Ross Walter Nutritionist and Naturopath health articles and blog

The DAA promised to end industry influence but didn't

5/12/2019

I have been very critical of the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) in many articles. This is because they wrote the Australian food guidelines (under a tender from the NHMRC), which are decades out of date when compared with more current nutrition research, and because they make a lot of their money from corporate sponsorships from food companies. This is a conflict of interest, and it shows in their outdated advice.

In October 2018 I wrote that the DAA released a statement that they were going to stop accepting sponsorships from food companies, due to the frequent criticisms and perception that they are influenced by those sponsorships. I stated at the time that it would be a good plan for them to stop the sponsorships, but to wait and see how and when they were going to implement this change.
Well, they have, and it's just as bad, or even worse than before!

They are now offering food industry corporations to ADVERTISE with them instead, and advertise DIRECTLY to all registered Dietitians! So the unhealthy food companies that used to sponsor the DAA like Nestle, Kelloggs, Campbells, Arnotts, Sanitarium and more, can spam (aka"influence") all Dietitians in Australia, and those Dietitians cannot opt out of their garbage information!

What is worse is that the DAA are also allowing:
- Food companies to advertise positions vacant in their companies
- Food companies to advertise rooms to be available for Dietitians to practice
- Food companies to advertise in the DAA's events calendar
- Food companies to advertise in the DAA's peer-reviewed journal
- Food companies to advertise at the DAA annual conference
- and more...

Interestingly, the declarations which food industry advertisers must sign for approval, ask them to declare that their products are "not contrary to accepted scientific evidence"! This means that any company which perhaps has a product that is based on NEW (ie, more current) scientific evidence will not be able to advertise to Dietitians, because it would contradict the DAA's already outdated recommendations. How or when will anything ever improve?

Really, nothing has changed at all with this new funding policy! The DAA are now allowing all of their members to be directly influenced by food companies, as opposed to being indirectly influenced through the DAA!

If only the DAA would influence their members with current nutrition science on real food, rather than processed and packaged foods from biased food companies. After all, it should be about the health of all Australians, and not how much money the DAA can make.

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WHO INVENTED THE FOOD PYRAMID AND FOOD GUIDELINES?

5/12/2017

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Have you ever wondered why our government food guidelines are the way they are, or why they don't make a lot (or any) sense, or why we have the current worldwide epidemics of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other chronic diseases, when most people are following these guidelines?

Here you have your answers, if you didn't already know...

But first, who invented the initial food pyramid, in an attempt to tell people what they should eat to be healthy? I'll tell you: In 1924, a dietitian by the name of Mary Barber designed the first food pyramid. And she worked for this company...... wait for it...

KELLOGGS!!

What group of foods did she put on the bottom of the food pyramid, to tell you to eat the most of?! GRAINS! (see pic)

What do Kelloggs sell most of? GRAINS!

Way back then the food pyramid was designed to get people to eat more GRAINS, to make Kelloggs more profit. It wasn't based on scientific evidence that it was good for you!

And today, the situation is exactly the same.

Just a couple of days ago, the Assistant Federal Minster for Health, David Gillespie MP, sent out a media release highlighting the huge financial costs of diabetes and heart disease. It also mentioned that based on some research, simply eating more fibre from grains could improve our health and (allegedly) prevent a huge number of diabetes and heart disease cases.

On face value, that idea may sound ok to you, except that it was Kelloggs who actually funded that research! (see additional pics) Some 93 years after they first started manipulating the public, they are STILL interfering with government advice and the food guidelines to get you to buy what will increase their profits - GRAINS! (in breakfast cereals, muesli bars, breads, and many other products)

So what's the problem with grains? They are high in carbohydrates, which gets broken down into glucose in the body to cause high blood sugars, and in excess, it will be stored as fat. A lot of recent research shows that grains cause high cholesterol, high blood pressure, inflammation, low energy, IBS, and a lot more symptoms, and conditions such as diabetes and heart disease - the very things which the assistant health minister and Kelloggs are suggesting will prevent! It won't - eating more grains will cause more of these conditions.

The current food guidelines which still advise us to eat 6-11 serves of grains daily, were produced by the Dietitians Association of Australia, who accept a massive amount of sponsorships from food industry corporates like Kelloggs, Sanitarium, Arnotts, Campbells, Nestle and many more... this is a huge conflict of interest and it shows in their unscientific recommendations. The DAA guidelines are about protecting their corporate partners' profits, and not based on independent scientific research or what is best for your health. Hence why you should ignore these guidelines, and eat LESS grains, if you want to be healthier.

