Bringing you the latest nutrition information and food ideas to help boost your health and wellbeing.

Latest News and Research

When it comes to predicting health risk, what's more important: what you eat or what you weigh?

A recent study aimed to evaluate the associations of body mass index (BMI) combined with adherence to a Mediterranean-like diet on all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. The population-based cohort study followed a total of 79,003 women (44%) and men (56%) over a 20-year period in Sweden.

Click here to read an article from ABC Health & Wellbeing for a detailed breakdown of this study, as well as comment from Karl Michaelsson, who led the study, and Australian dietitian Fiona Willer.

Key findings from this study include:

Obese individuals with high adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet did not experience the increased overall mortality otherwise associated with high BMI, although higher CVD mortality remained.
Individuals with low adherence to the Mediterranean-type diet retained an increased mortality, even with a normal BMI.
Findings suggest that diet quality modifies the association between BMI and all-cause mortality in women and men. A healthy diet may, however, not completely counter higher CVD mortality related to obesity.
Therefore, adherence to healthy diets such as a Mediterranean-like diet may modify the association between BMI and mortality.

Reference: Michaëlsson K, Baron JA, Byberg L, Höijer J, Larsson SC, et al. (2020) Combined associations of body mass index and adherence to a Mediterranean-like diet with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: A cohort study. PLOS Medicine 17(9): e1003331. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003331

National Nutrition Week 2020

National Nutrition Week (11th - 17th October 2020) is almost here!

Click here to visit the Try for 5 website

Try for 5!

Try for 5 is an annual campaign powered by Nutrition Australia, encouraging Australians to increase their vegetable consumption to the recommended five serves per day. The campaign launches each October during National Nutrition Week, where awareness is raised around the role of food on our health.

This year’s Try for 5 campaign presents an exclusive collection of vegetable-focused recipes, veg tips and information to inspire you to get more veg in your day. At this time, we need to look after our health, and the planet’s well-being too. With the Coronavirus pandemic we are making more meals at home than ever. It’s true that right now, we all want to feel connected with our family and our community.

So, what better time to really Try for 5 serves a day, and let the veggies inspire you! Join us to make veggie consumption a national priority. Let’s celebrate and try for 5 serves of fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced veggies!

Recipe Idea

Strawberry Chia Jam

Here's a quick homemade jam recipe!

Feel free to mix up the fruit that you use - any fresh or frozen juicy fruit should work well. We've used fresh strawberries here, but why not try blueberries, raspberries or even peaches or nectarines as stone fruits make their way into season!

Makes approx. 1½ cups.

Check out our Instagram account for more food inspiration from the NAQ Nutrition team!

Ingredients
3 cups chopped strawberries
(fresh or frozen)
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 - 2 teaspoons honey (optional, if needed)

Method
1. Place chopped strawberries in a saucepan and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue to cook until the berries break down and bubble.
2. Use a fork, spoon or potato masher to mash the strawberries to reach your desired consistency.
3. Add the chia seeds, lemon juice and vanilla extract to the saucepan and stir until well combined.
4. Taste the mixture and adjust as necessary. If needed, add the honey. Stir until well combined.
5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool for 5 - 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
6. Stir the mixture one last time.
7. Serve the jam immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 - 3 days.

Online Resources

Boost your Healthy

The Boost your Healthy digital hub has been developed by Health and Wellbeing Queensland to provide support, inspiration and ideas to help Queenslanders stay healthy and active during COVID-19.

It features content from a wide range of Health and Wellbeing Queensland Alliance Partners who have played a valuable role in supporting the creation of the site. It also offers a platform for people to showcase how they are staying healthy through #BoostCampQld, and the Big Boost will feature a series of challenges to motivate and encourage people to stay healthy at this difficult time. Find out more below!

Big Boost Challenges

The Wellbeing Series

The third Big Boost initiative of The Wellbeing Series has launched!

