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Quick Meals for Kooris

By Health Promotion

Quick Meals for Kooris

Quick Meals for Kooris is a ‘hands-on’ cooking program, developed to assist Aboriginal people prepare easy, low-cost family meals using available ingredients. Allowing time to cook, eat and share ideas and knowledge is an important part of this program.

 

Check out this short video to find out more about the Quick Meals for Kooris program and how it can be adopted in your organisation.

“I’ve used the training to show other people how to cook inexpensive meals.”

Lynne Clarke, volunteer, San Remo Neighbourhood Centre.

“What I love about the Quick Meals for Kooris is the recipes are simple and easy to make in your home, the ingredients are available in all shops and honestly some of the standard ingredients are in your cupboard today, right now.”

Kerry Groves, volunteer, San Remo Neighbourhood Centre

Quick Meals for Kooris is designed to be run by Aboriginal health workers or Aboriginal community members. This versatile program can be adapted to suit participant needs, resources and capacity of leaders. Program ‘leaders’ will not need extensive nutrition knowledge or food preparation skills as the Quick Meals for Kooris – Trainers Manual provides detailed guidance.  Recipes included in the program are in the Quick Meals for Kooris – At Home book. It is intended that all group participants are given a copy of this book. This book is also a stand-alone resource and can be provided to people who do not attend a program.




*NEW* Quick Meals for Kooris recipe videos

You can watch how to prepare four of the quick, easy and low-cost recipes from the Quick Meals for Kooris at Home book.

Watch the videos below and download the recipes and methods.

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Hawaiian Chicken Pasta | Quick Meals for Kooris
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Vegetable Slice | Quick Meals for Kooris
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Fruit Crumble | Quick Meals for Kooris
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Family Mince | Quick Meals for Kooris
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Thank you to Mitch Ella, Steve Ella, Tyra McEwen and Jenni McEwen for featuring in the videos.


Tell us what you think of these videos here!

Download the video recipes below:


Family Mince


Chicken Pasta


Vegetable Slice


Fruit Crumble

For more information, hard copy resources or support with nutrition training contact Lesley Marshall on (02) 4320 3691 or email [email protected].

Filed Under: Adults, Featured Posts, Healthy Weight, Kids & Families, Teachers & Educators

School Gardens

By Health Promotion

School gardens

School Gardens

Having a garden can help your school to promote environmental and sustainable learning as well as encourage healthy eating and physical activity. It is a fun way to learn outside and provides students with a hands-on opportunity to prepare, eat and share the food they have grown.

Participation in a school garden program has been shown to help improve knowledge and confidence in relation to growing, preparing, cooking and eating a diverse range of fresh foods among Australian children.1

Can my school have a kitchen garden?

Any school can have some sort of garden or kitchen, regardless of their site, size, resources, gardening experience or classroom space.
How to start a kitchen garden


Kitchen gardening for sustainability

 


 

Patch to Plate is a free recipe book developed by the Central Coast Health Promotion Service that includes healthy and simple recipes that local teachers have made with their students using fresh ingredients from their own school gardens. Check out and download below to try these tasty recipes at school or at home.

You can also watch and share how to prepare four of our delicious recipes from the Patch to Plate book in the videos below!

Watch the videos below and download the recipes and methods.

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Pea & Haloumi Fritters | Patch to Plate
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Spinach & Feta Gozleme | Patch to Plate
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Beetroot Hummus | Patch to Plate
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Rice Paper Rolls | Patch to Plate
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Tell us what you think of these videos here!



Beetroot Hummus


Rice Paper Rolls


Fritters


Gozleme

Central Coast School Garden Interest Group

The Central Coast School Garden Interest Group (CCSGIG) aims to share ideas and connect Central Coast schools with an interest in school gardens and cooking. Healthy eating, encouraging physical activity and providing an interest for students rather than using small screen technology underpins the group’s philosophy.

The group meets twice each year, with a different school hosting the meeting and sharing its experiences. This year, we are considering new ways to connect as a group – if you have any suggestions, get in touch!

Next workshop – Term 1, 2021

Primary schools can now register for our Term 1, 2021 workshop. Check out the workshop program, including details on how to register, here.

Join the School Garden Interest Group for information on workshops, events and new resources.

You can also join our Facebook group.

If you have a question for our team or would like information on the next workshop, please complete the form below.

References

1Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au

Filed Under: Featured Posts, Professionals, Teachers & Educators

E-cigarettes

By Health Promotion

eCigarette

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are devices that produce a vapour which is breathed in. The process is similar to smoking, except you don’t have to burn the tobacco.

E-cigarettes are often promoted as a healthier option, but this may not be the case. Many e-cigarettes still contain nicotine as well as other potentially harmful chemicals such as ammonia that are breathed into your lungs and very quickly absorbed into your body. Smokers inhale so much and so frequently that we just don’t know what the impacts of these chemicals will be. However, we do know e-cigarettes containing nicotine are addictive, just like tobacco.

Smoking e-cigarettes is not recommended as a means to quit tobacco smoking. If you are trying to quit smoking, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is a better choice. NRT is designed to gradually release nicotine into your body to help relieve symptoms you may get when you are trying to quit. However, NRT avoids the surge of nicotine that enhances addiction. It’s that surge of nicotine from a cigarette or an e-cigarette that provides the reward and keeps you addicted. NRT avoids this, while buffering withdrawal symptoms.

