That response (or something similar to it) is one of the lines Gretchen Becker suggests in Type II Diabetes: The First Year for those times when a well meaning friend gets a bit overly extended in their comments on your diet.

This happens all the time when your friends know you’re diabetic. It’s one of those situations where they may mean well, but are either overstepping their bounds or uneducated–or both. I’ve had many situations where well meaning, well educated friends decide it’s their place to counsel me about how much Diet Pepsi I drink, or eating dry cereal for lunch, without much of an understanding of either the disease of the dietary content of what I’m taking in (for what it’s worth, I’ve had to say, to many’s surprise, that diet soda, while not exactly healthy, also has no sugar–none).

What’s interesting is that I don’t hear the same thing happening with say, folks who are obese (although I will say that I have heard it with those with high blood pressure or heart disease). Not often do people’s friends come and insist that whatever is in their meal is harmful for them.

Interestingly, I have never used this line with people; I usually just point out to them matter of factly that I’ve done my research, that whatever I’m taking in at the time is okay by my standards, and thanks for their concern. I probably do it a bit more condescendingly than that, honestly–after all, in another paraphrase from Ms. Becker, my body, my science experiment. All that said, don’t be too hard on all those folks who try to mother you out there–while they may not thrill you, they are trying to help, really.