NEXT MEETING
Next meeting: 7pm: Monday 12th June 2023
Venue: Gam Farm, Moor Lane, Grassington BD23 5BD
Drive up thorough the village. The farm is on the right about 800yds beyond the Town Hall.
PAST MEETINGS
Monday, 9th March 2020 7.00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Wednesday 11th March at 2.00pm
Venue: No.1 Tea Room, Birtwhistles Yard, Devonshire Place, Skipton
The March meetings of Low Carb Skipton focused on the importance of consuming healthy fats. Sarah Thomas, a qualified nutritionist, explained why certain fats are essential. However, there are others, which are best avoided.
Verner Wheelock said: “The vilification of fats has caused widespread confusion amongst consumers. Many are surprised to discover that the fat in butter, avocados and coconuts is actually very healthy. Those who switch to a Low Carb diet should increase the amount of fat consumed. Sarah’s talk will help people to understand how this can be done successfully.”
Contrary to general opinion, it is not essential to include carbs in the diet as a source of energy.
It is now abundantly clear that healthy fats are preferable to carbs because they do not cause Type 2 Diabetes.
Obesity is much more likely to occur on a diet based on carbs rather than fats.
Monday, 10th February 2020 7.00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Wednesday 12th February at 2.00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Guest speaker John Dixon presented his case history in which he explained how he has successful controlled his Type 2 Diabetes so that he is off all medication.
Monday, 13th January 2020 6.30pm
We had a very successful event at Avalon on the Broughton Hall Estate in January, which lots of you were able to attend. We had an excellent Low Carb meal in Utopia, followed by two first class talks by Ivor Cummins. We have had this video of the proceedings from Ivor and it is very well worth watching:
Monday, 9th December 2019 7:00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Wednesday, 11th December 2019 2:00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel
Our regular monthly meetings where we discuss low carb diets and how they relate to helping diabetes and in other health matters.
Please note both December meetings are being held at the Rendezvous Hotel.
Monday, 11th November 2019 7:00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Wednesday, 20th November 2019 2:00pm
Venue: No. 1 Tea Room. 1, Birtwhistles Yard, Devonshire Place, Skipton BD23 2LR.
Car parking places are available.
Our regular monthly meetings where we discuss low carb diets and how they relate to helping diabetes and in other health matters.
Please note the change of venue for the Wednesday daytime meeting ONLY, which was held at No. 1 Tea Room. 1, Birtwhistles Yard, Devonshire Place, Skipton BD23 2LR. Car parking places are available.
Monday, 14th October 2019 7:00pm
Wednesday, 16th October 2019 2:00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Our regular monthly meetings where we discuss low carb diets and how they relate to helping diabetes and in other health matters.
On the Monday evening meeting, the main topic will be a case study presented by one of our members, Nikki Moon. She has had great success in reducing her intake of carbs. Nikki is a Type One Diabetic and because of her changed diet no longer needs to use insulin during the day. Her experience will be of great interest to us all.
Monday, 9th September 2019 7:00pm
Wednesday, 11th September 2019 2:00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Our regular monthly meetings where we discuss low carb diets and how they relate to helping diabetes and in other health matters.
There are two topics that will be covering on the Monday evening meeting.
The first is “Resistant Starch” that is not broken down by the enzymes in the digestive tract and ultimately is fermented in the lower gut. This provides nutrients for the “good” bacteria that are part of the microbiome. If you would like to get an introduction, this slide presentation is an ideal starting point: https://www.southdenver.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Resistant-Starch-for-web.pdf
Next Frank Kuhne will describe his experience in monitoring his blood glucose. Frank will demonstrate why it is crucial to approach this systematically. Because the BG fluctuates throughout the day, taking one or two measurements does not provide any useful information. We hope to have a few kits that we can lend to anyone who would like to try monitoring.