Quitting smoking can improve your quality of life by having a positive impact on your physical health. What’s more, research shows that, after the nicotine withdrawal has been overcome, there are substantial long-lasting improvements to your mental health with reduced levels of anxiety and depression. Swapping to e-cigarettes won’t give you the same result.

If you would like help to quit, or you would like to refer someone to get help, call the Quitline on 13 7848, or talk to your health professional.


E-cigarettes – the top 5 issues


1. Availability and take-up is increasing

In countries like the USA where e-cigarettes are very easy to buy, young people have been taking them up at an alarming rate. In 2014, e-cigarette use tripled among high school students compared to the previous year. Even more alarmingly, there was no downward trend in tobacco use.

2. They are a gateway to smoking tobacco and other drugs

Studies around the world (such as these from the USA, Canada and Germany) have found high school students who have never smoked, but start using e-cigarettes, are much more likely to end up smoking tobacco.

3. No one can be sure they’re safe

E-cigarettes have the potential to be addictive, which means people are at risk of exposure to large amounts of nicotine and other potentially harmful chemicals. Some of these chemicals are not in tobacco smoke, so it is unknown what long-term health consequences they will have. However, evidence is growing, and some studies have linked them to issues such as blood pressure, heart rate and arterial stiffness. Both the Australian Government and World Health Organization have recently issued warnings on the health implications of inhaling harmful toxics in e-cigarettes.

4. They don’t help people quit

When e-cigarettes were first available, it was thought they could be used to help smokers cut down and eventually quit smoking tobacco. Since then, more evidence has come to light. E-cigarettes aren’t any more effective at helping people quit. Worse, they often result in smokers using both e-cigarettes and tobacco.

5. They are not regulated in many countries

Even though restrictions on tobacco advertising and product placement have been in place for many years, e-cigarettes are not as tightly governed… yet. Like tobacco companies before them, e-cigarettes have snuck their way into Hollywood movies because it’s a tried and tested way of getting people to smoke.

NSW Health has been careful in regulating the use of e-cigarettes. Click here to read more about the regulations in place.

Filed Under: Adults, Featured Posts, Health Professionals, Older People, Tobacco, Young People

Family ACTIVation

By HEALTH Promotion

Family ACTIVation is a fun-packed resource to help parents and carers of 5 to 12-year-olds get active with their children.

It’s full of quick and easy games to play at home, in the park, or wherever…

Games that reinforce the fundamental movement skills like throwing, catching, hopping and skipping… the same movement skills being learnt at school.

Family ACTIVation game cards  DOWNLOAD

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Family ACTIVation – Tricky Catches
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Family ACTIVation – Treasure Chest
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Family ACTIVation – Throw Golf
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Family ACTIVation – Home Circuit
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Family ACTIVation – Fly
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Family ACTIVation – Airborne
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Tell us what you think of these videos here!

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At Central Coast Local Health District, the Health Promotion team is always on the look out for GREAT games to get families active.

If you have a game, we would love to hear about it so we can share it with families across the Central Coast.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY GAME

Filed Under: Featured Posts, Kids & Families, Live Life Well @ School, Posts for display

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

By HEALTH Promotion

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder ?
(FASD)

FASD is a diagnostic term for severe neurodevelopmental impairments (you may see these as difficulties with physical activities, language, memory, learning and behaviour) that result from brain damage caused by alcohol exposure before birth.

Read More

FASD

  • The effects may not be seen at birth
  • All people with FASD will have damage to different parts of the brain which can cause structural (eg. small head) and functional impairments which can be physical, cognitive and behavioural
  • Some people with FASD will have other birth defects such as heart and eye problems
  • Although the use of ‘fetal’ may imply that it only relates to babies, FASD has lifelong consequences and can be diagnosed in children, young people and adults
  • People with FASD will have strengths and difficulties
  • Some people with FASD will have distinctive facial features, but most do not
  • FASD occurs in all parts of Australian society where alcohol is consumed
  • FASD is a social issue not just a medical condition
  • No level of maternal alcohol consumption at any time during pregnancy can be guaranteed to be completely ‘safe’ or ‘no risk’ for the developing fetus
  • Some women are at higher risk of drinking and need support from partners, friends, family, health professionals and drug and alcohol workers to stop drinking alcohol when they are pregnant

It is important to get an early diagnosis so that early interventions and support can be provided.

With the right support and early interventions, good outcomes across a range of life goals are more likely to be achieved.

A circle of collaboration between health professionals, the family, school and service providers ensures the best opportunities for people with FASD.

Read some of the common myths about alcohol use and pregnancy here.

Find more about FASD

Filed Under: Adults, Alcohol, Featured Posts, Posts for display, Professionals

Infographics

By Health Promotion

Meal times - involve kids in the shopping

We have a library of infographics available for download to use in newsletters or social media. Topics include healthy eating, being active, choosing water and screen time. A small selection of infographics are included below.  To download just click on the image and then right click and choose ‘save as’.

cook and eat together as a family
half fill your plate with veg
active kids playing outside activities
Healthy Mealtimes - small portions
Meal times - involve kids in the shopping
Meal time - involve kids with cooking
Lunch box builder
Get outside - find a leaf, feather . .
Make memories & get outside
Being Active doesn't have to be a sport
Explore your garden or park
Beach Scavenger Hunt
Switch t outside and have fun

If you would like to request other infographics please ring our team on 4320 9700 and ask for Jane, Justine, Chad or Jeff who will tailor a set for your needs or complete form below.

Read More

Filed Under: Featured Posts, Health Professionals, OSHC Educators, Teachers & Educators

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