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February 2009

Reilly's nut butter range has been expanded to include Almond Brazil. These nut butters, made from soaked nuts (to enhance their digestibility) are truly sublime.

February 2008

DietNet newsletter on hold for now - but new Wellington one starting. If you would like to get it, email Ian.

January 2008

Available now - NZ's first traditional peanut butter. Organic peanuts are soaked and dried to enhance digestion and neutralise antinutrients. They are then ground and mixed with virgin coconut oil, unheated honey and sea salt to make the best peanut butter you've ever tasted.

January 2008

New Weston A Price foundation chapters in New Zealand - Wellington and South Canterbury. See the latest list and contact details here.

August 2007

Cod Liver Oil – Up till now, the only brands of cod liver oil available in NZ have been Melrose (recommended) and Healtheries (not as good quality). But now a Weston Price foundation member has arranged with Green Pastures to bring in their high quality oils, including the high vitamin oil that Sally and WAPF recommends.

For more info, email Ian.

18 February 2007

Fluoride info on Campbell Live

The American Dental Association recently issued a statement that asks parents not to mix infant formula with fluoridated water because of the risk it poses to the children. Surely if it;s that bad for children, it;s also bad for the rest of us.

Watch Campbell Live on Monday, 19th February, and send in emails with your comments!

Other good info on fluoride:

 ~ Fluoride Action Network website for comprehensive info

 ~ A video featuring an interview with Christopher Bryson, author of The Fluoride Deception

11 December 2006

The ANZTPA proposal

Many of you will already have heard about this, but for those who haven't....

The Therapeutic Products and Medicines Bill is having it's first reading and vote in Parliament tomorrow, Tue, 12th Dec. As many have suspected, it covers all natural health products. It's a busy time of the year for everybody, so they hoped to slide it through without it being noticed. But there are some actions you can take, if so inclined:

• It appears that Labour are getting the support they need from NZ First and United Future. Ring or email NZ First MPs and remind them that Winston Peters has previously taken credit for stopping this bill, or any United Future MP. Tell them that despite extensive research, coroner Dr Wallace Bain found no deaths have occurred in this country due to natural medicines such as vitamins, minerals and herbal products. Follow this link to quickly send an email to many MPs http://nzhealthtrust.co.nz/cgi-bin/massmailerMPs.cgi? or here for a list of NZ First MPs phone numbers http://www.nzhealthtrust.co.nz/newsletter_mh29.html
• For Wellington readers, there will be a rally in front of Parliament to coincide with the first vote on the Bill, beginning at 1pm on Tuesday 12 December. Tony Ryall from National and the Green's Sue Kedgley have both indicated that they will speak to the rally confirming their opposition to ANZTPA and the Therapeutic Products and Medicines Bill.

11 December 2006

New recipes added to the holiday recipe page

• A dark gluten free Xmas Cake
• Chewy almond macaroons

1 December 2006

Google Search added to DietNet

Check it out here.

21 November 2006 - Action Alert

Say No to GE Greens: GE Broccoli, GE Cauliflower, GE Cabbage

The Crop and Food Institute (a Government's research organisation) has applied to field test a number of brassica crops - broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and forage kale - all genetically engineered to contain the toxin Bt.

It is vital that we send a very clear message to the government that the New Zealand public is still strongly opposed to genetically engineered food and especially to the growing of genetically engineered crops in this country.

This application is particularly dangerous:

