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An Open Letter to Pete Evans

Dear Pete Evans,

You are a famous chef. You are a popular television host. You are a best selling author.

It seems to me you need reminding of the fact that you are admired and respected by thousands of people around Australia and parts of the world. You collectively have over 832,000 followers across your various social media channels together with the millions of television viewers tuning in and watching you.

These very people see your life as pretty amazing. I mean, you travel the world to gorgeous locations with other well-known and respected chefs and celebrities all with your family in tow, you cook and eat beautiful looking food, your partner is a babe and your daughters Chilli and Indii would make any person’s heart melt they are just so cute.

Summing it up in an activated nutshell like that makes your life sound pretty damn sweet. Pardon the irony, but there have been a few past incidents that haven’t gone so well including your reference about diet causing Autism. Despite the job title ‘Neurologist’ lacking from your resume, which tells me you have no medical knowledge or experience about the causes of Autism.

And now something else has popped up to add to the list of bumps in your road.

Bubba Yum Yum: The Paleo Way for new mums, babies and toddlers.

Your new book co-authored with baby recipe blogger Charlotte Carr and Naturopath Helen Padarin.

Within it there is a DIY baby formula recipe promoting ingredients you would normally see in the ‘I’m a celebrity get me out of here’ tucker trials, including chicken liver, ground bones, oils and probiotic supplements, (which incidentally are high in vitamin A and dangerous to babies in high doses). Health experts from places such as the Public Health Association of Australia [pffft.. what would they know?] have grave concerns with the recipe, forcing your publisher Pan McMillan to suspend the book release indefinitely. All because of a few words highlighting its danger made by these health experts, such as “Inadequate nutritional value”, “Baby growth and development could be impaired”, “Failure to thrive” and “A baby may die”.

A. BABY. MAY. DIE.

These claims are not because they are haters of you and your controversial Paleo Ways Mr Pete Evans, but because babies could have died if they were subjected to being fed your DIY baby formula by their unsuspecting “new parents” taking your poorly researched advice.

You set out to make money from a book promoting recipes for babies and toddlers when neither you nor your co-authors appear to have the medical background to confirm the nutritional value and safety of your recipes would be ok for these very young children to consume  on a regular basis. And no, Naturopathy is not medicine, it may have its benefits but from where I sit, it sure as hell isn’t curing cancer.

You have really pissed me off.

Who am I to judge you? I am a parent to a beautiful 16 month old son. I am married to an amazing man. I am an office worker in the media industry. I am a writer. I exercise. I have awesome friends. I eat good food but not afraid to have a treat. I drink wine. I have a gorgeous dog.

I have had 5 other jobs in my life, the closest I could ever have gotten to having a medical background was when I worked as a pharmacy assistant for the first three and a bit years I was out of high school, that was over 10 years ago. I am nicknamed ‘The Auditor’ by my husband because I monitor everything about our son, not in a ‘helicopter parent’ kind of way but in a ‘nobody does it like me, if you want a job done do it yourself’ kind of way.

I am the parent you were trying to sell your book to.

I am aware of the hidden crap food companies are putting into our foods. I am aware of the amount of sugar being pumped into us through foods that really shouldn’t have sugar in them. I avoid packaged foods as much as I possibly can without my husband freaking out on me that I am going to starve him. I am aware of the clever marketing food companies employ to make sure parents like me unknowingly fall victim and buy their products thinking they are healthy when they are not.

My horrible breastfeeding experiences are the same horrible breastfeeding experiences of many mothers out there. Some of these mothers are battling to breastfeed right now and may be thinking of giving up and thinking of breast milk replacement. Some parents are happy with commercial formula, that’s totally ok. Then there are some parents who are desperately looking for something, anything that is closer to breast milk. They may have taken to your DIY baby formula recipe if your book were published.

You, Charlotte and Helen were going to put the health and lives of their babies at risk.

A. BABY. MAY. DIE.

No doubt your book would have been marketed so well and looked so pretty that these desperate parents may have truly believed they were making the right decision, the best decision for their child by feeding them something so dangerous, unbeknownst to them. I would like to think people could not be stupid enough to think ground bones and chicken liver would be superior to commercial formula but when a person is desperate, if they are made to believe it will solve their problems, they will try AN. E. THIN. GA!

As a celebrity chef, as an admired TV personality, as a reputable author, as a person with a significant online following such as yourself, you absolutely have a duty of care to do your bloody research when making statements, voicing your opinions and publishing your recipes. For the record Google is not research. Speaking with Universities, Hospitals and Scientific Research Facilities is research.

People trust you. People value your opinion. People listen to what you have to say.

Which means you can’t go around spruiking the benefits of a paleo inspired DIY baby formula which may have the unfortunate side effect of DEATH.

Stop being a jerk and go back to being a chef.

Sincerely, Kim

The Auditor

Avatar of New Mumma Kim

Kim is 29 years old. She has been with her husband for 15 years and married for 8. They have a son who is a cheeky toddler constantly testing their parenting abilities. She loves gardening, eating, bootcamp and sleeping. She hates rude people, alarm clocks and buying cards for presents.

