Ross Walter Nutritionist and Naturopath health articles and blog - Ross Walter Nutritionist & Naturopath

DIABETES: WHY DOES THE USUAL TREATMENT MAKE IT WORSE?

5/12/2017

Today is apparently World Diabetes Day (Nov 14), to raise awareness of the condition of diabetes, and to get more funding for the diabetes associations for research into this condition.
Why? When we already know what causes diabetes, and how to reverse it! (This refers to Type 2 Diabetes, although Type 1 symptoms and effects can be greatly reduced, but not completely cleared)

Diabetes is a metabolic condition where blood sugar levels are constantly high due to dysfunctional hormones ...such as insulin, leptin, and ghrelin and others. The body no longer responds correctly to these hormones. High blood glucose is very toxic and damaging to the body, especially to the blood vessels (causing atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, ulcers and loss of blood supply to lower extremities), the nerves (causing loss of sensitivity and feeling in extremities), eye conditions, kidney damage, liver damage and more.

The Diabetes associations worldwide and most dietitians are in denial about what causes diabetes! They blame dietary fat for making people fat, which can lead to diabetes, so they claim. This is so untrue! Then they tell diabetics to eat less fat and more carbohydrates - mainly grains and grain products (breads, cereals, muesli bars, pasta), rice, oats, fruit juice etc.

But it's CARBS which cause high blood sugars! It's the constant intake of high carbohydrate foods which maintain, prolong and worsen the symptoms of diabetes, NOT dietary fats!

But diabetics are told to eat more of the very thing which causes high blood sugar - carbs! Why? It's insane!

I have reversed type 2 diabetes in people who have had the condition for over 10 years, in a couple of weeks! In fact, their fasting blood sugar readings dropped into the normal range within a few days! All because of getting the right scientifically proven nutrition advice and some lifestyle changes, in an easy to follow treatment plan.

If you have diabetes or someone you know does and hasn't been able to improve their symptoms in a few weeks, then I would love to help! Type 2 Diabetes is completely reversible! But it needs to be treated by someone who understands the condition and who focuses on the root causes, and not by someone who wants to just "manage" the symptoms.

Make a decision to reverse type 2 diabetes today, and improve your quality of life!

new research shows artificial sweeteners cause weight gain

18/7/2017

I have written and warned people before about the dangers of some artificial sweeteners (see my other articles below or on my Facebook page), but some new research has been published which again confirms some of the major dangers of these chemicals (Azad et al., 2017).

This new study, published today (17th July 2017), reviewed 37 other studies on over 400,000 people and up to a 10-year follow-up. The study focused on artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose, usually found in diet soft drinks and cordials, and weight loss shakes or protein powders, to name just a few products they are in. The study also looked at studies on stevioside (Stevia extract).

Some of the findings included that the artificial sweeteners can:

1) have adverse effects on glucose metabolism
2) affect your gut microbiome (digestive bacteria) by acting as an antibiotic
3) affect appetite control by stimulating appetite and preventing fullness after a meal, so you eat more and put on more weight
4) increase fat stores, thus contributing to obesity
5) increase the risk of various heart disease symptoms, including high blood pressure, stroke, and other heart-related events
6) increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

The study concluded to say that they found "the consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners was NOT associated with weight loss", and that "the evidence does not clearly support the intended benefits of non-nutritive sweeteners for weight management", and "routine consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners may be associated with a long-term increase in weight and elevated risk of cardiometabolic disease".

This study highlights the importance of checking your product labels for these chemicals - aspartame (E951), sucralose (E955), and stevioside (E960), and avoiding these products. Install an additive app on your smart phone so you can check the additive numbers while you are shopping!

If you feel you need to use artificial sweeteners to lose weight, then you are not focusing on the causes of weight gain, and you can be making your weight worse.

If your weight is an issue, I can help by identifying all the causes of your weight gain, and resolving those to help you to achieve a healthy weight! This can be done with personalised consultations, or our weight loss program.

Please contact me for more information.

