must be referring to the FDA.

Quote :

"The problem is that requiring a license, and criminalizing it to give guidance with out it, puts a monopoly on the information and service."

You've gotta be kidding me. Let's do away with the nursing field then, because it's not fair that I want to give medical advice to strangers, but I can't because I'm not a RN.

4/23/2012 1:23:20 PM

Quote :

"hell, half the people in the "beach body" thread have given out advice on here... should they be prosecuted as well??"

exactly, i just emailed that thread to WRAL

4/23/2012 1:27:09 PM

Quote :

"That's why dietitians exist in the first place. THEY are the diet experts - NOT the doctors."

Doctors give advice all the time on diet and they are actually getting PAID when they do it. Certainly this is more "criminal" than someone on a blog who posts a clear disclaimer, especially since plenty of people would be more fooled into thinking this doctor is an expert than someone who has a blog and clearly states they are not. There are scores of financial blogs online by people who aren't certified but have disclaimers. Same goes for handyman sites run by people who aren't licensed contractors or engineers. Same for interior designers (yes, if you aren't just a "decorator" there is a certification required for interior design).

The freedom of information shouldn't have to be criminalized in any way to protect stupid people who can't read or understand a disclaimer or do their own research before taking a blogger's word as gospel.

The argument isn't over whether they will determine if it was illegal or not. The fact that it's even an issue is ridiculous.

Advice and opinions should not be criminalized. The laws for certification and licensure are in place to protect people from others who purposely POSE as experts or who charge people for services in which they are not qualified (but give the impression that they are). Skewing them into something like this opens a huge can of worms. Half the internet would have to be shut down if this is determined to be illegal.

[Edited on April 23, 2012 at 1:39 PM. Reason : ]

4/23/2012 1:31:25 PM

Your comparison is not valid. I'm not saying do away with nutritionist or dieticians.

I am saying that making it a criminal act to spread information is wrong and needs to be changed. The whole idea of requiring a license to provide a service is also something I don't support. As long as the consumer is aware, i.e. there's no fraud, of what level of service they are receiving, it should be OK.

4/23/2012 1:33:22 PM

I do see the value of licensing things that could be a public health issue, but the guy CLEARLY states that he is not licensed and all of that. He is just giving out information about what worked for HIM.

4/23/2012 1:37:26 PM

He should go to jail and let everyone else see the bullshit the state of NC likes to pull rather than actually taking care of people in this state.

4/23/2012 1:56:25 PM

Quote :

"I am not a doctor, dietitian nor nutritionist… in fact I have no medical training of any kind. If I can figure this out so should they… if it wasn’t for their … A) Intellectual Laziness B) Willful ignorance C) Greed D) All of the Above "

lol disclaimer

4/23/2012 2:31:23 PM

Quote :

"It would also not be difficult to find medical professionals or "nutrition gurus" advocating total nonsense, like Karen Ansel (spokesperson for the American Dietetics Assocation) suggesting that it's better to eat a donut in the morning over skipping breakfast:"

Fucking clueless.

I love this country.

FREEDOM

4/23/2012 2:51:38 PM

Well, I guess I'm toast, too, because my friends and family have asked me for advice on
nutrition, especially vegetarian nutrition, and I'm a student not yet with nursing licensure.

This is stupid. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at your diet, declare it sucks, and
advise specifically on how you eat better.

As a vegetarian, I see nothing wrong with the standard Paleo diet- don't go bingeing on piles of
fatty red meat, but there's sound advice in increasing your veggies and berries, and nuts, and lots of lean animal protein.

4/23/2012 4:03:28 PM

Quote :

"He should go to jail and let everyone else see the bullshit the state of NC likes to pull rather than actually taking care of people in this state."

That's really easy for a person behind a keyboard with no threat of going to jail to say.

4/23/2012 5:54:01 PM

how do you guys feel about jenny mccarthy spreading anti-vaccination garbage? just curious.

4/23/2012 6:48:55 PM

^^lol

4/23/2012 7:02:35 PM

If it is illegal to be wrong, insult the establishment, and shove your advice in the face of people who probably don't want to hear it then holy crap.

