The Public Health Nutrition team aims to improve the health of the Central Coast population through programs that address barriers to healthy eating for adults and children.
The team focuses on nutrition issues that affect identified community groups rather than the dietary needs of individuals. Current projects of the team include:
- Nutrition for Aboriginal people
- Promoting breastfeeding
- Nutrition in early childhood services
- Nutrition in school canteens
- Nutrition and low income/food security
- Nutrition for older people
Contact 02 4320 3691 if you require further information.
Nutrition for Aboriginal people
The Public Health Nutrition team is working with local Aboriginal organisations to improve the cooking skills and nutrition knowledge of Aboriginal families on the Central Coast.
Resources
Quick Meals for Kooris at Home (8 MB)
A practical food and nutrition resource to encourage and support healthy family food preparation at home. It contains nutrition information, quick and easy recipes as well as ideas to help Aboriginal people eat well and cook healthy, low cost family meals. It can be a standalone resource or be given to people attending a Quick Meals for Kooris practical cookery program.
Quick Meals for Kooris – Trainers Manual (4.4 MB)
A leader guide for people who are running the Quick Meals for Kooris practical cookery program.
Promoting breastfeeding
The Public Health Nutrition team is working to create a supportive environment for breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding Friendly Recognition Scheme
Breastfeeding Friendly Sticker Scheme
Central Coast businesses and facilities are invited to display the ‘We Are Breastfeeding Friendly Sticker’. These businesses may include coffee shops, restaurants, service clubs, local council facilities, GP surgeries, cinemas, and other places where management are supportive of breastfeeding women. A list of ‘Breastfeeding Friendly’ businesses is given to new mums at Gosford and Wyong hospital’s maternity wards and is available here:
Breastfeeding friendly business kit (273 KB)
Information booklet for establishments that would like to participate in the Breastfeeding Friendly Recognition Scheme.
Starting family foods brochure (1.04 MB)
A guide to introducing your baby to solid foods. For parents of 0 to 12 month old babies.
Grandparents can make a difference (4.34 MB)
For more information contact the Public Health Nutrition team on 02 4320 2251 or 02 4320 2057
Nutrition in early childhood services
Children may spend eight hours or more each day in care. The NSW Ministry of Health recommends that children in care for eight hours or more be provided with at least 50% of the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) of all nutrients. This recommendation applies whether food is provided by the service or brought from home.
Resources
Caring for children: birth to 5 years (food, nutrition and learning experiences)
Caring for Children – Food, Nutrition and Fun Activities was developed by the Public Health Nutrition team and is distributed to child care centres across NSW as part of the Munch and Move program.
The Good Bite newsletter
Is a quarterly nutrition newsletter that keeps staff and parents at early childhood services up to date on current children’s nutrition issues.
Good Bite at home, February 2017
Good Bite for child care staff, February 2017
Good Bite at home, October 2016
Good Bite for child care staff, October 2016
Good Bite for child care staff, July 2016
Good Bite for child care staff, April 2016
Good Bite at home, January 2016
Good Bite for child care staff, January 2016
Central Coast Childcare Cooks Network
Is a support strategy for child care services offered by the Public Health Nutrition team. Cooks from centres across the Central Coast meet and swap ideas relevant to the setting and receive nutrition updates.
Cooks from all centres across the Central Coast are encouraged to attend.
For more information contact the Public Health Nutrition team on 02 320 2251 or 02 320 3362.
Nutrition in school canteens
The Public Health Nutrition team and Health Promotion Unit work together to support local school canteen workers to implement the NSW Healthy Canteen Strategy called ‘Fresh tastes @ school’ to provide healthy, tasty food to children.
Some of the ways support is provided:
- arranging regular network meetings for canteen workers
- offering the annual Central Coast Healthy Canteen Award for primary schools
- telephone advice on products and other canteen issues
- menu appraisal and offering ideas for improvement.
For more information:
Early adopters of the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy
For more information contact the Public Health Nutrition team on 02 4320 2057
Nutrition and low income/food security
The Public Health Nutrition team aims to improve access to simple, cheap and nutritious meal ideas for people on low incomes living on the Central Coast.
Resources
Back to Basics – tips to help you feed the family for less (626 KB)
This booklet aims to help you save money and make your food dollar go further. There are basic hints on how to spend less on items such as meat and snack foods. Simple tips on stocking your pantry and easy recipes to match will help you provide a variety of appetising meals and snacks within your budget.
Practical demonstrations of recipes from Back to Basics are available via the following YouTube links.
Tomato and Bean Soup (YouTube)
Hawaiian Chicken and Pasta (YouTube)
Savoury Mince and Rice (YouTube)
Nutrition for older people
The Public Health Nutrition team aims to maintain or improve the nutritional health of community dwelling older people on the Central Coast thereby reducing the risk of malnutrition, falls, hospitalisation and readmissions to hospital and in doing so, enhancing their ability to remain independent and living in their own home for as long as possible.
The team provides written material and other resources to enable older people and their carers to receive practical and accurate nutrition information. On the Central Coast, we can provide training to support staff from community service provider organisations and improving the food and nutrition practices in aged care homes.
The team will also provide relevant nutrition information to groups of older people on the Central Coast.
Resources
We have produced a number of leading resources for use across Australia.
Best Practice Food and Nutrition Manual for aged care edition 2.1 (18.8 MB)
The manual provides appropriate, practical and helpful food and nutrition information for all staff of aged care homes especially nursing and food services, dietitians and those who have loved ones in care. The manual is available electronically or in hard copy.
Eating Well booklet – a nutrition resource for older people and their carers (3 MB)
This 58 page book has been written to provide practical food and nutrition ideas and advice for older people who have unintentionally lost weight or at risk of malnutrition, their carers and support workers.
Eating Well – use when printing brochure in A3 size (1.54 MB)
This brochure provides a quick summary of the longer 58 page book
Note: We do not print or sell these resources. They can be ordered at no cost from Bidfood.