Two people annoyed with each other sitting in chairs looking opposite directions. Between them are two mute icons and a blate with angry scribbles on it.

Keto vs. Not Keto: How Did We Get Here?

There are two camps when it comes to how to deal with type 2 diabetes. There is ‘keto’ and there is ‘not keto’. How did we get here?

Diet opinions are dividing us

Whatever happened to 'I’m happy you have found what works for you'? Why can’t you be happy for me that I found what works for me? How did we get to a place where the defense of treatment has become a long masterfully written post to prove that I’m right and you're not? The insistence that the research is only supporting one way? When did we become so divided? Who started us on the path that keeps us apart? How did we get here?

I am disappointed in us, all of us. We could be so much more if we were not divided. But we are divided. Divided to a point where we can hardly talk to one another. When we do talk to one another, it’s a battleground. One side says you must be uninformed or weak-minded if you don’t do it my way. The other side says no, we’ve never done it that way so we can’t do it that way. How did we get here?

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Why aren't we listening to one another?

We have stopped listening to each other. We have stopped being respectful. Many decide to stop talking; they leave or threaten to leave the support that is available because ‘you’re not listening to me’. ‘I’m right, you’re not’. We no longer talk TO each other, we talk AT each other. How did we get here?

It’s become a blame game. If you don’t do it my way, then you are to blame. It’s your fault. Or it’s big pharma’s fault. No one is denying that pharmaceutical companies make big bucks off disease. But why would we place blame on each other if the drugs work for some of us? How did we get here?

Research says...

Do we not understand there is scientific evidence that supports both camps? Do we also not understand that maybe, just maybe, the research hasn’t come far enough to prove that the solution is somewhere in the middle? Maybe neither camp is 100% right. Nothing else in life is in absolutes. Why would we expect this to be? How did we get here?

Unite instead of divide

I am happy, so very happy that you have found what works for you. I know what works for me. I also understand that what works for me may not be what works for you. I’m ok with that. I want what you’re doing to work for you. I just want you to be healthy. But I also want to hear your story. I want to learn from you. We shove our thoughts down each other’s throats when we can’t agree on who is right. The more we fight amongst ourselves the less support we have. Refusing to hear each other will never bring us together, it will only further divide us. This disease is hard enough, devastating enough to live with, without us causing harm to each other through our inability to get along.

How did we get here? The answer to that is, “I don’t know” but I sure wish we would stop the destructive conversations so we can help each other, so we can be there for each other, so we can support each other in whatever path we choose.

Is that really so much to ask?

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Type2Diabetes.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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