Monday, 12th August 2019 7:00pm
Wednesday, 14th August 2019 2:00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
As usual Hilary Allen started off with an introduction to low carb eating for the benefit of new attendees. She said that Type 2 diabetes is definitely carbohydrate intolerance & that the best way to deal with it is as with a water flood in the home – to turn off the tap – ie to not eat the carbohydrates in the first place.
The ‘big white five’ carbohydrates to avoid are potatoes, bread, pasta, rice and sugar. Foods that are ok to eat are meat, fish, bacon, ham, nuts, seeds and full fat products such as butter, blue top milk etc. Vegetables are ok, especially those that grow above ground and for fruit it is best to stick to fruit grown in the UK.
Next was the meeting’s main speaker, Alan McEwen from Cowling who told how he successfully reversed his Type 2 Diabetes by switching to a Low Carb diet. Amongst his various activities, Alan is a publisher https://www.sledgehammerengineeringpress.co.uk/
Alan, aged 71, explained how he’d thought he was fit & enjoyed fell walking & caving. Two years earlier he’d had a check up at the GP surgery at which it was found that he had diabetes.
He talked about his diet at that time; how he often felt thirsty and described some occasions when, particularly after eating sweets, he suddenly felt disorientated and unwell and also some occasions when the vision in one eye was briefly affected. Drinking water helped alleviate these symptoms.
He did his own research & cut out white bread, rice, pizzas & beer. Following this change of diet he felt better, was less thirsty and also had no problems with his sight.
He then came across Verner Wheelock’s book – Healthy Eating: The Big Mistake – and from that he learnt that the problems he’d been experiencing were typical of Type 2 diabetes. Since changing his diet in addition to feeling much better he has also lost weight going from 14 stones 2lbs to 11 stones 5 lbs.
There was then some discussion about this & then members then formed into smaller groups where they could talk to others who have personal experience of various health challenges and find out how a low carb lifestyle could help. The small group topics are usually Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and healthy eating/weight loss but may vary according to the interests of attendees.
Monday, 8th July 2019 7:00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Meeting Notes:
At this meeting Verner Wheelock talked about Diabetes and Children. Dr Wheelock is a respected food scientist who has spent much of his professional life researching and teaching food science and is also the founder and leader of Low Carb Skipton.
He explained that children who get diabetes usually get Type 1. The numbers are small but it is one of the most important diseases children get. The pancreas becomes damaged by an immune reaction and is then unable to produce insulin and so injections of insulin are then needed.
Type 2 diabetes is caused by poor diet eg eating too much sugar (often hidden in food) – which requires the pancreas to produce large amounts of insulin. The pancreas cannot cope with this and eventually gives up leading to Type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes in children differs in its incidence with lower rates occurring nearer the equator and higher rates further away. It is thought that this difference may be partly due to higher levels of Vitamin D in those living nearer the equator.
The consequences of not treating diabetes are very damaging and so it is important to monitor the position. Symptoms are excessive thirst, increased urination, tiredness, loss of muscle bulk and unexplained weight loss. There may also be loss of appetite.
Following Verner’s talk there was some general discussion and various points were made particularly about sugar – as follows:
- The large amount of sugar in a can of Coca Cola – some children have more than one of these every day.
- There is often sugar added to low fat foods. Sugar is highly addictive, cheap and widely used.
- Sugar is often hidden in starches and so care is needed where dietary recommendations suggest eating starches as this can lead to the consumption of significant amounts of sugar.
Frank Kuhne then referred to a talk he gives about sugar. He is a Bradford Community Health Champion and volunteer within the NHS and is also a licensed Lay Educator in Diabetes Prevention. From Bingley, he runs courses at his GP’s local surgery and, within the district, gives talks to educational, social and church groups. His talk illustrates an average day’s food intake and how that can mean the consumption of as much as 53 teaspoons of sugar a day. The body only needs one teaspoon at a time and if required the liver can produce glucose by gluconeogenesis.