Is salt good or bad for your health?

28/5/2017

For decades we have been told that salt is bad for us, will give us heart disease and will kill us. We are told it is as bad as smoking, not exercising, or eating saturated fat or cholesterol. The latter has been thoroughly disproven as a cause of heart disease, so is salt just another example of poor science which is actually us more harm? Read on!

"Salt" comes in many types, but the main health complaints are about "sodium chloride" or "table salt". The alleged issue with salt is that is causes high blood pressure which puts undue strain on your heart and blood vessels, leading to kidney damage, heart disease and heart attacks.

Sodium levels in your body can be affected by many factors including intake of potassium and calcium (deficiencies of these can cause higher sodium levels), water intake, amount of exercise undertaken, alcohol intake, and other factors.

Blood pressure on the other hand can be affected by many factors also, including stress, nutrient intake (and deficiencies), weight gain, genetics, age, metabolic hormones, blood sugar levels, and other causes.

Hence salt intake is only one of many possible causes of high sodium levels and blood pressure!

However, in many published studies high blood pressure isn't caused by salt, but salt may exacerbate pre-existing high blood pressure symptoms or heart issues, or in those with diabetes or kidney conditions. Over 80% of people with normal blood pressure do not show any signs of high blood pressure from increasing their salt intake. Even those with high blood pressure, 75% are not sensitive to salt! In fact, having very low sodium levels is likely to kill you much quicker than having higher sodium levels or even high blood pressure.

Other issues with "table salt" include that is also contain various fillers including MSG (a known neurotoxin), anti-caking chemicals, aluminium (another neurotoxin), and in "iodised salt", iodine, which is needed in the diet but can lead to excessive iodine causing thyroid problems. Table salt is added to many processed and packaged foods such as breads, cakes, biscuits, crackers, sauces, and many more foods as it can act as a preservative so the food can last longer.

The fact is that we NEED salt in our diets as our bodies use the components of salt - sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and over 60 or more other trace minerals. We need salt for all of our body functions, including for our brain and nervous system, bone health, pH balance, energy production, digestion and even needed for good heart and muscle activity! Table salt does not contain these additional minerals which are essential for good health, or which can negate the issues of just having just sodium and chloride.

Too little salt (or having deficiencies of the minerals in salt) can lead to insulin resistance, increased fat storage, diabetes, low energy, reduced libido, infertility, poor bone health, poor nervous system function and reduced muscle function including weakness and cramps.

Another major cause of heart disease (other than the disproven saturated fat and cholesterol myths) is actually a high intake of sugar and foods which break down into sugar. This causes inflammation of the blood vessels, insulin resistance, weight gain, diabetes, kidney damage, and high blood pressure and cholesterol levels - most of the symptoms being blamed on salt!

Which types of salt are good for you? Most unrefined sea salt is good, but I'd recommend either Celtic sea salt or Himalayan pink salt, because they contain so many other beneficial trace minerals!
Adding these good salts to food is a healthier option, however you shouldn't need to add salt to every meal. If you crave salty foods, there are other causes to this than just lacking salt - you may be deficient in some nutrients which the salt is providing in small amounts. If you are frequently craving salt, then you should see your friendly Naturopath (me!) to investigate which minerals you may be deficient in, and how to correct this with your diet or supplementation.

So don't worry about salt, providing you are having enough of the good stuff! However if you do have high blood pressure, I can help to identify the causes and improve your overall health!

is fruit as bad as sugar for your health?

22/9/2016

We hear frequently that processed sugar is bad for us, causing everything from acne to weight gain! The truth is that sugar is a lot worse than that! It can also cause diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, cancer and many other chronic health conditions.

Does this also apply to the sugar found in fruit? Lets find out!

The fruit sugar is called fructose, which is different to the glucose found in vegetables. These different types of sugars are absorbed and used differently i...n the body. The good news is that the fibre in fresh and whole fruit slows down the absorption of fructose! So it would be hard to overdose on fresh whole fruit! Although this may not be ideal to do if you have diabetes, cancer or heart disease.

