About
Belinda Fettke describes herself as a change-agent in the nutrition space, challenging the health benefits of low-fat, high-carbohydrate dietary guidelines as truly ‘evidence-based’ after researching both the vested interests, and religious ideology, shaping dietary and health messaging globally.
Belinda’s research has focused on; “Who decides what we eat, when we eat, and why?” and includes the history of vegetarianism, the invention of ‘health food’, the emergence of dietetics as a profession, and the Global Influence of the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Diet.
Over the last decade she has discovered an unexpected intersection between Seventh-day Adventist ideology and commercial vested interests, both intent on demonising animal protein and fats. Incredibly, this symbiotic relationship has helped manifest our current ‘plant-biased’ dietary and health guidelines.
Belinda states she is not anti-religion nor is she anti-vegetarian, as a personal choice, but she is very concerned about dietary preferences being taken away from those who choose to include meat, dairy, and eggs in their diet. Taking away choices that may negatively impact an individual’s health outcome.
Belinda challenges recent attempts by regulators to ‘silence’ healthcare professionals from broad and meaningful discussions on nutrition and from using #FoodasMedicine, with the threat of de-registration should they deviate from the ‘guidelines’ which have somehow become strict ‘rule-books’ protected by Associations with ties to industry.
“Science evolves by being challenged, not by being followed. Once you see the health benefits of LCHF/Keto principles you can never unsee them.”
Debunking myths and exploring the evolution of the Plant-Based vegetarian guidelines
Firstly, I want to dispel the myths on low-carbohydrate healthy fat principles (LCHF) as being ‘a fad diet’ or ‘a dangerous diet’ by western Dietetic Associations who are deeply tied to commercial interests by simply asking; why has ‘Nutrition Science’ become the only science where those who view it through an ancestral or evolutionary lens are mocked and persecuted?
Secondly, I will argue that the world-wide Dietary Guidelines are becoming Vegetarian … why else would recommending ‘reducing sugar and highly processed foods’ and ‘including animal protein and saturated fats’ be condoned, and punishable, by both dietetic and medical regulators?
Thirdly, I want to explain who the defenders of the Dietary Guidelines are and why religious ideology may be just as influential as the commercial vested interests of the Food and Pharmaceutical industries in shaping ‘nutrition science’ for people and planetary health.
After discovering the pro cereal/grain/soy messaging, and the demonisation of animal protein and fats were tied not only to industry, but to religious ideology, I delved deep into the pages of history to discover “why?”
My "WHY?"
When #Cereal4Brekkie came after my husband the mumma bear came out!
I founded www.isupportgary.com in August 2017 as a way to challenge the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency’s (AHPRA) determination to ‘silence’ my husband, Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Gary Fettke, from talking about nutrition to his patients or to the wider community. Following the Medical Board of Tasmania’s 2 ½ year star-chamber investigation Gary became the very first medical doctor in the world ‘silenced’ from talking about reducing sugar; ‘silenced’ from talking about the health benefits of low carbohydrate principles; and ‘silenced’ from suggesting there is a role for animal protein and fats as part of a healthy diet. In 2016 we were told the determination was non-appellable and lifelong.
Thanks to the incredible public support we received on social media platforms, and through the sharing of #ISupportGary articles, Gary was fully exonerated from ALL trumped up charges and received a written apology from the National AHPRA Medical Board in late 2018.
I began by questioning the medical board’s expert witness’s ability to be impartial in his decision-making considering he was working for the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s commercial food industry arm here in Australia (Sanitarium Health Food Company) and over time discovered the influence of Sanitarium paying the Dietitians Association of Australia to use their members to; – ‘influence, protect, and actively defend cereal, grains, and even sugars messaging’.
My research has since led me to the Church’s ‘Lifestyle Medicine’ program run in partnership with Coca-Cola’s ‘Exercise is Medicine’, and more recently, the acquisition of the Blue Zones Project by Adventist Health, endorsed by the US Congress.
Up to now I have shared my research on the website www.isupportgary.com, founded in 2017, but believe it’s time for this important work to have its own platform. A place to share my research independently of my love, and support, for Gary.
I was first invited to speak at a Low Carb Down Under event in 2017.