Wellbeing, it’s a word that gets used a lot, particularly now, but what exactly does it mean to be a well being? My health for life, on behalf of Health and Wellbeing Queensland for their Boost your Healthy initiative, are answering that question through a series of eight short videos. Each video features a range of well-known Queensland identities, health professionals and everyday Queenslanders, and investigates and celebrates the essential ingredients for living well.

Why not take a moment out of your day to check out the videos and discover what it takes to be a well being. To find out more and to watch The Wellbeing Series, click here.

The Healthy Choices Pledge

The fourth Big Boost initiative of The Healthy Choices Pledge has launched!

Health and Wellbeing Queensland, in partnership with Deadly Choices, are calling on all Queenslanders to make a pledge to improve their health and wellbeing. Move more, make better food and drink choices, quit smoking, make time for relaxation or spend extra time with family and friends – whatever you need to do to make a healthy choice for you and your family.

For more information on how to make a Boost your Healthy pledge, click here. Entries close 5pm Wednesday 7th October, so get pledging now to improve your health and wellbeing.

Events and Training Opportunities

Live Well Logan Cooking Workshops

NAQ Nutrition hosts cooking workshops as part of the Logan City Council’s Live Well Logan program. These cooking workshops are open to people living in the Logan City Council area, aged 18 years and over, and are $3 per participant. Upcoming workshops are as follows:

Mood Foods (18 years and over)
Saturday 14th November 2020 1pm - 2:30pm
Learn what foods will help balance your mood and make you feel your best. Join us in this hands-on workshop where you make tasty recipes that you can recreate at home. This cooking workshop is located at the Beenleigh Neighbourhood Centre (10 - 12 James St, Beenleigh). Click here for more information.

Food Safety Supervisor Course

Through COVID-19 we continue to offer food safety supervisor courses. Our courses include industry specific content and are designed with the needs of our students in mind. Our Food Safety Supervisor course:

Meets the requirements of nationally recognised training
Prepares food safety supervisors to supervise and oversee day to day operations and to prevent and recognise food safety hazards
Early years and aged care courses are specifically designed for those working with vulnerable populations

We provide opportunities for students to complete the course and all assessment in one day at face-to-face training.

Click on the following links for more information on the venue, cost and to register for our upcoming courses:

Food Safety Supervisor Course for Early Years Settings
Thursday 22nd October 2020 9am - 4pm
Our Place Hall - Cnr Japonica and Robinia Street, Inala

Food Safety Supervisor Course for Aged Care Settings
Thursday 22nd October 2020 9am - 4pm
Our Place Hall - Cnr Japonica and Robinia Street, Inala

Food Safety Supervisor Course for Early Years Settings
Tuesday 27th October 2020 9am - 4pm
Meeting Room, Spinal Life Australia - 2-4 Smith Street, North Cairns

We also offer this course remotely during COVID-19. If you would like to know more about how you can complete the course remotely please email training@naqld.org.

The INSPIRE Project is coming to the Darling Downs

The INSPIRE Project is on the road again. In the last week of October we will be visiting Stanthorpe and Toowoomba to talk with families about food in the first years of life. We will be running FREE workshops for families in each location. Click on the buttons below for details on how to register.

Nutrition from 6 months to 3 years - From first foods to family meals
These workshops will cover:
- Transitioning from first foods to family meals
- Creating positive mealtimes
- Mealtime methods to reduce picky eating

Stanthorpe

Date: Tuesday 27th October
Time: 2pm - 2:45pm
Venue: Hilton St Community Centre, Stanthorpe

Toowoomba

Date: Thursday 29th October
Time: 10am - 11am
Venue: Toowoomba Library Seminar Room - 155 Herries St, Toowoomba

These workshops are proudly funded and supported by the Qld Government. If you would like to connect with us while we are in the area please contact us here.

Do you have a question for the Healthy at Home team?

You can email your enquiries to healthyathome@naqld.org

NAQ Nutrition
12/212 Curtin Avenue West
Eagle Farm QLD 4009
Ph: (07) 3257 4393
www.naqld.org