Fresh, whole fruit provides an abundance of vitamins, minerals, fibre, antioxidants, and many phytonutrients to improve your health. The best fruits are those that are organic, in season, and locally grown - for the highest nutrient content.

In small amounts, up to 60% of fructose is converted to glucose to be used for energy by the body's cells, and any excess is stored as fat. However in concentrated forms of fructose like dried fruit, soft drinks, fruit juices, and corn syrup, honey, maple and agave syrups, fructose is converted by the liver directly into fat.

High intakes of concentrated fructose has been shown in research to increase blood sugar and cholesterol more than other types of sugars, causing weight gain, fatty liver, and inflammation of the blood vessels, leading to diabetes and heart disease and many other health conditions.

For your future health and prevention of health conditions, stick to fresh whole fruit regularly in your diet, but avoid the concentrated forms of fructose as these will make your health worse.

Type 2 diabetes - preventable and reversible

15/7/2016

This week is National Diabetes Week, to help raise awareness of this range of chronic conditions and hopefully prevent more people from being diagnosed with diabetes.

The most common form is type 2 diabetes is completely preventable and reversible, without the need for any medication or insulin. Recent research confirms this, as I have also seen with clients.
Unfortunately the diabetes foundations, charities or awareness groups are still recommending the wrong advice for prevention and treatments for diabetes, despite the mountain of evidence of more effective options.
Type 2 diabetes is a result of poor dietary and lifestyle choices, partly because of poor advice from the government food guidelines on what you should eat and the media. In type 2, the body becomes resistant to the effects of the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels (amongst many other things). This leads to high blood sugar levels which is toxic and inflammatory to the body, causing weight gain, nerve damage, then high blood pressure, which in turn causes eye damage, kidney damage, poor circulation and healing (and eventual amputation of limbs) and death if untreated. Other hormones and other factors play a part in the development and progression of diabetes too.
The medical approach to treatment is to reduce calories or kJ intake especially saturated fat, with exercise and medications. There's some major problems with this approach - 1) medications do not address the cause of the problem, and 2) reducing overall kJ or saturated fat will do next to nothing for reversing the condition, and may likely make your health worse...
Why? Because type 2 diabetes is a condition of an abnormal insulin response. What causes an insulin response? Carbohydrates and proteins. Not fats, and certainly not saturated fats. Carbohydrates cause the highest insulin effects in the body, in particular sugary foods and drinks, fruit juices, whole grain products (whole grains, breakfast cereals, pasta, bread and other bakery products), dairy (high in sugar), and alcoholic drinks. Many of these foods we are told are "healthy" in the government food guidelines - whole grain products, fruit juice, and dairy! The government food advice is causing this current epidemic of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic health conditions.
Reducing unhealthy carbohydrates such as those above will reduce the insulin response, reduce high blood sugar levels to normal, reduce weight, reduce blood pressure and stop the other signs and symptoms of diabetes.
Of course there is more to preventing and reversing diabetes than just reducing unhealthy carbohydrates, but that's where I can help as a Nutritionist and Naturopath! I can help with personalised nutritional and lifestyle advice, for the easiest and most effective results!

What is the difference between a nutritionist and dietitian?

10/5/2016

If you ever wanted to know what the difference between a Nutritionist and a Dietitian is, the best practical example was shown on last night's "Sunday Night" program on channel 7 (8th May 2016), which you can see here if you missed it - https://au.news.yahoo.com/sunday-night/features/a/31538041/the-saving-australia-diet/

This is a story of 3 average Australians who are overweight, have appalling diets and lifestyles, and have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as a result of their choices. Yes, type 2 diabetes is caused by your food and lifestyle choices, and is very easy to completely reverse!