Large jar containing 53 teaspoons of sugar and small jar containing one teaspoon.
Fat is the only food group that doesn’t have an effect on blood glucose – healthy fats are a main part of low carb eating.
Following this members then formed into smaller groups where they could talk to others who have personal experience of various health challenges and find out how a low carb lifestyle could help. The small group topics are usually Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and healthy eating/weight loss but may vary according to the interests of attendees.
If you would like to know more why not come along to one of our meetings where you could talk to others who may have similar interests or problems? All meeting information is on the website.
Wednesday, 10th July 2019 2:00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Meeting Notes:
Afternoon meeting at the Rendezvous Hotel.
Monday, 10th June 2019 7:00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Meeting Notes:
Our June evening meeting was started off by Hilary Allan giving a brief introductory talk supported by handouts to welcome the new members and explain some key points about low carb eating such as what to eat and what to avoid and the importance of counting total carb content of foods and not just the sugars.
Then Jean Rhodes from Skipton told us about her experience of blood glucose monitoring. Jean is a long term (almost a founder) member of Low Carb Skipton having joined at its second meeting. Initially, about 33 years ago, she was diagnosed as a Type 2 Diabetic but after a year she was subsequently diagnosed as a Type 1. She finds that eating low carb makes it easier to keep her blood glucose level and avoid spikes which means she uses less insulin
Jean tests her blood glucose 4 or 5 times a day using a device that provides her with continuous information on her blood glucose levels. She tests on waking, after meals, when going to bed and before driving.
She said that not everyone needs to test as regularly as she does particularly if they aren’t Type 1 Diabetic but that many people do find it a useful tool. Some medications given for Type 2 Diabetes can lead to low blood glucose and so such testing can help keep track of this.
Jean then talked about different equipment for monitoring blood glucose. This ranges from pricking the finger with a needle (which she said doesn’t hurt) and then putting a drop of blood onto a test strip which is then inserted into a reader to more sophisticated flash glucose monitors such as the one she uses. This is a small sensor which she wears on her arm and which lasts about 2 weeks. It’s not accurate enough for establishing how much insulin is required but is good for showing trends eg whether the blood glucose level is rising, falling or steady which a one off measurement doesn’t tell you.
Following Jean’s talk members then formed into smaller groups where they could talk to others who have personal experience of various health challenges and find out how a low carb lifestyle could help. The small group topics are usually Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and healthy eating/weight loss but may vary according to the interests of attendees.
Interested to know more? Then why not come along to one of our meetings and find out more? All meeting information is on the website.
Monday, 13th May 2019 7:00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Meeting Notes:
The talk at this meeting was given by Frank Kuhne who is a Bradford Community Health Champion and volunteer within the NHS and is also a licensed Lay Educator in Diabetes Prevention. From Bingley, he runs courses at his GP’s local surgery and, within the district, gives talks to educational, social and church groups.
Present at the inception of Low Carb Skipton, Frank is an Ambassador for the Public Health Collaboration, a charity dedicated to informing people about health matters.
Frank gave a demonstration and talk at the meeting centred on showing how much equivalence of sugar (unknown to most people) is hidden within starchy foods. This has a severely damaging effect upon people’s metabolisms, seriously compromising their life-span and health-span.
Frank explained that there are about 60 to 70 different names for sugars & so even reading food labels it can be difficult to find out how much sugar foods actually contain. He had samples of various different foods (please see table below – updated since the meeting to show the impact on blood sugar levels) accompanied by jars of the associated equivalent of teaspoons of sugar in the foods.
He explained that the body only needs one teaspoonful of sugar at any one time but as his table shows it is very easy to exceed that even when eating foods that are generally considered to be healthy.
As usual handouts were provided for members to take away with them. These include an illustration of the amount of sugar in everyday (supposedly healthy) starchy carbohydrates and ideas re what to eat, recipes etc.
