Evidence Library
Can DNA Barcoding Verify a Herbal Supplement?
DNA methods identify plant species, but processing destroys DNA and an identity match cannot measure dose or purity. The famous 2013 study was retracted.
Protein and nutrition, explained for New Zealand
Evidence-led guides to protein foods, protein powder, food labels, meal prep, supplements and nutrition for New Zealand readers.
Featured
Protein
How Much Protein Do You Need Per Day in NZ?
What the official Australia and New Zealand reference values say about daily protein — in grams per kilogram, and what that means in practice.
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The four pages to read first
Four pages that cover most of what people arrive looking for, in the order they build on each other.
- How much protein you need each day The New Zealand reference values, where they come from, and what actually changes them.
- Comparing New Zealand protein foods Named food-composition records per 100 grams, with the preparation state attached to every figure.
- Using the nutrition information panel The panel column by column, and which one actually lets you compare two products.
- Protein powder in New Zealand The protein types, what a tub is allowed to claim, allergens and where the rules sit.
Latest
Latest articles
Recently published and recently reviewed explainers across every section.
Evidence LibraryWhy the FDA Banned Ephedra Supplements
The 2004 rule shows post-market evidence removing an entire class of supplement ingredients — and how long that took to assemble and enforce.
Evidence LibraryHow Much Vitamin D Is Too Much?
The adult upper intake level is 4,000 IU a day, but that limit is not a toxicity switch. Risk depends on dose, duration, blood calcium and medical context.
Evidence LibraryOxyELITE Pro and the 2013 Liver-Injury Outbreak
A cluster of severe hepatitis was linked to one supplement. The epidemiology supported the association; the exact toxic ingredient was never confirmed.
Evidence LibraryHow Supplements Are Regulated vs Medicines
Supplements are not unregulated. The difference is that most reach the market without approval, while a new medicine must prove safety and effect first.
Evidence LibraryWhat a "Third-Party Tested" Seal Proves
Certification seals verify identity and screen for banned substances. They do not verify that a supplement works, or that an untested batch is clean.
Sections
Explore by topic
Seven sections, each a starting point for the question you actually have.
- Protein Source-linked guides to protein intake, protein foods available in New Zealand, protein powder, and the label claims you see on the shelf.
- Protein & the Body How protein behaves inside the body rather than on a label — what illness, fever, immobility and ageing do to protein balance, and where the evidence stops.
- Meal Prep Practical, sourced meal-prep guidance for New Zealand kitchens — cooling, storage, reheating, and getting protein into meals you will actually eat.
- Nutrition Basics Plain explainers on the fundamentals — reading a New Zealand nutrition information panel, energy and macronutrients, and what the guidelines actually say.
- Supplements Plain assessments of dietary supplements and protein powder in New Zealand — what the research shows, and what a label is legally allowed to claim.
- Research & Regulation Neutral, referenced explainers on how nutrition and health products are studied and regulated in New Zealand. No claims, no products, no sourcing advice.
- Evidence Library Source-checked reviews of supplement regulation, safety investigations and testing methods — what the evidence supports, and where it stops.
New Zealand guides
New Zealand nutrition guides
Practical references grounded in New Zealand food-labelling, food-safety and regulatory guidance.
Reading a nutrition information panel
What every NZ food label must show, and how to compare two products fairly.
“High protein” claims on NZ labels
What the regulated wording actually means before you trust the front of the pack.
Meal-prep food safety
Cooling, storing and reheating batch-cooked food safely in a NZ kitchen.
What supplement labels can claim
The three tiers of permitted claims, and the line that turns a supplement into a medicine.
Research & regulation
Research & regulation
Neutral, referenced explainers on how nutrition and health products are studied and regulated in New Zealand. No claims, no products, and no sourcing advice.
Research & RegulationHow peptides are regulated in New Zealand
The word peptide is not a legal category in New Zealand. What decides the rules is a product's therapeutic purpose, and how it is presented online.
Why you can trust this
Editorial standards you can check
Independent, transparent and corrigible. Here is how that works in practice.
Editorial standards
How every page is researched, sourced and dated — and the claims we never make.
Corrections policy
We fix errors in the open. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Source policy
Every article links at least one real source, shown in full at the foot of the page.
About Protein Notes
Who publishes this, how it is funded, and what it is not.