• Contamination - the pollen and very small seeds of brassicas are easily dispersed by wind and animals, and commercial growing of GE brassica crops would result in widespread, irreversible contamination of non-GE Brassica crops (and honey). This contamination would prevent consumers exercising their right to buy GE free food, destroy New Zealand growers' access to GE-free markets overseas, and cause irreparable damage to our reputation as producers of sustainable, non-GE, natural food. Hence GE brassicas could never be grown commercially in New Zealand without seriously undermining democracy and sustainability.
• Undermining organics - genetically engineered Bt crops would undermine the sustainability of organics in New Zealand because they will hasten the onset of resistance to the biological insecticide Bt, a vital input in many organic systems.
• Waste of money - public money should not be spent on developing GE foods that are highly unlikely to ever be grown commercially in New Zealand, that most New Zealanders do not want, and which undermine organics. Instead the money should be invested in the more energy-efficient sustainable organic systems, and in providing nutritious foods that consumers actually want and need.
• Not needed - the stated purpose of the 10-year trial is to reduce pesticide use. But pesticide use can be drastically reduced right now by switching to organic brassica growing. Genetically engineered brassicas are not need. Currently available Bt sprays are perfectly adequate to manage the pests and can be more accurately managed to minimise the onset of resistance.
• Antibiotic resistance - ERMA should not permit field experiments with GE plants that contain antibiotic-resistant marker genes, because they increase the risk of antibiotic-resistance to disease
• Health impacts - the trials should not be allowed until evidence of health impacts on people and animals linked to this type of GE crop are properly investigated. In the Philippines scientists have identified immune responses in people exposed to genes from GE plants growing near by, and found sickness in villagers. In India some animals fed GE crops containing similar "Bt" toxins to the proposed trial-crop, have fallen sick or died. Bt toxins occur in may forms and some have been identified as potential allergens in humans. "Starlink Corn" was one such variant and prompted a billion-dollar product-recall when it accidentally contaminated human food. The health risks of GE Brassica have not been investigated in previous trials, nor would they be in this one.
• Lack of information on gene combinations - ERMA should not approve field-experiments where there are no details about the precise combination of genes from various bacteria, viruses and their arrangement in each plant. Different re-combinations of gene elements may present different levels of risk and should be considered on a case-by-case basis, not given blanket-approval. Independent scientists cannot provide expert advice for proper risk management without knowing the gene-profile of the GE plants created.
• Integrity in government funded research - The GE crop trial risks undermining public confidence in the direction of agricultural science and expectations that research in New Zealand should be as focused on long-term sustainability, and respect community values. Research carried out by our government institutes should be ethical, socially and environmentally responsible, informed about problems with GE crops overseas, and respectful of standards established by New Zealand society and consumer markets.

A summary of the application is available at

http://www.ermanz.govt.nz/appfiles/execsumm/pdf/GMF06001-002.pdf

and the full application is available at

http://www.ermanz.govt.nz/appfiles/execsumm/word/GMF06001-001.doc

You can make a submission on-line at ERMA New Zealand Consultation on Applications (scroll down the page a little). Alternatively, you can send in a paper submission. A form is available at http://www.ermanz.govt.nz/search/subform.doc

Submissions must reach ERMA by Tuesday 12th December 2006.

It is vitally important that we send a clear message to the government that we do not want GE crops grown in New Zealand.

Tell ERMA you oppose the trial because GE brassicas are not needed and not wanted and undermine the sustainability of New Zealand agriculture.

Tell ERMA they must reject the application for a field trial of genetically modified brassicas.

Sue Kedgley, Green Party

4 November 2006:

New page on DietNet:

• Snack bars - are they safe to eat?

27 October 2006 - More information unveiled about the dangers of SPLENDA® :

Many of my readers also read Dr Mercola, so you may already know this, and be as stunned as I was (and I don't shock easily!)

If you've read my sweeteners page, you'll know that I don't recommend sucralose. It's an artificial sweetener that hasn't been adequately tested, and there have already been many reports of people suffering adverse effects.

But what I learnt just yesterday is that SPLENDA® is NOT the same as (or the retail brand name of) sucralose. Sucralose is so strong that the amount you would need to sweeten a cup of coffee is so small you could barely see it. So SPLENDA® also contains bulking agents, which just happen to be dextrose or maltodextrin - ie fancy names for ...... Sugar!

Because of a loophole in the law, amounts of less than a gram are considered to be equivalent to 0, so SPLENDA® can legally claim to have no calories.

But a sachet of SPLENDA® actually contains just under 1 gram of carbs which is 4 calories. Now, this may not seem worth worrying about, but it's marketed to diabetics as calorie free. So a diabetic may sprinkle several sachets of SPLENDA® over their cereal thinking it's safe. But that will add up to several grams of sugar, which will have a detrimental effect on their blood sugar.