104 Comments

  1. Avatar of Kai-64

    Everything I started to write when my phone went flat. But you were so much more eloquent!

    • Avatar of Kim

      Ha ha, Thanks Kai! I was hoping that I was just writing what most of us were thinking, which seems to be the case!

  2. Avatar of yvettedownunder
    yvettedownunder Reply

    I am a passionate supporter of breastfeeding – have been a volunteer breastfeeding counsellor for 20+ years and I am just as passionate in my feelings about formula marketing, so if I say formula is the safest option for babies unable to be fed on human milk, then you know I have really considered the issue. Donor milk is increasingly available, if there are reasons not to use cows milk or soy formula. Formula isn’t breastmilk but it isn’t rat poison either. It is nothing more or less than milk for baby cows, modified to better suit the needs of human babies. Bone broth and mashed liver as a breastmilk substitute for babies less than six months makes as much sense as feeding them rice cereal and pureed banana: their digestive system is not mature enough to process anything other than milk. Anyone with rare and specific cases of not being able to be fed either human or other milk needs individual health care from appropriate professionals, not a cook book. One case study is not evidence.

    • Avatar of Kim

      Thank you so much for your comment Yvette. With regards to formula feeding babies what you have to say are my exact sentiments. I am so thankful that I managed to overcome my breastfeeding horror stories including hospitalisation from mastitis and the horror seeing a milk duct sticking out from my nip no thanks to my overly enthusiastic boobie boy. At 16 months and still (barely) going we are continuing our journey.
      Maybe your comment should be a new hashtag? #babyformulaisnotratpoison

  3. Avatar of Jane

    Have you read the book? The entire book? Or are you picking up on one little recipe? Do you know the specific guidelines or suggestions that they gave around that recipe? Or are you putting all your trust in so called Health professionals that are part of the clan that for decades have been misinforming us about our health. Hence our current diabetes epidemic. Among other things.
    I find it interesting that you only wrote this to Pete. You don’t think the women were involved? Or are you just a man hater?

    • Avatar of Hugh

      I think that she directed her letter at Pete because he is the author with the highest profile. Part of Kim’s argument was that because of Pete’s influence and the trust people have in him he has a responsibility to be adequately informed before publishing information that people are likely to follow. I don’t think she is a man hater, ad hominem arguments are never useful.

      Secondly, I am not quite sure health professionals are behind our current diabetes epidemic. From what I understand the majority of doctors and other allied health members have never been in the habit of promoting weight gain, unhealthy diet and no exercise to the population. These are the three main risk factors for developing diabetes so if they are not promoted I am not quite sure how the population has been misinformed.

      Don’t make it an “us against them” fight, health professionals are people that want the same end goals as you do, they just use different means. Whilst the evidence is still out on the efficacy of a paleo diet, it is not bad for you and as a medical student I don’t see a problem with people thinking more about what they eat, just in this case following this lifestyle can cause real harm and has to be cautioned against.

      • Avatar of Kim

        Pretty much word for word what I would have said but more eloquently and more life experience within the industry. Thanks Hugh

    • Avatar of Kim

      Jane I would reply more personally to you but Hugh has said pretty much what I wanted to say so perfectly (thanks Hugh) so I would only be repeating what he has said.
      Thank you for your comment and contribution to the conversation though Jane.

      • Avatar of Jane

        Thanks for changing your mind after you initially deleted my comment Kim. I’m still interested in if you have seen the book and recipe in question? Or if your reference point was directly with the AMA or perhaps the media reports on it?
        It’s also really nice to see you speaking respectfully of others and their views, a much better place to be writing from in my humble opinion. Jane

        • Avatar of Kim

          Hi Jane. Apologies for the deleted comment which i never had a chance to read, it would have been the website moderators that removed it. As i said in my letter i am a simple mum just living my life and was peeved that a celebrity chef would endorse such a dangerous recipe for people to use. I was distressed enough by it that i decided to write an open letter. I have no particular authority within any news or media department and hold no special high place to be privvy to seeing the book or the recipe which thankfully was never released and so i only have the same access to information about it as you or anyonne else here would. I based my letter, which is purely my opinion and thoughts, on reputable news and media releases, from Pan McMillan and from the Public Health Authority. It is important to remember the letter is only my expressed opinion. I do my best to research as thoroughly as possible much as possible using the best information available to me. The letter wasn’t dissing Paleo, i think it has its place and something we should all be thinking about – moreso the clean eating rather than following a strict certain diet, but the point of my letter was me being pissed off about the influence of a celebrity name on a recipe that was potentially deadly that was all. As much as there were warnings place on the recipe there will always be people that don’t take such warnings as seriously as they should and so there was room for grave errors to be made. There was an interview recently on the abc news website of a personal trainer who said they would have recommended people use the recipe and he would feed his own children the broth, very disturbing indeed! So this just highlights my point, and i am so glad the book wasn’t released. I am looking forward to seeing the revised version, it otherwise seemed like a great recipe book!