For the best independent nutrition advice, instead talk to your (non-DAA-aligned) Nutritionist or Naturopath. We have your best interests and health at heart, based on recent scientific research.

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Are Nutritionists the same as DIETITIANS?!

24/9/2016

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Dietitians and Nutritionists are not the same! We aren't even in the same century, or even in the same galaxy, when it comes to giving the same advice on food and nutrition for your health!

Nutrition is becoming more of a topic of interest in reality TV shows, people wanting to cook their own great meals or to have dinner parties, or for those who want to improve their health. But there is a lot of misinformation about what foods are healthy or not. Which side should you believe?

Dietitians are registered with the Dietitians Association of Australia, who "control" how the Dietitians can practice or what advice they are allowed to give. Dietitians who step outside the DAA guidelines, such as recommending a low processed carbohydrate diet for diabetes (which is actually ideal) are de-registered and kicked out of the association as seen in one case in 2014: http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2015/10/jennifer-elliott-vs-dietitians-association-of-australia/

The DAA have claimed on their Facebook page on 23-9-2016 that they are "the only nutrition professionals recognised by the Australian government, Medicare and the National Disability Insurance Scheme". Recognised for what? The Australian Government recognises Nutritionists and Naturopaths too, our courses are government approved, and health funds recognise us enough to offer you rebates on our consultations! At this stage, yes, Medicare only recognise Dietitians for bulk billing of consultation fees, because Dietitians are in bed with the medical profession and the Australian government and have been for a long time. Due to their lobbying, they are trying to keep this situation the same.

Dietitians, through the DAA, are also in bed with food and supermarket corporations and various food industry groups too. Such corporations "sponsor" the DAA with funding, in much the same way as corporations and industries sponsor the government - for favourable decisions and profits. The DAA show some of their sponsors on their website for all to see - Campbells, Arnotts, Nestle, McDonalds and many more. These are hardly health food companies! This is a major conflict of interest or bias at its worst. See some of the corporate sponsors in the picture for an idea how bad the DAA has been penetrated...

As a result of this corporate sponsorship, the DAA advice is still the same old "low fat", "low calorie", "food pyramid", and "everyone is the same" approach which they have been spewing forth for about 60 years - AND IT'S NOT WORKING! As a nation, we are getting unhealthier as a result, with higher rates of obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and many other chronic health conditions - all affected by poor nutrition advice from the government, the DAA and dietitians.

Nutritionists and Naturopaths (like me!) on the other hand are independent health professionals, not controlled by any association or dictated to as to how they can practice or provide treatments. These modalities are very much evidence-based on current scientific research, and are personalised to the individual client, as everyone is different!

Our general advice is that your foods need to be unprocessed, whole and fresh, and without being exposed to toxic chemicals. We are also far more than advisors on your food choices, but holistic health practitioners who are trained and educated on improving your lifestyle, sleep, stresses, digestive system, immune system, and many other areas, and able to treat all manner of health conditions. Sometimes we can recommend certain pathology tests and supplements to give your body a boost when needed. We work with many other medical practitioners and allied health professionals too!

For the best health of your family and friends, ignore the biased and corporate sponsored food and nutrition marketing from the government and it's associated bodies. Trust the government?! No way! Get your nutrition and health advice from an experienced and independent health professional, who is more interested in improving your health than keeping the corporate sponsors happy.

Good health to you!

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What is the difference between a nutritionist and dietitian?

10/5/2016

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If you ever wanted to know what the difference between a Nutritionist and a Dietitian is, the best practical example was shown on last night's "Sunday Night" program on channel 7 (8th May 2016), which you can see here if you missed it - https://au.news.yahoo.com/sunday-night/features/a/31538041/the-saving-australia-diet/

This is a story of 3 average Australians who are overweight, have appalling diets and lifestyles, and have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as a result of their choices. Yes, type 2 diabetes is caused by your food and lifestyle choices, and is very easy to completely reverse!

