As a nurse, I would suspect that your physician meant "low simple carb". She probably wants you to get good fats for the anti-inflammatory effect, and she knows you need the vitamins and minerals in nutrient dense, complex carb/high fiber foods such as veggies, fruits, and whole grains.

Drs and nurses actually get a decent amount of information regarding nutrition. We're just jaded. 95%+ of the people we see typically do not follow the most basic of diet recommendations, much less something more complex like a low simple carb diet. I can't tell you how many times I spent discussing diet in detail with patients, only to have the discussion end with "Okay, just tell me what I can eat at McDonalds" or "You're telling me I can't eat pasta and bread? Don't talk to me about that whole wheat crap. So basically you're telling me to just starve to death, huh?" or "Can't I just take some pill for this?" Or, as many of us could probably say "I know what to eat, I just can't seem to make myself do it."

I would request a referral to a nutritionist/dietician. Your doc sounds like she is actually trying to recommend a decent diet--what she needs to do is either be able to sit down with you and be very specific, or recommend someone who *can* sit down with you. Another option is to see a naturopath; they deal quite a bit more with diet-as-treatment. There is nothing wrong with combining allopathic and naturopathic treatments, as long as they are reasonable and you are informing your practitioners of your treatments (ie, when you go to your primary doc, you inform her of any herbals, vitamins, and diet you are following, and your naturopath is aware of any meds and treatments you are under).

I'm not trying to give specific medical advice; just trying to help you navigate our very complex medical system!