  4. Avatar of Dr Kate

    Oh for goodness sake Jane! ‘One little recipe’… That may cause DEATH! Are you people for real? Trolling surely?
    Signed, one of those so-called health professionals.

    PS I can’t wait to see what your thoughts are when you need your appendix out. Maybe you can fix that with some alfalfa or something?

    • Avatar of Jane

      I wasn’t trolling thanks Kate. I see my comment has been removed but I’m actually all for robust conversation. I’m hoping Julian’s comment is allowed to say and we can actually have a great debate about this. Because I think good health is something worth exploring. I don’t knock anything until I’ve tried it, because I don’t think anyone has all the answers. Even doctors. And I would have a real problem if mine did.

      • Avatar of Julian

        I have full respect for doctors and everything they do for our country. However how can people be completely happy to have all of their health issues assessed by a regular GP? Its estimated that half of all medical knowledge changes every 2-4 years. How can we expect a doctor who may have been trained 20+ years ago to stay up to date with all the new scientific evidence whilst working full time. There just isn’t enough time in the day for that to be possible. People start looking outwards when they realise that their GP doesn’t have all the answers (which is fair enough) The wisdom of crowds is a wonderful thing. If your interested youtube the video “diet health and the wisdom of crowds”

        • Avatar of Jane

          Thanks Julian, I’ll take a look. What you say makes so much sense. I think we have a lot to learn from each other ‘the crowd’ as you say, and I think people like Charlotte, Helen and Peter are really contributing to the conversation. The opposition to the conversation, especially given everything you have just said about the amount of change that happens in medical knowledge, is what is really surprising me. I hope that as a Society we can be ready to help each other find better health. Because we need it. Thanks for your contribution to the discussion Julian. It has been refreshing.

        • Avatar of Sue

          Julian – it’s true that medical knowledge and evidence develops rapidly. That’s why evidence of continuing education is compulsory for medical registration, and why there are now so many on-line learning sites.

          Each individual GP may not have all the evidence about everything – that’s why they have their network of consultants and allied health colleagues – including dietitians and endocrinologists.

        • Avatar of Neets

          So very true. My children have severe eczema. The doctors kept prescribing cortisone until my poor little girls system shut down. Put her on a paleo diet & the results have been nothing short of amazing. Good on Pete for raising awareness & shame on those doctors.

          • Avatar of Kim

            no its not ‘shame on the doctors’. I would suggest after not seeing results there should have been a referral. Perhaps next time probe a little more aggressively as doctors aren’t always perfect (I am pigeon holeing older male doctors here fyi, sorry) Nothing against them but as the saying goes “many hands make light work” or “fresh eyes see more clearly” these sayings also apply in this scenario. Seek for other opinions within the industry.
            Is the eczema still under control? I am glad it worked out for you.

          • Avatar of Neets

            I’m actually not that naive to not get a second opinion Kim and a third, fourth and fifth. My daughter has seen copious amounts of allergists and paediatricians and they have all prescribed cortisone because that’s what their text book tells them to do. The only thing that has worked has been changing her diet, working out what she reacts to and eliminating those foods from her diet. Have you experienced allergies or food intolerances in your child? If not, perhaps you shouldn’t be making suggestions to mum’s with multiple children with allergies on how to approach doctors.

          • Avatar of Kim

            Im really glad it worked out in the end though neets. I didn’t mean to come across condecsending or patronising. Text is always impossible to understand and interpret as there is no tone of voice or body language to read, i’m sure you understand.

          • Avatar of Alex

            A referral from a dr will always go to another dr which means treating symptoms ie cortisone creams. There is always a place for modern medicine – cancer treatments, surgeries, management of symptoms but they do not know how to look into the cause of illness. I have had many illnesses which I have started with treatment from doctors but but ended up worse than where i started so have ended up seeing naturopaths and other natural health practitioners with incredible results. Simple things like changing your diet can cause huge improvements to eczema but this is not a common area a dr will look at. Cortisone creams are a gift we can use in life and can mean so much less sufferingbut it only pushed the eczema down and it flares back up shortly after stopping the cream and also causes skin damage. There is a place for both in our society! In years to come our doctors will begin to treat cause rather than symptoms but we are not there yet. It makes me sad that everyone bashes each other for having different beliefs about ways to live their life. It’s just sad and upsetting!

        • Avatar of Hugh

          As someone who is currently a medical student I just wanted to put it out there that the idea that half of all medical knowledge changes every 2-4 years is one of those things that is peddled in the community but not actually true. Medicine changes, but not that quickly or dramatically. For example our understanding and treatment of appendicitis is still the same as it was 100 years ago. What is changing is not the core concepts of medicine but rather what is developing the most rapidly is on the margins e.g. Molecular methods for treating cancer.

          So whilst there are new things for a GP to learn (and most GPs have time built into their schedule to study) I just want to stress that 95% of their knowledge stays constant and when things change e.g. the guidelines for first line treatment of hypertension in diabetics these things are widely publicised.