In part 1 of this series, the 3 diabetes sufferers are given 3 different treatments:
1) one will follow the Paleo lifestyle and advised by chef Pete Evans and orthopedic surgeon Dr Gary Fettke (also an author and health champion for reducing sugar and polyunsaturated oils). The Paleo lifestyle (as it's not really a diet because it doesn't restrict calories) is to eat more vegies, healthy fats, grass-fed meats, fermented foods, and cutting dairy, grains and sugar - so it's just real, natural, low-inflammatory foods!
2) one will follow the 5:2 diet as proposed by Michael Mosely (a journalist!). This diet restricts your diet to just 800 calories (normally 2000 calories is recommended by dietitians for a "normal" daily intake) for 5 days, then letting go and having pretty much anything on the other 2 days per week with no calorie restrictions.
3) the last person will get advice from a Dietitian, and follow the "rules" as instructed by the Dietitians Association of Australia and the government's food guidelines.

The cause of diabetes is simple - wrong food choices of high-carbohydrate foods such as sugary foods and drinks, alcohol, breads and bakery products, and whole grain foods - breakfast cereals, pasta and more. Refined or processed carbohydrates like these break down into glucose (ie sugar) in the body quickly, leading to high blood sugar levels. The body responds to this by secreting large amounts of insulin, which does 2 main things - 1) forces cells to take in more glucose (because high blood glucose is toxic and inflammatory), and 2) forces the body to turn the excess blood sugar into fat. Simply, high amounts of these carbohydrate foods causes weight gain as fat.

Over time, the body gets less responsive to the high blood glucose, which remains high, and the pancreas (the organ which produces insulin) starts producing less because it's worn out. This leads to insulin resistance (as insulin no longer works), constant very high blood glucose, inflammation of the blood vessels, high cholesterol, eyesight starts to fail, nerves stop working (hence a lack of feeling in legs mainly) and can lead to infections that don't heal and eventual amputation being required. The kidneys start failing too, leading to high blood pressure, then heart disease, then death. So diabetes is a very serious condition.

Then we come back to the point of the article - what is the difference between Nutritionist and a Dietitian? There are many in this example of type 2 diabetes:
1) A Nutritionist will treat the cause of health issues by recommending reducing refined and processed carbohydrate foods as listed above, and replacing them with healthier alternatives so the sufferer doesn't feel they are missing out or going on a diet where they are frequently hungry. A Nutritionist will recommend more vegies, healthy proteins from grass-fed meats and plant sources, healthy fats (which don't lead to weight gain!) and reducing bad fats such as trans-fat, and a healthy lifestyle of more movement, reducing stress and its effects, and more.
2) A Dietitian (as shown in the episode above) wanted to increase fibre in their diet (ie more vegies) which is great, but to go on a diet by restricting calories (ie a low-fat diet), and INCREASING intake of whole grains! This will prolong the high blood sugar and pancreas issues in this sufferer because grain based food (high in carbs) are part of the cause of diabetes!
3) A Nutritionist uses treatments from recent proven scientific research. A Dietitian will follow the recommendations of the Dietitians Association of Australia which are NOT backed up by recent research, but by corporate interests and food companies who have a say in the guidelines or who support the DAA financially, as listed on their website (a conflict of interest?). Dietitians who step outside the DAA guidelines with a low-carbohydrate diet for diabetes are de-registered and kicked out of the association as seen in one case in 2014: http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2015/10/jennifer-elliott-vs-dietitians-association-of-australia/
4) A Nutritionist won't recommend a restrictive diet for diabetes, won't recommend calorie counting (as calories are not all equal and affect people differently anyway). Diets can be very restrictive and tough for people to stick to long term. And then the body will adapt to the low food intake and start slowing down metabolism and energy production, and actually storing more fat because it thinks it is starving! This is why there is the rebound effect after a short while on a diet. Hence diets don't work!
5) A Nutritionist recognises that health conditions are complex and often have multiple causative factors, which can be different in people with the same condition. Hence they will recommend a holistic (whole body) personalised treatment plan, because everyone is different! A Dietitian has a "one size fits all" approach with a single treatment plan for everyone, which is the standard medical approach. Dietitians mostly work in a hospital environment. Have you seen the food fed to hospital patients lately? I rest my case...