Following Frank’s talk members then formed into smaller groups where they could talk to others who have personal experience of various health challenges and find out how a low carb lifestyle could help. The small group topics are usually Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and healthy eating/weight loss but may vary according to the interests of attendees.
Low carb eating can help with a range of health conditions. Interested to know more? Then why not come & join us at a meeting? All welcome.
Monday, 8th April 2019 7:00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Meeting Notes:
Our April evening meeting was, as usual, well attended by both existing and new members.
Hilary Allan gave a brief introductory talk to welcome the new members, explaining some key points about low carb eating.
As usual starter packs were provided for the new members to take away with them. These include an illustration of the amount of sugar in everyday (supposedly healthy) starchy carbohydrates, information on how to get started with a low carb lifestyle and ideas re what to eat, recipes etc.
After this two people recounted how making key adjustments to their lifestyle had greatly improved their health.
John Goodall, from Settle, talked about how he had come to follow a low carb lifestyle. He had been diagnosed as pre-diabetic and had subsequently tried unsuccessfully to lose weight. He then found out about low carb eating and by following that had lost two stones in weight but, importantly for him, he felt able to enjoy his food without feeling guilty or that he was denying himself. His blood pressure and cholesterol level had also reduced.
John’s wife added that ‘the diet has been fantastic for both’ saying that the switch was ‘incredibly easy’ to make.
Then Philip Coope, from Skipton, told us about his experience. When Philip joined Low Carb Skipton in April 2018 his main health concern was heart disease. He had always tried to eat a healthy diet, had no weight problems and had never smoked or indulged in too much alcohol.
He had taken statins for 24 years during which time he had had three heart attacks so although the statins had reduced his cholesterol they hadn’t prevented progression of his heart disease. He had also felt tired and had achy, painful joints which he thought might be side effects of the medication.
After attending his first Low Carb Skipton meeting he and his wife began following a low carb way of eating. At around the same time he also decided to stop taking his statin medication. Twelve months on from then he has more energy and his aches and pains have all gone. Subsequent blood tests have shown that his cholesterol is stable and has not increased.
As usual members then formed into smaller groups where they could talk to others who have personal experience of various health challenges and find out how a low carb lifestyle could help. The small group topics are usually Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and healthy eating/weight loss but may vary according to the interests of attendees.
Low carb eating can help with a range of health conditions. Why not come to one of our meetings and find out more?
Wednesday, 3rd April 2019 2:00pm
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Meeting Notes:
A monthly meeting for those interested in Low Carb matters, and who would prefer to meet during the daytime.
7:00pm Monday, 11th March
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Low Carb Skipton, March 11th 2019 Meeting Notes:
Our March Low Carb Skipton evening meeting was well very attended by existing members and a good number of individuals joining for the first time and interested to learn more about adopting a low carb lifestyle to improve their health.
Hilary gave a short introductory talk to welcome our newest members, explaining how starchy carbohydrates convert to sugar when eaten and raise blood glucose levels. The talk explained 10 key points and practical tips to getting started with a low carb way of eating. All new members received printed handouts to take away with them. These starter packs demonstrate how much sugar is contained in common (so-called ‘healthy’) starchy carbohydrates such as wholegrain cereals and pasta, and explain how to get started with a low carb lifestyle. New members also received food guides showing all the tasty low carbohydrate foods.
Verner delivered a talk about cholesterol and shared information from a clinical trial that showed why aggressively lowering cholesterol levels with medication, especially in the elderly, has been shown to be detrimental when death from all causes is the measured outcome.
Following on from this, Sarah delivered a talk to the group about low carbohydrate diets for weight loss. This talk covered a range of factors that affect appetite and weight control including hormone signalling, our hormonal response to foods, hyper-palatable processed foods and an environment which tends to encourage obesity. Members also learnt about the importance of our satiety hormone leptin, and our hunger hormone ghrelin (the Gremlins).
Members then formed into smaller breakout groups for the remainder of the evening where they could find out more information about a particular health concern.