          Basically. You can trust your doctor. Someone who has trained and had a VERY good grasp of healing disease and promoting health. Other people might have good ideas but they should always be measured against the prevailing, evidence based health consensus from the medical and allied health community. If they pass go for it, but if someone with good intentions who devotes their life to researching provides a caution, please don’t blow them off.

          • Avatar of Kim

            Thank you so much for your comment Hugh. Very well said and I appreciate it.

  5. Avatar of Julian

    If everything Pete Evans advocates is all BS then surely some of his 800,000+ followers would have stopped following him on Facebook by now? Yet every day his number of followers is increasing. You wouldn’t believe it but he has had many health professionals sharing their stories through his platform including dieticians, nutritionists and doctors.

    How stupid do people really think his followers are? You can’t pull the wool over close to a million peoples eyes for this long if all his talk is just fluff.

    Has anyone on here done any research into omega-6 and omega-3 balance ratios in diet. Omega 6 is highly inflammatory if not kept in a ratio of 2:1 or less (omega 6:3) Studies are starting to show links to cancer growth and a wide range of other diseases. With this scientific knowledge we still create baby formula with omega 6:3 ratios of 50:1+ with some brands using GM crops to derive their “so called vitamins and minerals” to add to the formula.

    If you would like links to the studies? Please let me know and i would be more than happy to provide links. However i am sure most people are just going to ignore my comments as they are too scared that their current views maybe wrong.

    • Avatar of Doris

      Finally,a comment by a thinking, intelligent, informed comment! Thank you!

    • Avatar of KB

      Nutrition is NOT a popularity contest.

      When we have babies lives being put at risk by uneducated and untrained people even less so. Healthcare is about informed choice, that is there is at least 2 options and the risks and benefits explained. Pretty sure ole Pete hasn’t bothered to include that aspect in his book which is why actual health professionals have gotten involved.
      Also in regards to informed choice these babies don’t get a choice! They don’t get a choice in something that could and is likely to have longterm ramifications to their physical and mental health.

      • Avatar of Julian

        By long term ramifications do you mean not being sick and thriving in a healthy environment? 😉

        In all seriousness though.

        The Weston A Price Foundation has endorsed similar home made baby formulas for years! Yet no one bats an eye lid. I would be more than happy to make a $500 bet with anyone that when the book is released there isn’t anywhere within it that states that mothers should stop breast feeding immediately and only give their baby his recipe. Its merely supplemental food that is better than all of the sugar laden purees in tins and jars that are currently out there.

        How do you know that he hasn’t had any advice and consultations from medical professionals during the creation of the book? I should remind you that it is merely a recipe book. Its not a step by step guide on how to raise a baby. If your happy to continue your life how it is? Thats fine by me. But i think that its a bit of joke that people are so up in arms about it. I can think of many other books available in Australia that have the potential to more harm than his recipe book.

        • Avatar of Alec Duncan
          Alec Duncan Reply

          “How do you know that he hasn’t had any advice and consultations from medical professionals during the creation of the book?” Because any qualified dietitian would have told him that his formula was lethally high in Vitamin A.

          As for the Weston A. Price Foundation: see my reply to Sarah above. They are dangerous cranks who spread disinformation and derp.

          • Avatar of Julian

            Yes Vitamin A is in high amounts in liver. How does anyone know the amount he in his recipe if the book hasnt been released?

          • Avatar of Mahara

            Ingredients allegedly making up the D.I.Y formula (air date unspecified by source).

          • Avatar of Mahara

            Nutritional information in comparable amounts, allegedly from the recipe for D.I.Y formula. While only the vit. A amounts are circled you can compare amounts of other properties for yourselves.
            Source not named by poster.

          • Avatar of Alec Duncan
            Alec Duncan

            Because the publishers released copies for review prior to publication. Every publisher does this. And some of those copies were read by people who actually know about nutritional safety standards. They are dietitians and public health experts, and they were horrified at the dangerous infant bone broth recipe in the book. It wasn’t just the lethally high levels of Vitamin A, it was also far too high in Vitamin B and had dangerously high protein levels (too much protein can cause serious kidney and liver problems in infants).

        • Avatar of Kim

          it may be merely a recipe book but there will be some people (poor misfortunate tired as hell nipples and breasts are on fire feeling like death new mums) who will take this book and use it as their bible. Pete has a duty of care that should even an absolute idiot use it, no one will die.

      • Avatar of Kim

        thanks KB, that is one of the thoughts I had when I was writing my letter “babies don’t have a choice”

    • Avatar of Sue

      Smoking is really popular, too. As is Astrology. Even robbery. Your point is?

    • Avatar of Sue

      Julian, lots of scientists have done research on polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega 3 to omega 6 ratios. They don’t show what you say.

      • Avatar of Julian

        Thanks Sue.

