"HOW TO" & RESOURCES

HEALING THERAPIES

DECEMBER 2004 - NEWSLETTER #3

This is the third in a series of occasional DietNet newsletters. [Click here for printable version. Read previous newsletters : No 1, No 2.]

Topics in this newsletter:

• 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

We’re nearly at that time of the year when we put our feet up, heave a relieved sigh or two, sip a cold beverage, and relax. We might start to reflect on the year that’s been and then look forward to next year.

Some of the highlights of my year include:

• Seeing the distribution list for this newsletter grow as interest in healthy food grows
• Training in Reactive Muscle Kinesiology. Read more about RMK.
• Finishing writing my 15 lesson Whole Foods Cooking Course. Find out more about it.

In 2005, I’m looking forward to growing my health coaching business. As well as offering nutrition and lifestyle coaching and Emotional Freedom Technique sessions, I’ve developed a three-month health coaching program that will include both of those, and lots more. A modified version will also be available by email. So if you, or anyone you know, feel in need of a new start to a new year, email me to see if my program is right for you.

Break Free! Tour

This was the first Phillip Day talk that Ian and I had been too, though we were familiar with his websites. His research, knowledge and commitment are awesome, as is his ability to communicate his ideas in a humorous, easy to understand manner. So much was covered that I don't know where to start reviewing it, so I’m just going to summarise some of the many topics he mentioned. In the Resources section at the end of the newsletter, I’ll list some of the websites he recommends and some of the books he’s published. Of particular interest are the NZ websites.

• Why huge numbers of people are dying from medical misadventure
• How orthodox cancer treatments actually cause cancer
• The dangers of vaccination
• The dangers of fluoridated water (In NZ, many areas have fluoridated water.) *
• Lack of training in nutrition by doctors
• What long lived people have in common
• Why grains are bad for your health
• The benefits of raw food

* Newsflash for Wellingtonians: In Wellington, all areas are fluoridated except Petone. There used to be a public tap at the water treatment plant where anyone could go and get unfluoridated water. But I hear the new water fountain feature on the corner of Buick and Jackson streets in Petone is now operating. As there is no guarantee that even filtered water is fluoride free, getting your drinking water from the fountain would be beneficial.

Raw Foods

The topic of raw foods is one that not everybody agrees on. Here are some aspects for you to consider, then you can make up your own mind.

• The reason raw foods are recommended is that they come complete with enzymes, which are then destroyed when cooked. However, Traditional Chinese Medicine considers raw foods to be hard on the digestive system, and that many foods are more digestible eaten cooked. So maybe a completely raw diet isn’t right for everybody.
   
• One way to make food more digestible without cooking it is to soak, sprout or ferment it. If you have Nourishing Traditions, you’ll recall that Sally recommends that all grains, legumes, nuts and seeds are treated one of these ways to neutralize anti-nutrients.
   
• Some people consider a raw food diet to be one that is primarily plant based, and Phillip himself said “I’m not suggesting you eat raw meat”. But I’m going to have to disagree with him there. As long as you buy good quality animal products, there is no reason not to eat them raw.
   
• Phillip says to avoid dairy, and for some people that is a must. But for many people, the reason they have problems with it is the processing. When they switch to raw dairy, they find it a very healing food. See the milk page for more details.
   
• Raw egg yolks can be eaten quite safely and freely, as long as they come from healthy birds - in other words, buy free range, organic eggs. Egg whites have some elements that may interfere with absorption, so don't eat lots. But the occasional whole raw egg in a smoothie is fine.
   
• Raw fish is eaten by many cultures. If you’re concerned about parasites, marinating in lemon juice kills them and tenderises the fish.
   
• One of the reasons Day says to avoid meat is that it’s considered to be acid forming. But metabolic typing researchers have found that whether a food is acid forming or alkaline forming depends on your metabolic type. So while meat might not be the best food for some people, for many it’s a necessity, and Weston Price found most healthy traditional people ate meat. Raw meat is a traditional food with many valuable nutrients, and can be easily included in a raw food diet. Consider Steak Tartare from France or the Ethiopian dish Kitfo. But do choose good quality organic meat. You can also freeze it for 14 days to kill any parasites.

Marinated fish in coconut cream

Since we’ve been talking about raw animal products, let’s have a look at a recipe for raw fish. This is one many of you will be familiar with, so it’s a good place to start. Next newsletter, I’ll include a raw meat recipe. [Click here for printable version.]

• ½ cup lemon juice (3-5 lemons approx)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 500g (1/2 lb) firm white fish (terakihi, kawahai with the brown meat cut off, and cod are good, but avoid gurnard. If in doubt, ask the fish seller for a recommendation)
• approx 100ml (1/2 cup) coconut cream
• slice of red onion, chopped up finely
• about ¼ telegraph cucumber, chopped up small
• handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
• mesclun or other lettucy type greens

Start preparation 24 hours before you want to serve. Mix the lemon juice and the salt together in a medium sized bowl. Cut the fish into chunks that are roughly 2 cm (just under 1”) a side, and mix together well. Press the fish down, so that the juice covers it. If the lemon juice doesn’t cover the fish, add a little extra. Marinate in the fridge for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

Drain the fish well, put into a clean bowl and stir in the coconut cream. I don’t measure it, I just slosh in enough so that the fish has a nice coating. Chop up the salad veges and stir them in. (The amounts given are approximate and will depend on your taste and how you are going to serve it. If you are serving it as a main meal, you’ll want to add more vegetables than if it’s an entrée. You can vary the vegetables as well, eg by using spring onions or capsicum.)