Those nuts are like half of the fucking internet. Oh right, congress was working on killing that too.

Quote :

"He should go to jail and let everyone else see the bullshit the state of NC likes to pull rather than actually taking care of people in this state."

I can't think of a cause that would be more worthy of me actually getting off my butt and protesting for.

4/23/2012 9:31:40 PM

A hope a higher court knocks the state of NC's dick in the dirt on this one.

4/23/2012 10:21:02 PM

I think someone could die by following this mans advice. I'm ok with this.

4/23/2012 10:30:24 PM

Being an idiot is a fundamental right. You can kill yourself by following the advice of lots of idiots out there.

4/23/2012 11:16:12 PM

Haven't looked into it deeply yet, but he does have a disclaimer, right?

If so, how is that different from all the nutrition/health books written by self-style gurus and new age-rs that are found in every bookstore? They all have disclaimers too, but they don't get into trouble.

Quote :

"I think someone could die by following this mans advice. I'm ok with this."

HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS have died following the FDA food pyramid in the last several decades, especially before the pyramid was changed a few years back.

But anyway, that's not the point. He has a disclaimer? End of story. And since when did it become illegal (in the US of all places) to narrate your life story to the public?


[Edited on April 24, 2012 at 3:54 AM. Reason : ]

4/24/2012 3:46:53 AM

Sorry to derail the thread! (not really sorry)

Quote :

"don't go bingeing on piles of fatty red meat"

Please elaborate on why this is?

The cholesterol/saturated fat scare has been fettered out as bad science.

I can make an argument that vegetarianism is more unhealthy for you than a meat based diet.

4/24/2012 5:30:42 AM

There has to be more to this than meets the eye. How does the gov find out about a random blog anyway?

And someone with the website address "diabetes warrior " shouldn't be giving out medically unsound advice to people with diabetes.

4/24/2012 8:52:25 AM

^^ I am genuinely interested in reading your argument. Please proceed.

4/24/2012 9:14:20 AM

^ six pages of arguments here, including by ^^^

message_search.aspx?type=topic§ion=1&searchstring=paleolithic

4/24/2012 9:29:27 AM

I'm not reading all that but can someone explain to me why a low carb diet is healthier and more sustainable than a regular diet + exercise?

4/24/2012 9:32:50 AM

What does exercise have to do with it? Do you think a person on a low carb diet can't exercise?
And you realize that everyone's "regular diet" differs, right?

4/24/2012 9:47:00 AM

No need to get defensive. I'm just asking why you folks think it's better to restrict carbohydrates.

[Edited on April 24, 2012 at 9:51 AM. Reason : I'm no dietician]

4/24/2012 9:51:02 AM

Carbs are an energy source, and most folks don't use that energy, so it turns to fat. There's a reason why marathoners eat pasta before a race. There's no reason for you to go apeshit at Olive Garden.

4/24/2012 10:06:18 AM

have you ever had their breadsticks...shit...

4/24/2012 10:10:19 AM

When you're here, you're fatasses

[Edited on April 24, 2012 at 10:14 AM. Reason : x]

4/24/2012 10:13:58 AM

Quote :

"Carbs are an energy source, and most folks don't use that energy, so it turns to fat. There's a reason why marathoners eat pasta before a race. There's no reason for you to go apeshit at Olive Garden."

So you need fewer carbs if you are less active...pretty much the point I was making above. I eat a shitload of carbs, but I need it because I exercise a lot. I'm also a naturally skinny bastard.

4/24/2012 10:16:25 AM

You really don't need the carbs, your body just burns them first. Only endurance atheletes really need carbs. Everyone else just could get by just fine on fat and protein.

4/24/2012 10:23:45 AM

jared from subway should be locked up for trying to sell us on his subway diet, bet he didnt have a license

4/24/2012 10:25:19 AM

Quote :

"^^ I am genuinely interested in reading your argument. Please proceed. "

Quote :

"No need to get defensive. I'm just asking why you folks think it's better to restrict carbohydrates."

The two most important macro-nutrients are protein and fat. They are essential. Meaning that you MUST eat them in order for your body to function and thrive. Carbs are not essential; your body can produce all you need.