        Are you able to provide some links to these scientific studies? I am genuinely interested in reading them

    • Avatar of Himadi

      Pete Evans is just a really good marketer and is brainwashing innocent people into following his diet by claiming it cures disease and putting every validated health professional down!

    • Avatar of Matt

      Oh my god. Pete Evans must be right because Facebook? A million morons on Facebook is still a million morons. Give yourself an uppercut Julian. Stop being a sheep.

      • Avatar of Julian

        Thanks Matt,

        Will give it a miss.

        I have spent the last 18 months researching everything nutrition and politics related for optimal health and longevity. Whilst i dont have a degree in such an area. I am more than happy with the lifestyle i currently follow and the health benefits its brought to my parents and siblings.

        You probably wont believe me but cholesterol wont kill you and saturated fat doesnt cause heart disease!

    • Avatar of Kim

      Hi Julian thank you for your comment. I love your name by the way… just so happens to be the same name of our gorgeous 16 month old son 🙂
      I did not say everything Pete Evans had to say was bullshit, it was his endorsement of such a dangerous diy baby formula that I was pissed off about.
      You are right, of course his fans and followers would have stopped following him if he were a crock of shit, hell I would have been one of them!
      I was specifically targeting the baby formula recipe. Apart from his unsubstantiated claims that diet causes Autism I have no other qualms against the guy. I actually really like him, I have one of his books on my bookshelf which I took a photo of just now, only for you.
      We may not agree about everything I have written and that is ok, you are entitled to your opinion. Thanks for your input. (Is it just me or do you think of the ‘Number 5’ 80’s movie classic when you hear the word input?)

  6. Avatar of Alice

    I think people like to forget how many babies die each year for no other reason than they were fed formula, how is that diferent to a homemade formula possibly killing a baby? And yes, even in australia with clean water and reasonable healthcare hundreds of babies die.

  7. Avatar of Nadine

    Do you drive with your kids in a car? A. BABY. MAY. DIE.
    Typical nobody trying to get more attention than they ever deserved. Don’t like paleo? Who cares, don’t eat that way.
    Enjoy possibly killing your kids and who knows someone else’s every time you get in a car. Sounds pretty stupid right?

    • Avatar of Sue

      Are you serious, Nadine? Driving in a car is no longer an avoidable activity, but we do all sorts of things to minimise the danger – from traffic rules to child restraints. And sometimes cars SAVE lives – when they get people to medical help or across the desert to a water source.

      Options for feeding babies safely are readily available, and not poisonous. There is no purpose in life for this bone broth recipe. Simple, really.

      • Avatar of Nadine

        Your opinion sue. But since you know so much about safe options for feeding babies can you please let me know of a commercial formula that does not for example contain soy? Also can you tell me why they add soy? Do you know of the possible side affects and long term damage soy consumption can have? A. BABY. MAY. DIE.

        Pick another ingredient. OMG NUTS!! Did you realise there are children’s cook books that have recipes with nuts. A. CHILD. MAY. DIE.

        The media, this article, health experts who just want to see their name in print. Jump on a bandwagon. Have you actually seen the recipe in full or what exactly they are recommending and how it’s recommended to be used? Talk about jumping to conclusions.

        • Avatar of Himadi

          A baby may die from soy?? Seriously where’s the evidence for that??? Never heard that before…

          Also if your child has a legitimate soy allergy.. There are plenty of soy free formulas out there.

    • Avatar of Kim

      Hi Nadine, thank you for your comment. I said this before in another comment but it is relevant here too. As I am sure you will understand I can’t cover every situation whenever I write something otherwise it gets very long and boring. Of course I am aware babies can die in other situations, this situation however would be easily preventable should the authors had properly researched what they were promoting, that was the point I was getting at. I am just thankful the book wont be released with the controversial recipe! I appreciate that you and I may disagree but that is ok, you are entitled to your opinion too.
      cheers

  8. Avatar of Sarah

    Maybe you are the one that hasn’t done your research. What qualifications do you have to say BABYS COULD DIE? I suggest that you’re just regurgitating something that you have read. Get informed and start by googling Weston A Price. Making baby formula is not new and Pete Evans hasn’t just ‘made it up’.

    • Avatar of Alec Duncan
      Alec Duncan Reply

      The people who said “a baby may die” are qualified dietitians and public health experts. She is quoting them. They are experts, and their considered opinion is that the level of Vitamin A in Pete’s recipe for bone broth formula is quite capable of killing an infant who is fed the formula.

      As for the Weston A Price Foundation: they are loons. They promote the drinking of raw milk (which recently killed a baby in Melbourne), homeopathy (which is magical nonsense, water and sugar pills), they say that sunlight prevents melanoma (ask Queenslanders how that is working for them), they favour coffee enemas to treat cancer (ask The Wellness Warrior about the effectiveness of – oh, she’s dead). and they promote bizarre fad diets of every kind. If you have fallen for their scam, I pity you.

      • Avatar of Jeskar

        I agree with you on everything except the wellness warrior…. she prolonged a life that should have ended much earlier than it did (unless she had gone ahead with amputation) and maybe a week after her death is too soon to be speaking of her in such a harsh manner!

