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

School Holiday Cooking Workshops

Sushi and Gyoza Making + Mexican Fiesta

In the recent June/July school holidays we were thrilled to be back running face to face cooking workshops! With strict COVID safe plans in place as well as all participants and facilitators adhering to social distancing rules and hygiene practices, we kicked off the school holidays with two Chillout cooking workshops in partnership with the Brisbane City Council’s Active and Healthy team. In our Japanese inspired workshop, we made sushi and gyoza, while our Mexican inspired workshop was filled with delicious dishes such as guacamole and pita chips, tomato salsa and also beef and bean burritos - check out some photos below! 

Keep an eye out for our upcoming cooking workshops in the September school holidays! Details are up on our website now and bookings open on Wednesday 12th August. You can find more information about our COVID safe plans and policies on our website here.

These cooking workshops are proudly supported by Brisbane City Council’s Active and Healthy team.

Latest News and Research

EAT Knowledge - Diets for a Better Future Report

EAT, a science-based global platform for food system transformation, recently released a new report. Diets for a Better Future demonstrates the leading role G20 countries can and must take to realise the exponential changes required for a healthy and sustainable world. The report explores what a more equitable distribution across a global ‘carbon budget’ for food could look like. Here is a summary of the critical points as featured in the report:

1. Dietary choices in G20 countries are destroying the planet.
   Global adoption of current G20 food consumption patterns by 2050 would exceed the planetary boundary for food-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 263%. This would require between one to seven Earths to support.
2. Food is critical in our fight against climate change and requires leadership from the G20.
   The food we choose to eat, how much is lost or wasted and how it is produced will determine whether we meet the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.
3. National dietary guidelines are an opportunity for policymakers to support coherent food and agriculture priorities aligned with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.
   The national dietary guidelines of G20 countries are inconsistent in their dietary recommendations, and few integrate both health and environmental sustainability.
4. A shift toward healthy and sustainable diets should be a priority in all G20 countries.
   Consumption of less healthy and less sustainably produced “lose-lose” foods is too high in most G20 countries, while intake of healthier “win-win” foods is consistently too low.
5. Food-related per-capita emissions in G20 countries as a whole need to be approximately halved by 2050.
   Doing so would ensure we can feed 10 billion people healthy diets within planetary boundaries, and enable a more equitable global distribution of food-related GHG emissions.
6. Following the current national dietary guidelines of the G20 countries will not ensure global warming stays below 1.5°C.
   Total food-related GHG emissions in G20 countries currently account for approximately 75% of the carbon budget for food, while adopting a healthy flexitarian diet would reduce this to approximately 40%.
7. The G20 countries have a variety of rich and vibrant diets and culinary traditions that require different approaches and scales of intervention to achieve healthy diets within planetary boundaries.
   Some countries would require more ambitious reductions in per-capita food related GHG emissions while others may require a slight increase.

The Conversation explores the Health Star Rating

In a recent article, The Conversation explored new research in relation to the Health Star Rating system. This research looked at the health star ratings of 20,000 packaged foods and shows why mandatory health stars on all packaged food is needed. For more information and to read the full article click here. 

The original research article entitled Uptake of Australia’s Health Star Rating System 2014–2019 can be found here. Additionally, a formal review of the Health Star Rating system after five years of implementation (June 2014 to June 2019) can be found here. 

Recipe Idea

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.

Events and Training Opportunities

GOLD Cooking Workshop

NAQ Nutrition provides cooking workshops as part of the Brisbane City Council GOLD (Growing Older and Living Dangerously) program. The program is for people living in the Brisbane City Council area, aged 50 years and over. The workshops are an excellent opportunity to add skills to your cooking repertoire in a relaxed and social environment. People with all levels of cooking skills are welcome, as the workshops are a chance to develop new skills and confidence. Check out the following GOLD session coming up this month:

Cooking with Herbs and Spices (Italian Themed) (50 years and over)
Monday 17th August 2020 10am - 11:30am
Brighton Wellness Hub - Corner Nineteenth Ave, Brighton
Do you know how to add flavour to your meals without adding sugar and salt? Our dietitian will give you the tips and tricks to using fresh herbs and spices in your cooking. This cooking workshop is $5 per person. Bookings are essential. Click here for more information and to register.

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, with no take home assignments.

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 13th August 2020 9:00am - 4:00pm
Northgate Hall - 71 Scott St, Northgate

Food Safety Supervisor Course for Aged Care Settings
Thursday 13th August 2020 9:00am - 4:00pm
Northgate Hall - 71 Scott St, Northgate

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

Online Training

We have just released new online nutrition training for early years and OSHC educators!

The training covers the nutrition basics that all staff working in the early years sector or OSHC need to be aware of including the Australian Dietary Guidelines, Get Up and Grow Guidelines (for ECEC educators) and nutrition in the National Quality Standard. Our Online nutrition training can help settings meet and exceed their requirements under the National Quality Standard. Click on the links below for more information and to register.

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