JUNE 2005 - NEWSLETTER #4
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This is the 4th in a series of occasional DietNet newsletters. If this is your first one, and you’re wondering what it’s all about, I’m sending this out to anybody in NZ I’ve talked to about whole foods, kefir, kombucha, raw milk, or wellness generally. [Click here for printable version. Read previous newsletters : No 1, No 2, No 3] Topics in this newsletter:
The Wellington and Manawatu WAPF chapter would like to gauge interest in a couple of events. If anyone is interested in either a cheese making workshop, or a Weston Price talk and potluck, or just a potluck, email me and let me know. Last newsletter, I talked about the benefits of raw foods, and the fact that not only fruit and vegetables can be eaten raw. Raw animal products such as milk, egg yolks, fish and meat can also be highly beneficial. I included a raw fish recipe last time and promised a raw meat recipe this time. Even people who have never eaten raw meat before have commented on how tasty and tender this is and how much they like it. Give it a try…. Serves 2-3 as a main meal, or 6 as an entree
Whisk together the egg yolk, mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, cayenne and salt until combined. Cut the fat off the steak and cut into small pieces. Then put into a food processor, with the onion, parsley and dressing and pulse till mixed well together. Traditionally, the meat would still be in small pieces, but for the beginner it’s probably easier to eat fully minced. The texture will be a bit like raw sausage meat. Serve:
Fats – getting a bad rap again There is a lot of publicity these days about childhood obesity and ill health. There are moves to have healthier foods available in schools and to ban foods high in sugar and fat. This sounds reasonable, at first. But read that again – foods high in sugar and fat. It’s the fat that concerns me. If they’re talking about margarines, trans fats and most vegetables oils, we can all agree that those need to be avoided at all cost. But the reflex judgment that any food high in fat is bad is a very harmful position. Many “nutritionists” seem to forget we need fat in our diet. I’m not talking about the 1 tsp daily of fish or flax oil that many recommend, so you’re getting your omega 3 oils. I’m talking about saturated fats. Some of the reasons to eat saturated fats include:
Sadly, most people are still frightened of saturated fats. There is still widespread belief that saturated fats cause obesity and high cholesterol, which in turn lead to diabetes, heart disease, stroke and many other diseases. But is it true? First, we can look at the research done by Weston Price in the 1930’s. He found that all the healthy native groups he studied, when eating their traditional diets, ate a lot of fat, from 30-80% of calories. Much of this was animal fat. Obesity and heart disease were uncommon. Second, we can see that over the past 100 years, obesity and heart disease have increased. But saturated fat intake has decreased. What we ARE eating more of is sugars, grains, and vegetables oils – especially processed ones. Some recent studies that were expected to prove the dangers of diets high in fat, such as Dr Atkins’, have instead shown the opposite. Some scientists are starting to admit that maybe he had a point. But others are still saying that maybe saturated fats are not as bad as we thought, while still not admitting that they are actually needed. Dr Diana Schwarzbein, who has worked extensively with diabetes patients, has found that the low fat diet commonly recommended for diabetes doesn’t work. But when her patients started eating more protein and saturated fat, they started to get better. Her book, The Schwarzbein Principle, is an interesting read. Don't fall for the generalization that fats are bad, and don't let children be deprived of a macronutrient that’s vital for good health. Don’t deprive yourself. Speak up when others badmouth saturated fats, and let’s see a more balanced discussion about them take place. We all have individual needs for fat, and are suited to different fats, but in general, good fats to eat include:
Fats to avoid include:
For a more in depth look at the role of fats in the body, and which fats are good to eat, see the fats page. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Many of you will have heard of EFT, maybe through Dr Mercola’s site. Although it’s not directly a whole food topic, it can support your whole food eating habits in a number of ways, by:
EFT is also invaluable in other areas of your life. Gary Craig, the founder, says to try it on everything. It has helped people with stress, anxiety, fears and phobias, trauma, anger, relationship issues, headaches and other pains, asthma, sports performance, sitting exams, goal setting, and many other physical and emotional issues. The theory behind EFT is that all emotional upsets are caused by disturbances in the body's energy system. Correct the disturbance, and the emotional upset evaporates. This doesn't mean that we don't feel any emotion, rather that we have a tool that can neutralise excessive emotion. In EFT, you gently tap on points on your face and trunk to correct the energy imbalances. Some of the advantages EFT has over other therapies are:
To learn how to use EFT, you can download a manual from Gary Craig’s website or purchase his video sets, learn direct from a practitioner, or attend a workshop. There are several practitioners in New Zealand now, and about 5 trainers. For more details, see my EFT page. *** There will be a Level One workshop in Wellington on Saturday, 18th June with a Level 2 workshop planned for later in the year. Other workshops are planned for Palmerston North, Auckland and the South Island. Email me for details of the Wellington or Palmerston North workshops, and see this link for the other areas: www.emofree.com/WorkShops Bari Caine, the WAPF Invercargill chapter leader, has a new local radio show! Traditional
Food for Well-being, on Radio Southland 96.4 FM Based on Nourishing Traditions and Weston A. Price dietary guidelines. Topics will include:
If you’re in Southland, please tune in, and tell your friends. 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. Useful pages on DietNet:
Health Coaching: Email me or read more if you or anyone you know is interested in:
Recommended Books:
Support these NZ websites:
Other resources: To contact your nearest WAPF chapter leader:
NZ support network: The Yahoo group is on hold for now. Later this year, we intend to move all our websites to a different server and will look at using that space for a discussion board instead. So we’ll keep you posted. Email me if you:
To your continued good health, and until next time, |
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