        • Avatar of Hugh

          The Wellness Warrior did not prolong her life through her methods. The type of cancer she had (epithelial sarcoma) is a particularly nasty but indolent (slow working) Cancer. If you do not have any treatment at all five year survival is 35% and ten year survival is 33%. That is if you don’t have any conventional treatment there is still a 33% chance you will be alive at ten years. Since Jess died 7 years after her diagnosis and America ontological surgeon stated last week on the Mamamia website:

          “Sadly, Jess Ainscough’s survival of seven years with her disease in essence untreated is thus within the expected range of survival time based on her disease.”

          Her coffee enemas did nothing. Her survival is based on the type of cancer she had.

    • Avatar of Kim

      Hi Sarah, Thank you for your comment. I knew there would be people questioning my education when I wrote this, I dedicated a whole paragraph to this section if you care to read it again

      “Who am I to judge you? I am a parent to a beautiful 16 month old son. I am married to an amazing man… blah blah blah… I have had 5 other jobs in my life, the closest I could ever have gotten to having a medical background was when I worked as a pharmacy assistant for the first three and a bit years I was out of high school, that was over 10 years ago… blah blah blah… I am the parent you were trying to sell your book to. I am aware of the hidden crap food companies are putting into our foods. I am aware of the amount of sugar being pumped into us through foods that really shouldn’t have sugar in them. I avoid packaged foods as much as I possibly can without my husband freaking out on me that I am going to starve him. I am aware of the clever marketing food companies employ to make sure parents like me unknowingly fall victim and buy their products thinking they are healthy when they are not.”

      I hope this clears up any confusion about my qualifications. As I have already said before, I appreciate that we may disagree and that’s ok because without challenge there will be no change. I am sure you understand.

      Thank you for keeping this thread respectful.

  9. Avatar of Liz Anderson
    Liz Anderson Reply

    I look at it this way, if you don’t believe in the diet, don’t follow it – simple.

    • Avatar of Kim

      well said and I agree. But there are people out there sitting on the fence though, I was bringing to light my thoughts on the situation – A higly idolised celeb was endorsing essentially what i would call a death broth. Easily influenced people may have used said death broth, I was hoping to discourage this and bring them over to my side of the fence and use a safer alternative such as specialised commercial formula based on their doctors recommendation. I don’t diss Paleo. I embrace it actually, minus the leaving out food groups (and wine) part, but the whole ‘don’t eat processed crap’ part I 100% love.

  10. Avatar of Himadi

    well said!! I agree with you 100%! I seriously can’t believe people are putting you down in these comments!

    To all the commenters that disagree:
    How would you feel if your baby died coz you gave your child pete evans diy formula!

    Where’s your qualifications to be judging this mother?

    What this caring mum wrote is accurate. I know this because I’ve spent 4 years studying at university and have a legitimate qualification in nutrition. Vitamin A in high amounts is toxic to the developing baby… Liver is very high in vitamin a and if the baby is having that in the form a formula… The results are likely fatal. Also cutting out food groups in a developing child is detrimental and can significantly affect their growth and can lead to malnutrition.

    Do you seriously want to put your children’s life at risk??!

    • Avatar of Kim

      Oh Himadi thank you for your support. Its ok if people don’t like what I have to say, we are all entitled to our opinions. I appreciate that people may disagree with me and its ok because without challenge there will be no change.

  11. Avatar of Barto

    He wont listen, he reckons criticism that he might kill babies puts a smile on his face.

    • Avatar of Kim

      well that just shits me right off! My mum told me the same thing, she heard it in a radio interview on her way home from work, like I said, what a jerk!!!

    • Avatar of Kim

      me too, it will be interesting. He wasn’t the sole contributor to the recipe but he has a lot to answer for by putting his endorsement behind it.

  12. Avatar of Natchat

    Kim you have repeated almost word for word what mainstream media has already told us. You could have summed it up with, “I read what was said about your book. I’m pissed off that someone with so much influence could attempt to publish something like this with so little research.”
    Don’t get me wrong, I agree with that. But then your post gets emotional and irrational. Most of your post is a rehash. I don’t often comment on blogs but please lady. The thing is, in Australia we have regulatory bodies who review books before they are published. This is to ensure appropriate classification, appropriate material, accurate information. Unfortunately some books slip through those cracks. This one didn’t. This is a good thing. Be happy. Pete Evans and his incredibly successful team will go into it, review their work, and re-release a paleo book with a better formula – I imagine this time they’ll collaborate with a dietician, not a nutritionist but a medically trained, scientific minded dietician, who aligns with his food philosophy. Nothing to get emotional about. Kim if you only knew the number of books that have been set to be published but were withdrawn at the last minute due to one issue or another. That’s why clever people go over them before they’re distributed. Imagine what we’d be reading if there weren’t editors, a classification board, critics looking to pull people down, etc. Take a deep breath. your rant feels hysterical. And what is AN.E.THIN.GA?! I like it. Funny.

