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How healthy is your childcare menu?

By Health Promotion

Menu Review

If you’ve ever wondered if your early childhood education and care service menu is nutritionally adequate, or worry about having your service’s menu checked by others for accreditation, then worry no more.

12-step tutorial video

We’ve made it easy for you with our 12-step menu assessment video. In 10 minutes you’ll learn how to tell if your menu complies with the nutrition checklist found in NSW Health’s Caring for Children: Birth to 5 years – giving you peace of mind that children are getting the required 50% of their everyday nutritional needs while in your care.

The video provides a helpful tutorial not just for cooks, but all educators wanting to provide the best nutrition for the children at their centre. Additionally, if you’re a health worker wishing to assess the menu of an early childhood service you work with, you’ll be able to use the video to help guide you through the process and award it a star rating.

By the end of the video, you’ll know what it takes for a menu to achieve a 4.5 or 5-star rating and thereby comply with the nutrition checklist found in Caring for Children.

What you’ll need

The video uses a case study to walk you through the process. You can download the case study sample menu and sample menu information sheet here to follow during the video. Together, we’ll check whether the menu provides enough iron, fruit and vegetables, breads and cereals, dairy and protein foods.

To review your own service’s menu, you’ll need a copy of the two-week menu cycle planning tool, found on page 93 in Caring for Children. Either photocopy the planning tool from your book, or simply download the planning tool and print it off. In order to make your service’s menu assessment easier and more accurate, you should also complete your own menu information cover sheet*. Now you’re ready to watch the video and follow the 12 easy steps.

*The menu information cover sheet provides important information that doesn’t normally appear on the menu itself, such as the quantities of the various food groups purchased each week, and types of flour and crackers being used.

Watch the video

Watch the video, How to access the nutritional value of a childcare menu in 12 easy steps, below.

Further support

Please note, while we encourage ECEC services to assess their own menu, on the Central Coast we also welcome services to send their menu and menu information cover sheet to the Central Coast Local Health District (CCLHD) Nutrition Services team for review. Completing your own review is a great exercise in developing an understanding of how to plan a healthy menu. We are here to assist you though, and also want to recognise services with menus that do comply with the nutrition checklist found in Caring for Children.

If you would like CCLHD Nutrition Services to review your menu, please send your menu and menu information cover sheet to [email protected]

Related links

Munch & Move main

Munch & Move newsletters

Munch & Move workshops

 

Filed Under: Featured Posts, Professionals, Teachers & Educators Tagged With: Menu review

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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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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Spinach & Feta Gozleme | 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, Kids & Families, 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, Kids & Families, Older People, Professionals, Teachers & Educators, Tobacco, Young People

Central Coast Munch & Move newsletters

By Health Promotion

preschool children with hoops and educator

Our Central Coast Munch & Move newsletters are loaded with valuable healthy development information and resources for educators in early childhood education and care services.

To find out more about the Munch & Move program, which promotes a fun and play-based approach to supporting healthy eating and physical activity habits in young children, click here.

Current Central Coast Munch & Move newsletter

Check out the latest edition of the Central Coast Munch & Move newsletter, which includes upcoming professional development, new resources and programs.

Term 1 2021

Previous editions

Read our previous Central Coast Munch & Move newsletters for loads more useful material for your early childhood service.

Term 4 2020

Term 3 2020

Term 1 2020

Term 4 2019

Term 3 2019

Term 2  2019

Good Bite fact sheets

You might also be interested in our Good Bite fact sheets from the Central Coast Public Health and Community Nutrition team. They contain recipes and advice for parents and carers of children ages 0–5 years old. There’s also a dedicated version for childcare staff as well. Download the latest editions below.

Good Bite at home

February 2021

October 2020

May 2020

February 2020

November 2019

September 2019

Good Bite for childcare staff

February 2021

October 2020

May 2020

February 2020

November 2019

September 2019

Related links

Munch & Move main

Munch & Move workshops

 

Filed Under: Health Professionals, Teachers & Educators

Healthy Eating resources for the classroom

By Health Promotion

Go4Fun

Drinks for Children Poster

Choose Water

 

Filed Under: Live Life Well @ School, Teachers & Educators

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