The SPLENDA® website confirms what Dr Mercola claims. The following is a quote from http://www.splenda.com/page.jhtml?id=splenda/products/granular.inc :

"SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granular:

• Has no calories (Less than 5) and no carbohydrates (less than 1 gram) per serving.
• Contains 96 calories per cup - sugar contains 770 calories per cup!"

So they are admiting that a cup of the stuff contains 24 grams of refined carbohydrate. Less than sugar admittedly, but enough to screw up somebody's blood sugar.

Someone more cynical than myself might think that they were deliberately trying to mess with the blood sugar of diabetics. I'm still undecided as to whether ignorance or greed is predominant here.

Dr Mercola reveals this and much more in his latest book "Sweet Deception".
Read (and view) Dr Mercola's full article here.

18 October 2006 - Threat to our health future:

"She’s the former top agent of a crack Australian unit designed to put tight checks on the use of natural medicines - but the woman who once worked to control such remedies now sends a serious warning to New Zealanders about their health future."

Read the full article here.

18 October 2006 - How safe are natural remedies?:

NZ coroner Dr Bain has found that no deaths have occured in NZ due to natural remedies. This compares to 5746 deaths in one year from drug reactions and medical error.

Read the full article here.

9 October 2006 - Newsletter from NZ Health Trust

** URGENT CALL TO ACTION **

Dear Supporters

We've been telling you for some time that despite all the Beehive spin, the proposed Trans Tasman Therapeutic Goods Agency (now called ANZTPA - Australia New Zealand Therapeutic Products Authority) can never exist unless the Government succeeds in passing legislation to implement it here in NZ. We have also been telling you that if and when the Government tries to bring such legislation into Parliament we will call for you all to be counted by expressing your opposition to this potentially devastating attack on our health freedoms.

THE TIME IS NOW - while nothing is certain, there are strong indications that despite all the opposition, the Government will try and bring a Bill into Parliament this week to make ANZTPA law in New Zealand.

If you want to protect your health freedoms and those of future generations you need to make your voice heard in no uncertain terms. Remember though - the Bill cannot pass unless several of the opposition parties who have always indicated they would not support ANZTPA do an about-face and vote with Labour. It's time to remind all the MP's just how strongly we feel about this issue and we have made it easy for you to do so.

By clicking here - http://www.nzhealthtrust.co.nz/cgi-bin/massmailerMPs.cgi?
you will go to an email the MP's page on the NZ Health Trust website which has a template email for you to send expressing your opposition. You can send the email as is, edit it as you like or type your own message, it's up to you. The important thing is to let them know how many NZ'ers care about their health rights and will fight to defend them.

We are underway with many strategies to ensure NZ does not become the victim to Australian pressure on this issue which you will see over coming weeks but we need your support right now.

We had an amazing response to the call for submissions on the draft rules and we thank you for that but now we are calling for even bigger numbers. This is one time the public can make a difference.

Don't put it off, do it now - email the MP's and encourage all your friends and colleagues to do the same by forwarding this email to them.

We'll keep you posted and you can rest assured the New Zealand Health Trust and everyone at New Health will not stop until ANZTPA is dead and buried. Check out the all new New Health website and take the chance to join up now while the free membership offer is on www.newhealth.co.nz

Kind Regards
Dave Sloan,
NZ Health Trust

If you have been forwarded this newsletter by a friend and wish to subscribe to this newsletter visit http://www.nzhealthtrust.co.nz/newsletter.html

28 September 2006:

Visit a new NZ website dedicated to educating people about good fats, and fighting trans fats www.goodfat.net.nz and sign the online petiton for improved labelling of hydrogenated fat content of foods.

27 July 2006:

We continue to see information in the press about campolybacter in chicken, like in the Green party press release below.

What we should all be asking is - why are the Food Safety Authority hounding a few small farmers who produce healthy, uncontaminated raw milk, yet allowing large chicken producers to continue selling grossly contaminated food without even a token slap on the wrist?

One more reason to eat organic and free range......