Those with a diabetes or pre-diabetes diagnosis joined the diabetes group where they are supported by existing members who are managing both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
The second discussion group this month was hosted by Sarah and followed on from the weight loss talk. Members in this group raised questions they had about weight loss and low carb eating. One new member was looking for help with getting started with what to eat and low carb breakfast ideas.
The third group this month discussed low carb lifestyles for cardiovascular and blood lipids (cholesterol) conditions. This group was hosted by Verner and also included patient-experts who have experienced dramatic health improvements in their own cardiovascular risk markers.
If you are dealing with health issues including diabetes, excess weight, low energy, aches and pains or brain fog and would like to know more about how reducing your carbohydrate intake can be a delicious way to improve your heath, then join our next Low Carb Skipton meeting.
Low Carb Skipton hosts monthly meetings at The Rendezvous Hotel in a relaxed, friendly environment sharing information and guidance on eating low carb for better health. We bust through the confusing media headlines and conflicting dietary advice and share simple strategies to cut your carbs whilst eating lots of delicious foods that are usually banned on a typical ‘diet’. There is also time during the evening to chat to other members and find out how low carb eating is working for them.
Apart from evening meetings the group also stages afternoon get-togethers. Watch out for details on this website.
11th February 2019
Venue: Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
Meeting Notes:
At our February Low Carb Skipton meeting Verner gave a talk about commonly used medical health markers, including BMI, cholesterol, triglycerides and HbA1c, and explained how useful they are in determining our long-term health risks.
Following on from this, the group discussed the importance of measuring blood glucose, especially in those members who have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Consistent measuring of blood glucose, especially before and after meals, is critical for anyone with diabetes. Only through regular measuring can individuals understand the effects that the foods they are consuming are having on the body; blood glucose constantly elevated above normal healthy levels is extremely damaging and can eventually, over years, lead to tragic health complications commonly seen in unmanaged later-stage diabetes.
Members of the group with both Type 1 and 2 Diabetes shared their experiences of blood sugar monitoring, including the practicalities of finger-prick testing and the use of continuous glucose monitors, frequency and timing of measurements, and challenges or difficulties that can arise. Anyone interested in understanding more about the importance of knowing their blood glucose numbers in order to better manage their diabetes can come along to a meeting and ask members for information and support.
As is the usual format at Low Carb Skipton meetings, the members then joined smaller breakout groups for the remainder of the evening where they could find out more information about a particular health concern and comfortably ask questions.
New members, attending for the first time, have a choice of groups to join-in with. Those with a diabetes or pre-diabetes diagnosis may join existing members in the diabetes group where their concerns and questions can be addressed and they can be supported by existing members who are managing diabetes. There is also a weight focused breakout group hosted by an experienced low-carb advocate who can talk about how low carb is beneficial for weight loss and walk them through how to get started on their low carb journey. A third group this month discussed low carb lifestyles for cardiovascular and blood lipids (cholesterol) conditions and included host members who have experienced dramatic health improvements in their own cardiovascular risk markers.
All new members receive information and handouts to take away with them. These handouts demonstrate how much sugar is contained in common ‘healthy’ carbohydrates such as wholegrain cereals and pasta, clearly explain how to get started with a low carb lifestyle, list the tasty foods that can be enjoyed, and include recipes and delicious food swaps.
If you are dealing with health issues including diabetes, excess weight, low energy, aches and pains or brain fog and would like to know more about how reducing your carbohydrate intake can be a delicious was to improve your heath, then join our next Low Carb Skipton meeting.
Low Carb Skipton hosts monthly meetings in a relaxed, friendly environment sharing information and guidance on eating low carb for better health. We bust through the confusing media headlines and conflicting dietary advice and share simple strategies to cut your carbs whilst eating lots of delicious foods that are usually banned on a typical ‘diet’. There is also time during the evening to chat to other members and find out how low carb eating is working for them.