In This Issue

FOOD FOUNDATIONS JUNE NEWSLETTER

Theme 1: General Nutrition - Back to Basics

NAIDOC Week 3-10 July

Have you had your menu reviewed by Nutrition Australia in the past 12 months? 

Managing food intolerances and allergies in your early years service

What is a serve for children?

Food Foundations Webinar: General Nutrition 

Recipes

Training

Free Healthy at Home E-Newsletter to share with families

Accessing previous Food Foundations e-newsletters 

NAIDOC Week 3-10 July 2022

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. 

For more information, click on the button below.

Have you had your menu reviewed by Nutrition Australia in the past 12 months?

Nutrition Australia Qld has been working to support early years settings with food and nutrition programs in QLD for over 25 years. Our Accredited Practising Dietitians are experienced in providing menu reviews to all settings that provide food to children.

Why a menu review is important

• Supports the centre cook to meet 50% of children's daily requirements whilst in care
• Improves the provision of the five food groups and reduces the amount of discretionary foods on your menu
• Improves sustainability practices through knowing how much food to purchase from each food group and supports waste reduction of food
• Get more positive feedback from parents about your centre menu
• Get ideas for snacks, meals and simple recipe modification

What the menu review includes

• A face to face or Zoom meeting with a Dietitian to discuss the menu and recipes at your setting
• A review of a 4 week menu
• A comprehensive report with detailed assessment and recommendations
• 3 levels of menu reviews to choose from
• We can review your menu and nutrition practices against the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, Get Up and Grow guidelines, National Quality Standards 2.1.3
• Provide follow up phone calls and support post review 

Element 2.1.3 of the National Quality Standard is “Healthy eating and physical activity are promoted and appropriate for each child”. Children should be provided with food and drinks that are nutritious and consistent with Australian Government guidelines including the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

 For more information and to get in contact, click on the button below.

Managing food intolerances and allergies in your early years service

Element 2.1.2 - Health practices and procedures – Effective illness and injury management and hygiene practices are promoted and implemented. 

To manage food intolerance in your service, ensure that parents have documented in writing any foods that their child can and cannot tolerate, as well as any symptoms to watch out for and appropriate action to take if an intolerance reaction does occur (if required).

Some foods that children may have an intolerance to can contribute important nutrients for their growth and development. Avoiding these foods without good reason is not recommended so it should be confirmed in writing by the child’s treating team (which may include a GP, paediatrician, allergist and/or dietitian) if they are required to avoid particular foods.

Types of food intolerance

Children may be intolerant to certain compounds found in a variety of food and drinks. Common intolerance-causing foods (‘trigger’ foods) include milk and other dairy products, chocolate, food additives (including monosodium glutamate or MSG), strawberries, citrus fruit, tomatoes, egg, nuts, fish, wheat and soy.

Intolerance reactions are usually dose dependant, which means the reaction can get worse the more food or drink consumed. Because of this, some children may be able to cope with small amounts of the foods they have an intolerance to.

For a free fact sheet on pantry suggestions for special dietary needs to use at your early years service, please click on the button below. 

What is a serve for children?

Element 2.1.3 - Healthy lifestyle – Healthy eating and physical activity are promoted and appropriate for each child. 

The Australian Dietary Guidelines provide evidence-based advice about the amount and types of foods we need to eat for health and wellbeing.  The guidelines put foods into groups that share similar nutrients, known as the five food groups. The recommended number of serves per day is a set amount depending on age and gender. For children, this will change as they grow and from around 4 years, nutritional requirements of dairy will increase for boys compared to girls. 

Serve sizes for 7 to 12 month olds

For children aged 7-12 months, provide 600ml of breast milk or formula each day and include a small amount of cooled boiled water to supplement breast milk or formula.

Serve sizes for 1 to 2 year olds

The vegetable, grain and dairy serves have increased for 1-2 year olds. Including 250ml milk equivalent per day, and up to 4 cups (1L) of water daily is recommended.

Serve sizes for 2 to 3 year olds

The fruit and dairy have increased for the 2 to 3 year olds and the 250ml milk equivalent per day, and up to 4 cups (1L) of water daily continues to be the recommendation for this age group. 

Serve sizes for 4 to 8 year olds

The vegetable and fruit has increased for the 4 to 8 year olds along with an additional 1/2 serve of dairy for boys. 

Food Foundations Webinar: General Nutrition 

Earlier this month Food Foundations hosted a webinar on General Nutrition - Back to Basics for subscribers. The webinar covered what the recommendations are for children's nutrition and what a daily meal plan at each age group looks like between the ages of 7 months to 4+ years. The topics included: National Quality Framework, Get Up and Grow Guidelines, Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and daily meal plans for children. If you were unable to attend or would like to re-watch the webinar, please see the video below. 

Recipes

As the weather starts to cools down, out come the winter warmer meals. Aim for meals that provide opportunities to include plenty of vegetables and colour such as this Vegetable and Legume Soup and delicious Shepherd's Pie. 

Training Opportunities for ECEC Professionals 

Food Safety Supervisor Course

Our Food Safety Supervisor courses include industry specific content and are designed with the needs of our students in mind. 

We provide opportunities for students to complete the course and all assessment in one day at face-to-face training. Keep an eye out for our 2022 courses! Click on the following link for more information on the venue, cost and to register as details become available:

Food Safety Supervisor Course for Early Years Settings 

**NEW** Food Safety Supervisor Recertification Course

Has it been a while since you completed your Food Safety Supervisor Course? We are now offering a Food Safety Supervisor recertification training for those who want to refresh their skills and knowledge. The face to face training can be completed in 3 hours and upon successful completion of the training, students will receive a Statement of Attainment for the units of competency HLTFSE001, HLTFSE005, and HLTFSE007.

Food Safety Recertification Course

Online Training

We offer a suite of online training programs through our partner In Safe Hands. Click on the following links for more information and to register.

Level 1 - Nutrition Requirements for Early Years Educators
Are you up to date with the nutrition requirements for ECEC settings? This training covers the nutrition basics that all staff working in the ECEC sector need to be aware of including the Australian Dietary Guidelines and nutrition in the National Quality Standard. 

Level 1 - Safe Food Handling for Early Years Educators
This Online Food Safety training covers the food safety basics that all staff working in the ECEC sector need to be aware of. 

Level 2 - Safe Food Handling for Early Years Educators
This session is level 2, the second in a series of food safety courses designed for ECEC educators. This session builds on knowledge gained from level 1 by exploring more complex food safety concepts. 

Safe Knife Skills
Are you new to the kitchen environment or would you like to refresh your knife skills? This online course has step by step instructions to equip you with the knife skills to ensure competency.

 Free Healthy at Home E-newsletter to share with families 

  How to access previous Food Foundations E-newsletters 

Did you know you can access previous Food Foundations e-newsletters on the website. 

To access newsletters you must be logged into the subscribers section of the website.

Click on the link below (https://naqld.org/services/food-foundations/) and then scroll down to 'E-newsletters'. Enjoy!