Lack of decisive action on epidemic is alarming

The Green Party is alarmed that the Government will not take any decisive action in the foreseeable future to reduce the epidemic of campylobacter infections in New Zealand while it waits for yet more advice.

In the House today the Minister of Food Safety, in response to questioning by Greens’ Food Safety Spokesperson Sue Kedgley, said they would not act until further research was conducted.

“I am extremely concerned at the New Zealand Food Safety Authority’s procrastinating on this issue, when all the modelling work shows that only permitting frozen chicken to be sold would reduce the risk of becoming ill from eating chicken 10 to 100 fold, Ms Kedgley said.

“Campylobacter infections have reached epidemic proportions in New Zealand, with scientists estimating that 50,000 New Zealanders are becoming ill from the bacteria, and 400 hospitalised each year.

“Other countries like Iceland have acted swiftly by only permitting frozen chicken to be sold, so I cannot understand why our Food Safety Authority wont follow suit.

“One of the key objectives of the Authority is to ensure that all food produced, marketed or distributed in New Zealand meets the highest standards of food hygiene and safety, so why is it failing so abysmally in its mandate?”

It was also concerning that the Food Safety Authority continued to place responsibility for the epidemic on poor food handling by consumers, instead of reducing the epidemic at one of the key sources - poultry slaughter houses.

“The Food Authority’s own research shows that slaughter houses, and some of the machinery used in them, are major sources of cross contamination. Why doesn’t it demand that the slaughter houses are cleaned up instead of blaming consumers?

“The Food Act is clear that it is illegal to sell contaminated food, so I cant understand why the Authority allows contaminated chicken to be sold, in breach of the Act.

Ms Kedgley said she was also concerned that the Authority continued to tell consumers on its website and its communications material that washing hands, utensils and chopping boards with soap and hot water would reduce the risk of infection, when scientists say that only washing everything with chlorine bleach will kill the bacteria.

June 2006:

Two new Weston A Price foundation chapters!

To find out more:

• Christchurch: email Dermot Kieran Whelan, or phone (03) 351 9733
• Mosgiel, Otago: email Jennifer Smith, or phone (03) 489 4321 (between 6-9 pm)

19 June 2006:

ACTION ALERT - Consumer's Right To Know (Food Information) Bill

Many thanks for all of you who have taken the trouble to send an e-card or post card to MP's supporting the Consumer Right to Know Bill. Your efforts are much appreciated.

We are hoping consumers will make one last effort to phone or email their local MP's, or Don Brash and Judith Tizard, to encourage them to support the Consumer Right To Know Bill, which will be voted on next Wednesday 28th June 2006.

That vote will determine whether the Bill will be supported through Parliament. At this stage New Zealand First, United Future, the Maori Party and the Progressive Party (as well as obviously, the Green Party) have all indicated they will support it. But to my astonishment both the National and Labour Party's plan to oppose it -- and this means it won't get enough votes to pass its first reading!

The National Party says it is the Party that promotes individual choice and responsibility -- so I cannot fathom why they are opposing a Bill which is all about giving consumers enough information to be able to make an informed choice about what food they eat and where it comes from.

If you are contacting a National Party MP please point out the utter hypocrisy of a Party claiming as its core value the support of individual freedom and responsibility, and then its refusal to support legislation which gives consumers the information they need to make that choice. Please also point out there are very few, if any, compliance costs, so there is no reason at all why the Party isn't listening to the interests of consumers instead of the interests of big business.

As for the Labour Party -- it has a Minister of Consumer Affairs, Judith Tizard, who is supposed to be there to promote the interests of consumers -- and it is supposed to be a Party that supports democracy. Yet it is opposing our democratic right to know what is in the food we eat and where it comes from. We already have legislation guaranteeing that we know where our clothing and footwear comes from -- why shouldn't we be entitled to know where food comes from when it has such an impact on our health. Ask why on earth the Labour Party is opposing something as fundamental as our right to know where our food comes from.

A final flurry of emails/telephone calls from consumers around New Zealand might just help to change Labour or National's mind!

Many thanks again for your support.