Variations:

• As an entree (serves 4-5): Line each serving bowl with lettuce and top with the fish mixture.
• As a main course (serves 2-3), line a large serving bowl with greens. Top with baked kumara, yams or sweet potato. Finish with spoonfuls of the fish.
• As kebabs. Leave the fish to sit in the coconut cream for an hour or two. Then thread onto skewers, alternating pieces of fish with your choice of raw salad vegetables – e.g. cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, capsicum, radish or baby turnips. If you use red pepper or cherry tomatoes, and cucumber, they make a good Xmas entree.

Grain Free Xmas Cake

Here’s a recipe for a tropical fruitcake with no grains. It can also be made dairy free. Although this is grain free, it’s very high in fruit, so very high carb. So keep it for Christmas or other special occasions and serve with whipped cream, brandy butter, coconut cream custard or some other form of fat. [Click here for printable version.]

Day 1:

Mix these together thoroughly. Marinate in the fridge for about 24 hours. Stir well several times throughout the day. All the liquid should soak into the fruit.

• Juice of 1 lemon (save the skins for Day 2)
• 2 Tbs brandy (optional)
• a 440gm tin of crushed pineapple in unsweetened juice
• 600g (21 oz) dried fruit, eg : 150g sultanas, 150g raisins, 100g chopped dried apricots, 100g chopped prunes, 100g chopped figs

Day 2:

Mix together in a separate bowl:

• 1 ½ cups crispy almonds or macadamias, ground as finely as possible
• 1 cup fine coconut, ground even finer
• 8 Tbs arrowroot

Beat together:

• 2 oz melted butter (or use coconut or palm oil to be dairy free)
• 2 eggs
• 4 Tbs rapadura or maple syrup (Gradually reduce this & aim to get down to none)
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp ginger
• 2 slightly heaped tsp cream of tartar, sifted
• 1 heaped tsp baking soda, sifted
• grated rind of the lemon

Stir the wet mixture into the fruit, and mix well. Then add the nut mix about a third at a time, stirring well. You will probably need to add some extra arrowroot (about 4 Tbs or so). The exact amount of arrowroot will depend on how much juice was in the tinned pineapple, whether you added the brandy or not, how finely ground the nuts are and how big your eggs were. The consistency should be very thick and starting to get hard to stir. Keep adding arrowroot, till the consistency’s right. Spoon into a lined 8” x 8” (20cm x 20cm) square tin or a ring tin. Bake at 165C (325F) for about 1.5 to 2 hrs. To tell if it’s ready, take out of the oven and listen to it. If it’s sizzling, it’s not ready. When the sizzling stops, it’s done. (Or the usual skewer test will work). Leave it in the tin till it cools. Optional extra: Pour a couple more Tbs brandy over the top while still hot.

Icing: This cake is already very rich without adding the traditional almond and white icing. But for presentation you might want to decorate with:

• Whole crispy almonds pressed into the top in a decorative pattern, before baking
• A butter icing like we used for ginger crunch, but flavoured with brandy or almond essence

Variations:

• Mini Christmas cakes: These are decorative, and don’t take as long to cook – approx 45 to 60 minutes, depending on size. Bake in std or large muffin pans, or star shaped tins.
• Xmas puddings – Serve mini cakes as puddings, while still hot, with custard or whipped cream (or both).

Troubleshooting: If the cake is starting to get very dark on top, but is still sizzling, test with a skewer. If a lot is still sticking to the skewer, move the cake lower down the oven, and cover loosely with some tin foil. Check again after another 10 minutes. If the skewer only has a bit sticking, take it out. The final consistency will be more like a pudding than cake, but it will still be good. Next time, add more arrowroot.

Resources

Useful pages on DietNet:

• Whole Foods
• Good Fats vs Bad Fats
• Sweeteners
• NZ shopping guide
• Where to shop in NZ

Books:

• Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon
• Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, by Weston Price
• Some books by Phillip Day:
  • Health Wars
  • ABC’s of disease
  • Cancer: Why we’re still dying to know the truth
  • The Mind Game

Websites recommended by Phillip Day:

• Fluoride Action Network (International): www.flouridealert.org
• Australian Vaccination network: www.avn.org.au
• Learn about the many diseases caused by fungal overgrowth: www.knowthecause.com
• Recovering from yeast overgrowth: www.yeastconnection.com
• The Cancer Prevention Coalition, working towards a safer environment: www.preventcancer.com/
• Scientific data on a variety of holistic and alternative medicine topics: www.thedoctorwithin.com
• Take responsibility for your own health care: www.doctoryourself.com

Support these NZ websites:

• NZ Health Trust – Fighting for our right to choose our own health care: www.nzht.co.nz/
• Fluoride Action Network (NZ): www.fannz.org.nz/
• Raw Milk: www.realmilk.co.nz
• Soy Online Service - Uncovering the truth about soy: www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/

Other resources:

• Weston A Price Foundation: www.westonaprice.org
• To contact your nearest WAPF chapter leader: click here for the latest list

With best wishes for a relaxing holiday period and a rewarding New Year, Deb

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