In part 1 of this series, the 3 diabetes sufferers are given 3 different treatments:
1) one will follow the Paleo lifestyle and advised by chef Pete Evans and orthopedic surgeon Dr Gary Fettke (also an author and health champion for reducing sugar and polyunsaturated oils). The Paleo lifestyle (as it's not really a diet because it doesn't restrict calories) is to eat more vegies, healthy fats, grass-fed meats, fermented foods, and cutting dairy, grains and sugar - so it's just real, natural, low-inflammatory foods!
2) one will follow the 5:2 diet as proposed by Michael Mosely (a journalist!). This diet restricts your diet to just 800 calories (normally 2000 calories is recommended by dietitians for a "normal" daily intake) for 5 days, then letting go and having pretty much anything on the other 2 days per week with no calorie restrictions.
3) the last person will get advice from a Dietitian, and follow the "rules" as instructed by the Dietitians Association of Australia and the government's food guidelines.

The cause of diabetes is simple - wrong food choices of high-carbohydrate foods such as sugary foods and drinks, alcohol, breads and bakery products, and whole grain foods - breakfast cereals, pasta and more. Refined or processed carbohydrates like these break down into glucose (ie sugar) in the body quickly, leading to high blood sugar levels. The body responds to this by secreting large amounts of insulin, which does 2 main things - 1) forces cells to take in more glucose (because high blood glucose is toxic and inflammatory), and 2) forces the body to turn the excess blood sugar into fat. Simply, high amounts of these carbohydrate foods causes weight gain as fat.

Over time, the body gets less responsive to the high blood glucose, which remains high, and the pancreas (the organ which produces insulin) starts producing less because it's worn out. This leads to insulin resistance (as insulin no longer works), constant very high blood glucose, inflammation of the blood vessels, high cholesterol, eyesight starts to fail, nerves stop working (hence a lack of feeling in legs mainly) and can lead to infections that don't heal and eventual amputation being required. The kidneys start failing too, leading to high blood pressure, then heart disease, then death. So diabetes is a very serious condition.

Then we come back to the point of the article - what is the difference between Nutritionist and a Dietitian? There are many in this example of type 2 diabetes:
1) A Nutritionist will treat the cause of health issues by recommending reducing refined and processed carbohydrate foods as listed above, and replacing them with healthier alternatives so the sufferer doesn't feel they are missing out or going on a diet where they are frequently hungry. A Nutritionist will recommend more vegies, healthy proteins from grass-fed meats and plant sources, healthy fats (which don't lead to weight gain!) and reducing bad fats such as trans-fat, and a healthy lifestyle of more movement, reducing stress and its effects, and more.
2) A Dietitian (as shown in the episode above) wanted to increase fibre in their diet (ie more vegies) which is great, but to go on a diet by restricting calories (ie a low-fat diet), and INCREASING intake of whole grains! This will prolong the high blood sugar and pancreas issues in this sufferer because grain based food (high in carbs) are part of the cause of diabetes!
3) A Nutritionist uses treatments from recent proven scientific research. A Dietitian will follow the recommendations of the Dietitians Association of Australia which are NOT backed up by recent research, but by corporate interests and food companies who have a say in the guidelines or who support the DAA financially, as listed on their website (a conflict of interest?). Dietitians who step outside the DAA guidelines with a low-carbohydrate diet for diabetes are de-registered and kicked out of the association as seen in one case in 2014: http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2015/10/jennifer-elliott-vs-dietitians-association-of-australia/
4) A Nutritionist won't recommend a restrictive diet for diabetes, won't recommend calorie counting (as calories are not all equal and affect people differently anyway). Diets can be very restrictive and tough for people to stick to long term. And then the body will adapt to the low food intake and start slowing down metabolism and energy production, and actually storing more fat because it thinks it is starving! This is why there is the rebound effect after a short while on a diet. Hence diets don't work!
5) A Nutritionist recognises that health conditions are complex and often have multiple causative factors, which can be different in people with the same condition. Hence they will recommend a holistic (whole body) personalised treatment plan, because everyone is different! A Dietitian has a "one size fits all" approach with a single treatment plan for everyone, which is the standard medical approach. Dietitians mostly work in a hospital environment. Have you seen the food fed to hospital patients lately? I rest my case...

We will see how this story concludes later!

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The DAA promised to end industry influence but didn't

WHO INVENTED THE FOOD PYRAMID AND FOOD GUIDELINES?

Are Nutritionists the same as DIETITIANS?!

What is the difference between a nutritionist and dietitian?

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