# dr charles clarke or dr bernstein



## johnsonhartley (Jun 10, 2010)

has anybody tried either of there diet plans .if so are they any good.thanks maria. x


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## Caroline (Jun 10, 2010)

I have heard of them, but don't know if the diet works. Is there a book or something to work from or with? This is a little push as someone else is sure to have some knowledge.


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## Northerner (Jun 10, 2010)

Hi Maria, a lot of people swear by Dr Bernstein's methods, and probably an equal number reagard them as extreme. I find it's worth checking out their books to learn about them, so that you can make informed decisions about whether it suits you. But you should also look into more 'mainstream' ideas, like the GL/GI diet, so that you are able to judge what compromises you might need to make (or not!) to give you a good quality of life.

Some people are prepared to go to extremes in modifying their diet and lifestyles, others are happier to take a more relaxed approach with the support of some medication. The main thing to remember is that we are all different, so you may be able to enjoy some favourite foods that others couldn't tolerate. If that is the case, then you shouldn't deny yourself such foods by sticking too rigidly to what one group of people say.

Have a look in our Recommended Books section too!


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## johnsonhartley (Jun 10, 2010)

Caroline said:


> I have heard of them, but don't know if the diet works. Is there a book or something to work from or with? This is a little push as someone else is sure to have some knowledge.



yes there book's iv'e seen on amazon. there for diebetes . maria x


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## johnsonhartley (Jun 10, 2010)

Northerner said:


> Hi Maria, a lot of people swear by Dr Bernstein's methods, and probably an equal number reagard them as extreme. I find it's worth checking out their books to learn about them, so that you can make informed decisions about whether it suits you. But you should also look into more 'mainstream' ideas, like the GL/GI diet, so that you are able to judge what compromises you might need to make (or not!) to give you a good quality of life.
> 
> Some people are prepared to go to extremes in modifying their diet and lifestyles, others are happier to take a more relaxed approach with the support of some medication. The main thing to remember is that we are all different, so you may be able to enjoy some favourite foods that others couldn't tolerate. If that is the case, then you shouldn't deny yourself such foods by sticking too rigidly to what one group of people say.
> 
> Have a look in our Recommended Books section too!



hi northener . i did the dr charles clarke diet about 2 year's ago but didn't havr diabetes then  i just wanted to loose weight . i lost 2stone it was so easy for me . but now i've got type 2 im a bit scared  just wanted to no if anyone with it has been ok on it. no nothing about dr bernstein was also wandering if it's the same diet. thanks maria


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## Northerner (Jun 10, 2010)

johnsonhartley said:


> hi northener . i did the dr charles clarke diet about 2 year's ago but didn't havr diabetes then  i just wanted to loose weight . i lost 2stone it was so easy for me . but now i've got type 2 im a bit scared  just wanted to no if anyone with it has been ok on it. no nothing about dr bernstein was also wandering if it's the same diet. thanks maria



Ah! Charles Clarke has written a book for diabetics - click on the link to see my review of it:

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=2729

I think Bernstein is more extreme.


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## johnsonhartley (Jun 10, 2010)

Northerner said:


> Ah! Charles Clarke has written a book for diabetics - click on the link to see my review of it:
> 
> http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=2729
> 
> I think Bernstein is more extreme.



cheer's northener.


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## wallycorker (Jun 10, 2010)

johnsonhartley said:


> has anybody tried either of there diet plans .if so are they any good.thanks maria. x


Hi Maria,

Personally, I don't follow anybody's diet plan specifically and never have. I adopted my own diet by starting to test and then cutting back - or cutting out altogether - on foods that sent my blood glucose figures high.

However, I do recommend the approaches of both these doctors to you in terms of tackling the problems of diabetes. As far as I am concerned these two doctors seem to understand what is happening to people with diabetes much more than most people that I have met - or the many books that I've read on the subject.

I certainly recommend that people with diabetes do read books written by these two doctors. However, more importantly, I would recommend to anyone with diabetes that they should start testing to find out what different foods do to their blood glucose levels and then adapt their diet accordingly.

That approach certainly worked for me.

Good luck and best wishes - John


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## johnsonhartley (Jun 10, 2010)

wallycorker said:


> Hi Maria,
> 
> Personally, I don't follow anybody's diet plan specifically and never have. I adopted my own diet by starting to test and then cutting back - or cutting out altogether - on foods that sent my blood glucose figures high.
> 
> ...



thanks john .i think i will try testing first. waiting for my glucose meter  to come thank's to northener  . .


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## Caroline (Jun 10, 2010)

we have loads of information, read all you can and see which you feel most comfortable with. We are all different.


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## VBH (Jun 10, 2010)

Bernstein for type 2?

Unwise and potentially dangerous.

In a "normal" diet (as recommended by DUK, BDA, DoH etc) your intake of carbs is 230g per day.  Bernstein's target is around 20 carbs per day.  Reducing carbs too far, too fast can cause serious damage and I know of at least one person who did serious damage to their eyes by taking an extreme approach to carb reduction.  So if you do look into it, do not try and rush anything and be damn careful.

Bernstein's approach was originally aimed only at T1s as an approach to reduce the carbs, reducing the insulin requirements and reducing the margin for error.  Its all about the number of carbs.  The raw _number_ of carbs is far more important to T1s than it is to T2s.

I can't comment on Clarke's, not knowing enough about it.

What may work far better for you is to work out a diet which suits you personally.  Its not necessarily about the number of carbs in a meal, but how each meal affects your blood glucose level.  Then you keep having the meals which do not raise your BG too high and either stop having the meals which raise you too high, or tweak them until they are acceptable.  Along the way you learn how individual foods are likely affect you - so you go eat out somewhere and have a reasonable idea of whats safe for you to have....

....rather than have a plate of leaves because everything else has too much carb in it.

Very low carb diets are very restrictive and unnecessary.  So if you work out what suits you personally instead, you have FAR more flexibility and its immediately aimed at the foods you already like instead of working off a list of what someone else considers to be "acceptable.

Try reading these for an idea of how to get started:
http://diabetesforum.org.uk/jennifers-advice
http://diabetesforum.org.uk/getting-started-t2


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## johnsonhartley (Jun 10, 2010)

VBH said:


> Bernstein for type 2?
> 
> Unwise and potentially dangerous.
> 
> ...



thank's for that i.ve already decided not to try them. thanks again for taking the time out to advise me maria x


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