Am I Wrong to Question the American Diabetes Association?

I’ve had type 2 diabetes for over a decade, and somehow, I’m just now realizing… I may have been doing this all wrong.

It’s not for lack of effort. I’ve followed the advice. I’ve eaten the “right” foods. I’ve done my best to manage my blood sugar the way I was told. And yet, after all these years, I’m thinking, why the hell isn’t this working?

It's not like I've been perfect. As a chef, I've had good days and honestly bad weeks of eating. Lots of post-meal guilty glucose readings, making me feel like shit and defeated, both physically and emotionally. But my "net carbs" were low and my diet is "balanced". WTF?

Eh.. I'm young. I've got time to figure this diabetes thing out. I'm eating what "they" say to eat and yeah, my numbers are kind of high, but I'm trying my best.. I tell my doctor I'm watching my carbs but my A1C comes in and it's higher than expected.

Now I'm facing cranial nerve damage and the early signs of other medical complications stemming from type 2 diabetes. There are no excuses; it's time to get my shit together.

Over the 10 years that I tried to eat according to what the experts say, I NEVER saw improvement in my numbers. It took more and more medication to even make a dent in my A1C numbers.

I KNOW food. I'm a fucking chef.

"How is food, the passion of my life also slowly killing me? "

See, I was the good little diabetic. I tried to follow the rules. I avoided sugar, I ate “healthy carbs,” I watched my portions, I made room for whole grains and fruit because, according to the big fancy organization with ‘Diabetes’ in its name, these were the things that would keep me on track.

That’s where the American Diabetes Association (ADA) comes in—or, more accurately, where it starts to fall apart.

But here’s the problem. Carbs are still carbs.

And if my issue is literally that my body can’t handle carbs well, then why the hell am I eating so many of them?

The ADA Loves Carbs. My Blood Sugar? Not So Much.

I’ve started looking at the ADA’s food recommendations with fresh eye (Yes, eye. My other is not doing so well..)

Honestly? I have questions.

Big ones.

They tell me to eat:

• Whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat bread)

• Legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas)

• Fruit (bananas, apples, grapes)

• Low-fat dairy (because heaven forbid we eat butter)

Okay. But let’s play a fun game called "What Do These Foods Have in Common?"

Answer: They all spike my blood sugar. Like insanely high.

Sure, some spike it faster than others, and some come with fiber and nutrients, but at the end of the day, my glucose meter doesn’t care that my brown rice was "heart-healthy." It just sees carbs and goes, "Guess we’re doing this again!"

Which begs the question: Why does the ADA still tell diabetics to eat the thing that screws us up?

Fat Isn’t the Enemy… But They Still Treat It Like One

Then there’s the fat issue.

For years, the ADA (and basically every mainstream nutrition body) has been telling us to fear fat. Don’t eat butter. Don’t eat red meat. Stay away from saturated fat because it’ll clog your arteries and make you drop dead on the spot.

So instead, they told us to eat:

• Low-fat yogurt (aka sugar in a tub)

• Whole wheat toast with margarine (omega-6 bomb)

• "Heart-healthy" vegetable oils (spoiler: they’re garbage)

And yet, when you look at actual science, fat is one of the best things for diabetics. It doesn’t spike blood sugar, keeps you full longer, and helps regulate insulin.

So why are we still pretending like butter is the enemy, but a whole wheat bagel is fine?

I don’t have the answer to that. I just know that for years, I was terrified of eating eggs and steak but had no problem eating oatmeal and whole grain cereal. Because that’s what I was told to do.

I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to think that might have been a colossal mistake.

Wait… Are We Supposed to Stay Diabetic?

The more I look at this, the more I wonder: Is the ADA even trying to reverse diabetes?

Because from where I’m standing, it looks like their advice is built around managing diabetes—not fixing it.

They want us to stay on medications, monitor our blood sugar, and eat in a way that keeps the cycle going. I’m not saying there’s a conspiracy here, but I am saying that the diabetes industry makes billions every year on medications, glucose monitors, and insulin prescriptions.

If people started fixing their blood sugar issues, that’s a lot of money down the drain.

Just saying.

Enter the American Diabetes Society

So here’s where I landed after my little nutritional identity crisis:

Not all diabetes organizations push the same outdated nonsense.

The American Diabetes Society (ADS) actually acknowledges that low-carb eating is effective for blood sugar control.

They focus more on:

• Reducing carbs (instead of worshipping them)

• Eating protein and healthy fats

• Ditching processed grains and seed oils

This is shockingly logical to me. If carbs are the problem, maybe the answer isn’t “eat them, just less!”—maybe the answer is “stop eating so many damn carbs!”

Groundbreaking, I know.

So… What Am I Supposed to Eat?

At this point, I’ve thrown out the old playbook and started over.

Here’s what actually seems to work for me (and for a lot of people who’ve ditched the ADA’s advice):

1. Low-Carb, High-Protein, High-Fat Eating

Instead of the ADA-approved “balanced plate” full of things that send my glucose into orbit, I’m sticking to:

• Animal proteins (steak, eggs, chicken, fish)

• Healthy fats (butter, ghee, tallow, coconut oil, olive oil)

• Low-carb vegetables (leafy greens, cauliflower, zucchini)

• Minimal to no grains, sugars, or starchy carbs

2. No More “Diabetes-Friendly” Processed Junk

There is nothing diabetes-friendly about:

• Seed oils (soybean, canola, sunflower oil)

• Low-fat dairy filled with sugar

• Packaged "keto" snacks made with almond flour and fake sweeteners

3. Embracing Fat Like It’s My Long-Lost Friend

I was afraid of fat for way too long. Now, I use butter, ghee, and tallow without guilt because I finally get that fat isn’t the problem—carbs are.

Did I Just Waste 10 Years?

If I had known this 10 years ago, would I be in a different place with my health today?

Honestly? Probably, yes.

But I'm not throwing blame around. We all have a responsibility to be our own health advocate. I could have done better and I can’t change the past. I can only move forward and start doing things differently now.

I don’t have all the answers yet, but I do know there's something about the ADA’s advice doesn’t sit right with me anymore. And if you're doing well following the ADA's advice, then congratulations on conquering your type 2 diabetes.

I’m done just following orders.

I’m done assuming the people in charge have it all figured out.

I’m ready to start questioning, experimenting, and figuring out what actually works.

Because at this point, I've got to take responsibility for my own health. Even if that means the need to question everything.