We will see how this story concludes later!

type 2 diabetes is completely reversible!

8/4/2016

If these statistics (in the picture) from the World Health Organisation are correct, this is pretty scary and a sad indictment of the state of health policies and education around the world, and the marketing of junk foods.

Diabetes (in particular, Type 2 Diabetes) is a metabolic disorder, meaning that it is caused by diet and lifestyle choices and is COMPLETELY REVERSIBLE with scientifically proven nutrition and lifestyle changes!

Unfortunately the governments, dietitians, medical profession and junk food corporations keep pushing dietary advice that causes more people to develop diabetes, and making diabetes symptoms worse. Just look at the food pyramid (see my article on this recently on this page) and government dietary guidelines which say to eat 45-65% of your food intake as carbohydrates!
Carbohydrates in your body (such as sugar, whole grains, alcohol, breads, pasta, soft drinks, fruit juices and more) are quickly broken down into glucose (ie, sugar) which causes a high blood sugar spike - which is toxic to your body, as it's effectively diabetes. Your body responds to this high blood glucose by secreting a lot of insulin, a hormone which tells your body's cells to take in the high blood sugar, and also to store the excess blood sugar into body fat stores.
The resulting quick clearing of blood sugar then causes low blood sugar levels, so you feel hungry, have mood swings, and get cravings for another quick "hit" of carbohydrate (ie sugar) again and the cycle continues. Eventually your poor pancreas (the organ that produces insulin) becomes so overworked and unable to keep producing enough insulin quickly enough for all the carbohydrates you eat, that its function slows and your blood sugars remain at very high toxic levels for longer.
Constant high blood sugar levels also cause your body's cells to start to ignore the signals of insulin - as if it was a false signal. Your body is now "immune" or resistant to the effects of insulin, so your blood glucose levels remain at very toxic high levels.
If type 2 diabetes is not treated or reversed with dietary and lifestyle improvements, high blood sugar levels cause a lot of inflammation and damage in the body, in blood vessels, the liver, kidneys and many other organs, and can lead to atherosclerosis, heart disease, kidney damage, nerve damage, eye damage and more, and can even lead to death.
In short, a diet high in carbohydrates (sugar, whole grain products, and alcohol being the worst) cause weight gain, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Dietary recommendations that continue to recommend high carbohydrate diets for everyone are causing this epidemic in diabetes and obesity!
What should you eat instead? That's whole new topic! Or just contact me for a personalised consultation to help you with the correct and proven advice to lose weight, reverse type 2 diabetes, and be healthier!

Does the paleo diet cause weight gain and diabetes?

25/2/2016

I have previously written about the Paleo diet in an article below. The Paleo diet copped another battering in the media this week when an Australian study was made public that this diet can lead to rapid weight gain and insulin levels (ie, type 2 diabetes) in the body.

I have read the study and some of the facts hidden from the media articles are:
1) The study believes incorrectly that the Paleo diet is Low Carbohydrate and High Fat (LCHF) and was configured as such.
2) The study was done on just 9 mice, over an 8-week period. Mice don't have the same metabolism or biochemistry, the number of them isn't anywhere near enough for scientific relevance, and an 8-week period is not really long enough.
3) The mice used were a genetically modified (GM) breed, which have altered metabolism so they develop severe obesity, type 2 diabetes and autoimmune conditions - hence they are already diseased, and aren't suitable test subjects or likely to produce any valid conclusions relevant to humans.
4) The Paleo diet is NOT low carb! It is high in vegetables and fruits, which contain mostly carbs! However the Paleo diet is very low in processed carbs, meaning no sugar, milk, breads, or any other grain products. This is a lot different to the study where the only carbs (6% of their diet) came from simple sugar, which is NOT a healthy carbohydrate!
5) The Paleo diet is NOT high fat! It has a higher fat content, but healthy fats found in eggs, avocadoes, fish, grass-fed meats, nuts and seeds. These healthy fats do not contribute to weight gain in body fat! In the study, a whopping 81% of the diets for the GM mice was fat! This isn't a valid representation of the Paleo diet either.