    • Avatar of Kim

      AN. E. THIN.GA… you tube “The Anchorman, Ron Burgundy will read anything on the teleprompter”… just the first part with the ladies at the restaurant, the rest of it is just movie spoiler crap

    • Avatar of fee

      oops! …..your condescension is showing. i enjoyed your rant just as much as Kim’s.

  13. Avatar of Spagman

    Firstly, I think you vastly over estimate the influence he may have on his social media followers.

    Secondly, a book by a nutjob, a blogger and a naturopath being torn to shreds by YET ANOTHER blogger.

    Excuse me while I reach for the pop corn, with butter, and salt.

    • Avatar of Kim

      … don’t forget icing sugar dusted on top… ever tired it? heaven.

  14. Avatar of Healthy Skepticism
    Healthy Skepticism Reply

    Pete, Charlotte and Helen are not inventing the wheel here… there are so many different published, yes published, alternates to commercial formula in circulation out there, including some by nutritionists and doctors. And guess what, some of those recipes are made from liver and bone broth… OMG! They haven’t been withdrawn from publication and their authors have not been sued…. Must mean that the babies drinking these formulas are OK otherwise the authors would have had the pants sued off them (as they are professionals practising in that field)! Why aren’t our DAA and public health officials targeting these other books?? Oh that’s right, because Pete Evans isn’t involved.

  15. Avatar of Shelly

    Blergh….blah blah blah.

    That was some bland writing you got goin’ on, it made my dinner of chicken and beans seem appealing to me.

  16. Avatar of Lauren

    Ok so will you be writing an open letter to every other author and blogger who has a recipe for home made baby formula available in print? This Pete bashing is so boring. Get off the bandwagon.

    • Avatar of Kim

      nah, too hard and would take up too much of my time. This in particular was something i felt compelled to write about though. Celebrities should do their research with the appropriate people prior to endorsing anything health and welfare related, that was my point, not diy baby formula itself, just this particular recipe which was potentially deadly. Cheers for your comment.

      • Avatar of Michelle

        I’m guessing you are fairly new to reading anything about the food/health industry to be so ‘convinced’ by the fear based articles supplied by paid dietetics funded by companies such as Kraft – Nestle – Coca Cola – to name a few.

        If you had undertaken any nutrition degree (forget medicine degrees as their course contains 12 hours tops of nutrition lectures) then you would have been informed of article writers on both sides that are paid to discredit the other (allopathic/holistic) and the fact that this has gone on for many many years.

        Whilst other newbies drawn in by the drama revolt in silence or ineffective gossip – I respect the fact that you have taken a stand and voiced that publicly. I would encourage you to be a little more of a ‘critical thinker’ though by obtaining some broader references than the public health govt department which is fed information by dietitians who are desperately trying to stranglehold the nutrition industry here, as they have largely succeeded to do in the U.S – due to political/industry funding by food corps

        This is not conspiracy – this is just politics and money
        I have the nutrition degree qualifications
        I have asked the questions
        I have seen the strengths and weaknesses of both ‘sides’
        I remain open and skeptical
        There is absolutely credibility to what Pete Evans is suggesting – and there is credibility to the concerns

        There are also concerns with baby formula
        Just because it is for sale does not make it safe
        There are many items on our shelves – that if you knew how they were made and where they came from – you would cause an uproar as a parent

        If a mother doesn’t want to feed her tiny baby ingredients like sugar – wheat – and a myriad of un pronoun cable chemical constructions – then she should have the opportunity. I would suggest that she follow some natural alternatives – under the care of her health practitioner who can obtain levels from tests over time – and be comfortable with that rather than be bullied into only feeding the baby commercially available choices

        I urge you – implore you – to continue your journey of enquiry from a more academic perspective
        Start with simple things – like documentaries – food Matter – food inc – and then move onto published journals from different sources
        This will help round out your views – shock you – and maybe even apologise to Pete …:)

        • Avatar of David

          Lady a degree these days is over rated. Stay away from foods that concern infants. Unless you are trained in infants foods and whats good for them i guess that makes you sound just like one of them; Inexperienced and stupid. America is worse. Oh wait you are the academic what 1 of 3,000,000 and you expect people to believe you when they can seek advice from infant food chefs :). You are just a number. And no one apologises for when they are right. Being an Aussie and German you should also know never to trust a skinny chef. Start becoming political or biblical about your beliefs and such conversations turn nasty.