Sue Kedgley MP

May 2006:

I recently did an interview on Raglan Community Radio, discussing some aspects of my Dairy article. It can be downloaded here. (Right click to download). It's a 22MB file, so will take a while to download on a dial-up connection.

Audios of Bari Caine's weekly radio show "Traditional Foods for Wellbeing" (Radio Southland) are also available online at: http://www.organiclifestyle.net/. Bari is the WAPF chapter leader for Invercargill.

People who live outside the Southland area can request that their local community station run the show: see http://www.acab.org.nz/ for affiliated stations.

May 2006:

The 6th NZ DietNet newsletter is online now and includes:

• To drink milk or not to drink milk?
• Recipes - Strawberry Fool; Coconut Cream Custard

April 2006:

Site revamp

DietNet has been moved to a new server. So we've taken this opportunity to makes some changes to the navigation and how the sections are laid out. The old pages will reirect to the new pages for a while, but make sure youbupdate your bookmarks and favourites.

The new server space has more facilities than the old one, so we're hoping to add a Search facility fairly soon.

April 2006:

New pages:

• Summary of recipes on the site
• NZ GF eating out and accomodation guide

August 2005:

The 5th NZ whole foods newsletter covers:

• Gluten and other food sensitivities – More common than you think. Is someone you know affected?
• Recipes:
  • Gluten free bread
  • Gluten free Carrot Cake muffins
• Availability of other Gluten free foods in NZ
• Emotional Freedom Technique workshops – Nationwide tour in Sept/Oct
• Resources

August 2005:

Two new pages:

• Gluten and other food intolerances
• How to avoid gluten

June 2005:

The 4th NZ whole foods newsletter covers:

• Recipes – Steak tartare
• Fats – Getting a bad rap again
• Emotional Freedom Techniques
• New Southland radio show
• Resources

December 2004:

The third NZ whole foods newsletter covers:

• Review of Phillip Day’s Break Free Tour, including:
  • Fluoride free water in Wellington
  • Raw Foods
• Xmas Recipes:
  • Marinated Fish
  • Grain Free Tropical Fruit Cake
• Resources
• NZ support network

14 October 2004:

Recent new pages on DietNet include:

• Health and nutrition news specific to the USA
• Healing from cancer
• Emotional Freedom Technique
• Reactive Muscle Kinesiology

August 2004:

The second NZ whole foods newsletter covers:

1. Kefir & kombucha
2. Featured recipes
3. Protecting our food supply
4. NZ support network

4 August 2004:

Now available - my Whole Foods Cooking Course - designed to gradually introduce the concepts of whole food cooking.

29 May 2004:

I am now offering a dietary and health coaching service in Wellington, New Zealand.

May 2004:

Check out the first DietNet NZ whole foods newsletter. Topics covered are:

1. Good places to shop - featuring Cambrian meats
2. Featured recipe - I know liver's good for me, but yuck!!
3. NZ cheese made from homogenised milk
4. How can I learn more about whole foods?
5. My dream for a healthier NZ

May 2003:

Despite all the publicity about SARS, we haven't seen much discussing the only truly effective way to prevent it - bolstering the immune system. Read this article from www.mercola.com to find out how to fight SARS with Vitamin C.

May 2003:

The following was recently reported on www.stuff.co.nz and then reprinted on www.mercola.com along with a guest comment. Scary reading, but probably not much of a surprise to anyone who has been through the health system.