And I could go on... with such a biased study design, the conclusions just defy logic and contradict all independent research studies on nutrition and the causes of diabetes.

This is the problem with modern science that is dominated by limited research funding being provided by corporates wanting a positive spin in research studies so they can maintain their profits. As a result, studies like this one can be biased from the beginning and deliberately setup to get the results they want. Only by looking into the real facts of such studies with a critical eye can issues like this be found. Unfortunately the media don't check this and they just feed you what the biased press release tells them! It's corporate profits trumping over your health, sadly.

So what does cause weight gain and diabetes? Your diet certainly plays a part, with excessive sugar and processed carbohydrates causing high blood sugar levels and high insulin levels, with insulin converting the excess blood sugar into body fat. A diet higher in healthy fats does not raise blood sugar or insulin levels, and does not contribute to body fat!

There are many other factors that lead to weight gain and diabetes too - stress, lifestyle factors, environmental factors, poor sleep quality/quantity, and various nutritional deficiencies, and more. This is what I can help you with - finding the causes and resolving them, to bring you back to health!

type 2 diabetes is preventable and completely reversible!

14/11/2015

This Saturday (14th November 2015) is world diabetes day, to raise awareness of about the different types of diabetes.

Type 1 is also called "insulin dependent" or "juvenile onset" diabetes as it usually first appears in young toddlers at ages 1-4, but can occur later too. This is the condition where the pancreas cannot secrete enough of the hormone insulin. As a result, sufferers need to inject insulin to stay alive. There are 2 subtypes - type 1a is the autoimmune form, where the body's immune system attacks the pancreas, and type 1b being the "unknown cause" form.

Type 2 is called "non-insulin dependent" or "insulin resistant" diabetes, as the body becomes immune or stops responding to insulin, even though the body makes enough of it.
Type 3 is also known as Alzheimer's Disease, as it shares many symptoms and physiological effects with other types of diabetes.

Gestational Diabetes is another type, seen in pregnant women.

The hormone insulin brings down blood glucose levels, by enabling cells to take up the glucose in the blood for energy, and it is also used to store the excess glucose as body fat.

Symptoms of high blood sugar include frequent urination, increased thirst, tiredness, blurred vision and more. Untreated diabetes can lead to a diabetic coma, as well as high blood pressure which then causes eye diseases and kidney disease/failure, which then progresses to heart disease/failure, strokes and death. Hence diabetes has very serious long-term health implications.

The good news is that the most common form of diabetes, type 2, which can progress into all the other types, is completely preventable and reversible, without the need for any medication or insulin! Recent research confirms this, as I have also seen with clients.

More recently research is showing that type 1 may also be preventable or alternative treatments can help to reduce the amount of insulin needed.

If you or someone you know has diabetes, particularly type 2, and they would like to prevent further complications, I would like to help!

What do I specialise in?

31/8/2015

I've had some people recently ask me what is my specialty, or what conditions do I help with. My specialty is helping people with cancer. Strangely enough, somewhat related to cancer is weight loss and type 2 diabetes, which I do help people with too!

There is a well known fact that the typical unhealthy western diet contributes to weight gain, which in turn leads to diabetes and cancer. Conversely, improving your nutrition can relieve the symptoms of weight gain and cancer. This can only be achieved with a holistic approach which includes specific nutrition and lifestyle advice, stress relief, emotional healing, and a lot more.

Cancer has been a major interest of mine for many years. While I don't treat cancer as such, I treat and support the whole body to relieve symptoms, reduce the side-effects of cancer treatments, reduce pain, and generally improve quality of life. There is much recent research that an intake of good nutrition (together with specific supplements) can do all of these things, and I only use scientifically proven treatments (ie "evidence based") to help improve peoples' health.

If you know anyone who is looking for a more natural, gentle approach to weight issues or cancer, I'd be grateful if I were able to help.