Meats provide the highest quality of these essential nutrients. You can eat meats + vegetables liberally, without planning, and get all you need to sustain great health. With vegetarianism, if you want to optimize your performance and well being you have to meticulously plan your sources of nutrients to get enough essential fats and proteins.

Furthermore, there has even been a report of baby dying of malnutrition due to the drinking of vegetarian mother's milk. It completely lacked vitamin b-12 which is essential for energy production in the body.

The scare of high cholesterol and atherosclerosis due to saturated fat is also bad science. CVD is due to being sedentary, eating too much and having a shitty lifestyle. Not eating copious amounts of meat.

4/24/2012 10:28:36 AM

Quote :

" Only endurance atheletes really need carbs."

Why? What's the difference between carbs and fat/protein? I rock climb at a high level, and eating a bigass pasta dinner always makes me perform better the next day.

Quote :

"Carbs are not essential; your body can produce all you need."

So is weight loss essentially the only benefit? It seems that if you exercise a lot, or compete in athletic events, carbs become essential to optimizing your performance.

4/24/2012 10:36:36 AM

Carbs can be used to optimize your performance, but that doesn't make them essential.

4/24/2012 10:39:54 AM

Depending on the frequency, duration, and intensity of your activity; carbs may or may not optimize performance.

If you eat a large amount of carbs before a sporting event, yes you probably feel better. Especially if your body has been conditioned and optimized to use carbs for fuel. Eating carbs refills glycogen stores in your liver and muscle; your body has feed back mechanisms representing energy capacity. If your stores are full, the body is primed.

However, you don't need large amounts of carbs to refill glycogen stores. Even more so if your body is conditioned and optimized to use body fat for fuel.

Yes, if you are very active, carbs are a good source of energy. But not everyone wants to run around all the damn time. Myself as an example, I like to lift heavy and stay relatively lean, so I don't have to eat, nor is it productive to, eat high carb all the time.

4/24/2012 10:41:33 AM

Quote :

"explain to me why a low carb diet is healthier and more sustainable "

welp, no one ever argued that is is more sustainable (nor would they), so...

Quote :

"So you need fewer carbs if you are less active"

It's funny that we ever argue about this in the first place. Case in point:



The reality is that we have two problems:
- The soda
- The fries

You can't dismiss either of these. Both of them get stored and both cause long term health problems as they're stored. Neither of them are "okay" if you're active either. You can look healthy by eating crap and being and Olympic athlete. Doesn't change the fact that those calories would have been better filled by more portions of the real meal that has real food and real nutrition.

It's not the difference between the soda, fries, and steak that matters. It's the difference between the fries and the avocado
or the soda and the fruit
or the steak and the lentils
What matters is the quality of the calories you're getting. The entire debate between healthy and unhealthy people on both sides of the protein versus less-protein diets just goes to show that your body doesn't give much of a fuck. It's designed to work very well with an almost masochistic variety of diets. The problem is when we stuff it with fructose and trans fats for decades with an unnatural physical routine and wonder what went wrong.

4/24/2012 10:43:22 AM

^ Yeah agreed. The main idea we're all arguing is it doesn't matter if you're doing Paleo or vegetarian or whatever, Americans' diets in general suck because of all the processed fast food, sugary drinks and high fructose corn syrup.

Saying all vegetarians are going to kill their children is like saying anyone who eats a shit ton of red meat is going to kill their children through diet. I know a lot of fat vegetarians, as well as carnivores, and it has more to do with their beer consumption and sedentary lifestyle and crappy quality of food they're eating.

Me, I like my carbs, but I get most of them from veggies and fruits. Especially when biking >100 miles/week. If I don't eat enough, I get an insane craving for pasta or bread, just like when I don't get enough protein, all I want is eggs topped with beans, cheese and a veggie burger.

4/24/2012 12:39:12 PM

Quote :

"Furthermore, there has even been a report of baby dying of malnutrition due to the drinking of vegetarian mother's milk. It completely lacked vitamin b-12 which is essential for energy production in the body."

do you have a link for this report?

4/24/2012 12:51:26 PM