New Zealanders Face ‘Disturbing Rate’ of Medical Errors  In New Zealand, the rate of medical errors is high enough to be labeled “disturbing” by researchers. In the study, 750 patients from New Zealand were compared with similar groups in Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States. Results indicated that one in four New Zealanders who suffered with serious health problems were victims of medical error.  Those who had been to five or more physicians, about one-third of the group, had the most problems. Conflicting advice from physicians was one of the most common problems among this group. Other patients reported having to take duplicate tests and poor coordination of care. Additionally, some patients who were taking several different prescription drugs said that their treatments had not been reviewed by their physicians recently.  According to the study, one of the biggest problems identified is when people are seeing multiple physicians for different health problems. The other countries in the study had similar rates of medical error.  Comment by Nick Regush:  Medical error in this story, as is typical, refers to such things as: duplicate tests, unnecessary drug prescription, poor coordination of care, and receiving conflicting advice from several doctors. The study referred to in this story was conducted by the Harvard School of Medicine on behalf of the Commonwealth Fund and surveyed 750 patients.  However, medical error likely occurs more often than the usual studies reveal because the research is far too narrow and does not take into account the day-to-day gaps in care that occur in various medical settings, particularly in hospitals. I'm referring here, for example, to lack of proper diagnosis and monitoring of very ill patients on an ongoing basis because of inadequate nursing staff or the unavailability of doctors who play a game of "laissez-faire" with their patients.  Among the omissions: patients end up with lung problems because they were not given chest X-rays in a timely fashion. What do we call that? I call that a medical error.  My point is that if thorough research zeroed in on gaps in care, the rate of medical error would not only be "disturbing" as the Harvard study suggests, but rather the research would reveal huge holes in conventional medicine that lead to widespread chronic illness and needless deaths.  The current conventional medical system hides behind simplistic and narrow studies of medical errors. The word "nightmare" would probably loom large if appropriate studies of gaps in care were ever conducted.

July 2002 - Links to some interesting new articles on Dr Mercola's site:

• No Safe Level of Trans Fat - Experts from the National Academy of Science proclaim we should have no tolerance for trans fats in our diet.
• What If It's All Been a Big Fat Lie? - A watershed article from the New York Times on the low fat myth and the importance of restricting carbs that has rocked the traditional media.
• Too Much of a Good Thing Can Kill You - Go for more than a few days without water and you will die, but if you drink to much at once it can also kill you.

14 Sep 2000 - More official misinformation

This morning I received a Healthy Heart Quiz pamphlet from The NZ Heart Foundation. I was appalled to discover that they are still telling people that margarine is better for your heart than butter. They are also promoting margarine on their website (two thirds of the way down the page).

Margarine is made from trans fats. It is now widely known that trans fats are very bad for you and should be avoided as much as possible. Even if butter is not recommended for your metabolic type, your body is able to process small amounts of it, whereas trans fats have been deformed and cannot be processed by your body at all. There have been many studies done over the past 50 years that have shown that margarine specifically causes heart disease. I found it hard to believe that the Heart Foundation don't know that.

Update : I have just received some information from the Hearts Foundation which suggests that some margarines have virtually no trans fats. Back soon with more details.

10 Sep 2000 - Stop Press - Your supplements are under threat!!

We received the following information from Citizens For Health Choices :

"The Australian and New Zealand governments have decided that the supplement industries in both countries must be harmonised. Harmonisation between NZ and Australia will result in restrictions on availability of herbs, vitamins. minerals and nutritional supplements in NZ. Australian consumers have had access to a reduced range of supplements for the past 10 years. This will happen in New Zealand with the pending Trans-Tasman proposal.

Under harmonisation, the cost you pay for supplements will increase dramatically to fund a joint ANZ bureaucracy to regulate and control supplements. Government has stated it must be self-funding - in Australia it costs $A50 million per year to fund the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

The tragedy of the Australian regulation of supplements is that it is ten years behind America and many other countries - it is recognised internationally as a non-tariff trade barrier. The NZ government has refused, despite repeated requests, to remove tariffs of 7-9% from many supplements imported from America and Europe.

Harmonisation provides no benefits for NZ consumers. The many small NZ supplement companies will find it too expensive to continue"

Citizens for Health Choices have implemented Campaign 2000 aiming to protect consumers rights to take responsibility for their own health, and to have access to the supplements of their choice at a reasonable price. For more information, or to subscribe to the campaign, contact :

Citizens for Health Choices Foundation
Private Bag 302 348
North Harbour
Albany
Auckland 

Subscriptions : Member $25, Silver member $50, Gold member $100

Newsflash - We recently learned about a possible side effect of St John's Wort. As it increases enzyme activity, it can reduce the effectiveness of the progesterone only, mini-pill. If you are taking Femulen, Microval or Microlut, you should not take St John's Wort. Or see your doctor about changing to a different birth control regime.

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