          • Avatar of Michelle
            Michelle

            Thanks for your concern. My masters of dietetics qualification was centered around infant health care

          • Avatar of Michelle
            Michelle

            Sorry – something happened with computer
            Clearly not qualified in computers !!! 🙂

          • Avatar of Michelle
            Michelle

            Thanks for your concern David
            I agree that infant nutrition is slightly different to child nutrition and adult nutrition – however most is covered well enough in a general degree.
            I have a masters in dietetics – and the research I did was centered around infant and childhood nutrition/health and the challenges that are faced when various challenges are involved such as culture, societal beliefs, religious beliefs, immigration, economic and education diversity, disabilities with parents and/or children and more that would probably bore you …

            If you had read all in my comment you would have noted that I remain open minded yet skeptical around most things concerning food. There is a plethora of information and misinformation out there from the most formidable sources – and unfortunately – there is is much we still don’t understand about food and it’s effects on the body

            I understand your concern, however perhaps your energy is best focused on the extremists of either side 🙂
            Have a healthful day

          • Avatar of Kim

            She is not a number. Her name is Michelle. Michelle is making her point and giving her opinion which is totally ok and i am happy to take on board what she is saying. Thank you for your support though David. Id like to try and keep the debate a bit more respectful 🙂

          • Avatar of Julian

            So a degree is over rated? But then you say that we should leave the infant food to someone trained in that area? You can’t have both

        • Avatar of Kim

          Thank you for taking the time for your comment Michelle. I am aware of all these things you talk about but could you imaging how long and boring the letter would be if i expanded it that much? I wanted to fixate on the point of his duty of care. I’ll keep in mind what you have said though, thanks heaps

  17. Avatar of David

    I don’t believe health experts, I do not believe dieticians. And when you get health experts and dieticians that are overweight? Come on. Where is the health in that? They also talk rubbish. And Pete Evans is SKINNY and an embarrassment to society. Manu is fat, So is George and all these other celebrity chefs from master chef and other shows. And their food rocks and not once have they used any advice from any organization that thinks what’s best or gotten in to trouble with their ooks or food. Never trust a SKINNY CHEF. Pete needs to be rearranged and begin thinking. Frankly don’t trust Curtis either. He has bad reputation and only reason he is famous is because of Coles and even that ain’t going so well for him promoting wrong dates, old food and things that expired.

  18. Avatar of Mirrormirror
    Mirrormirror Reply

    Having taken the trouble to read your blog I can see why you are upset…imagine a person with relatively little experience in an area giving other people advice or an alternative view

  19. Avatar of kiwi123

    Mmm, the ingredients for Karicare Stage 1 formula look so much more natural than bonebroth – Milk solids (skim milk, demineralised whey, lactose, whey), vegetable
    oils (contains soy oil), maltodextrin and/or lactose,
    galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) from milk, long chain polyfructose,
    emulsifier (soy lecithin), choline chloride, acidity regulator (calcium
    hydroxide, citric acid), taurine, inositol, carnitine.
    If you can pronounce half of those, then go-on, feed them to your infant, we’ll see who is making use of the public health system in the years ahead!

    • Avatar of CathS

      Break down the chemical content of any food. Just for fun. All foods and their ingredients are made from chemicals (how scary for you, I’m sure).
      Chemical components do have loooong names, and just because your uneducated butt can’t pronounce them, doesn’t mean they’re artificial.
      Snap out of it.

  20. Avatar of Esther

    Now that I live overseas and not in Australia anymore. I have to say how Pete Evans is an absolutely disgrace to his country. He has really diminished the credibility of chefs, celebrities, professionals and the layman. Can’t believe how this book is even allowed to get published! His ideas and practice is alarmingly disturbing and ridiculous. I wish someone could take him to courts and sue him for his recommendations and how much grieve he has caused the society. I’m sure it will no doubt happen in the near future with the new mamas taking on his advice and realised the medical problems that they will face upon starting the ridiculous diet. I really question the ethnics and credibility of the practice, healthcare and regulations in Australia.

    Recommending the whatever Paleo diet is already bad enough.
    This one is so damn ridiculous, it is beyond words!

  21. Avatar of Rod

    Kim, you’ve almost got this 100% right, however you missed the fact that his beautiful partner, the one he left the mother of his children for, the one who is also a “natural health guru” has pumped her chest cavity full of silicon – now that’s got to be really healthy, perhaps that’s why good old Pete recommends said DIY baby formula, it would have to be healthier than the breast milk provided by silicon infused mammary glands.
    Most people seem to get it, the man is an uneducated (in human nutrition) jerk, whom without a second rate television show would remain the loser he is behind the façade, his stupidity is only matched by his arrogance and the lemmings who follow his preachings. Give it 12 to 18 months, once 7 finally gives him the bullet because they realise this lunatic isn’t good for ratings and he’ll simply crawl back under his rock. And before someone jumps on me, please forgive me, yes, I do hold a university degree is exercise science with major studies in human nutrition and am sick to death of listening to the crap his sack of waste pedals to make a buck.

  22. Avatar of Di

    This argument reeks of multi million dollar companies who produce baby formula being scared stiff that their sales will drop when Mums are made aware of what unnecessary products are put in the formula

  23. Avatar of Blossom

    Well done, Kim. Even for adults the Paleo Diet is not suitable for everybody, especially if you need to lower your cholestoral levels and not get chronically constipated. Even a GP and Dietician disapprove of it. You may lose weight but it can adversely affect some of your organs.

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