ACT Nutrition Support Service

07/09/2025

Our holiday cooking classes are the perfect way for children to build kitchen skills, make new friends, and discover the joy of cooking.

Guided by our food-loving dietitians, children will:
- Learn knife skills, food safety & a variety of cooking methods
- Prepare two delicious dishes from our recipe collection
- Take home the Spring Edition of our Kids Cooking Cookbook!

📍 For children aged 8–12 years
📆 Tuesday 7 – Friday 10 October 2025
🕘 9:00am – 12:00 noon
💲 $80 per session (GST included)

Early bird offer: Book before midnight 14 September and receive 10% discount!

Book online now:
https://www.trybooking.com/DEXCZ

14/08/2025

Last night our CEO Leanne Elliston joined Woden Community Service canteen lead Jacqui Gowan and Principal Dan Sprange from Russell Lea Public School on ABC Australia Nightlife chatting all things canteens.
Whilst venturing down the nostalgic path of canteens, we also discussed current challenges, benefits and what the future of food in schools could look like.

Listen to the Podcast here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/nightlife/school-canteens-and-tuck-shops/105650218

Nutrition Australia, Federation of Canteens in Schools - FOCIS,

School canteen memories remain with us for a lifetime. Hot pies, sausage rolls, custard tarts and an ache in the belly afterwards, until you ran it off at lunchtime.

29/07/2025

Today we kicked off our Term 3 FEED program for children aged 3-5 years.
Combining play therapy with nutrition to help children build a sense of joy, excitement and love for food.
Gruffalo really loved today's cucumbers! 🥒😋

Thanks to our ACT Health Healthy Canberra Grant, we are creating connections with food that last a lifetime for many children.



ACT Government
Nutrition Australia

22/07/2025

Our kitchen was a hive of activity these school holidays as we welcomed a wonderful group of enthusiastic and creative young people from and Refugee Settlement Services.
From tasty curries to refreshing smoothie bowls, there was no shortage of delicious food and good vibes!
Everyone added their own twist to the recipes and shared stories and flavours from their own food cultures - it was a beautiful reminder of how food brings us together. 🌍💛

ACT Health Nutrition Australia

08/07/2025

Our University of Canberra Master of Nutrition and Dietetics students were warmly welcomed by the Kaleen Men’s Shed group today for an insightful session on eating well as we age 🥦

Divya and Phoebe did a great job sharing practical tips on nutrition, food safety, and easy meal ideas to help support health and wellbeing in later years.

A big thanks to the wonderful blokes at the Shed for their warm hospitality, thoughtful questions — and those delicious homemade muffins! 👏

We love connecting with community groups like this, giving budding dietitians the chance to gain crucial community nutrition experience.



Nutrition Australia Dietitians Australia

21/06/2025

As comes to a close, here's a taste of what our Dietitians got up to this week:
- celebrating our profession with Dietitians Australia and fellow ACT dietitians
- on boarding our latest student dietitians for their 6-week community placement
- delivering our ACT Health funded food exploration workshops for children
- sharing nutrition tips with tasty soup samples at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water workplace wellbeing day
- visiting local ACT Government school canteens helping them provide nourishing food for students.

As community and public health dietitians, we are privileged to work with so many different people helping to build a connected and nourished society.

19/06/2025

If you work in or support food outlets to make healthier food and drink options available, then be sure to share your experience in this important research.
Researchers from the Deakin University Centre of Research Excellence in Food Retail Environments for Health: Next Generation are undertaking a national survey to understand what Australian food service retail staff and those who support them (e.g., health promotion practitioners, environmental health officers, nutritionists) need to help them to create healthier food service outlets, what has helped previously, and what hasn’t. Your contribution will inform strategies that can better help retailers, and those who support them, to make and maintain healthier changes to food service settings.

Take the survey here: https://researchsurveys.deakin.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_8H1ZUcggtZYANDg

07/06/2025

🎙️ Our CEO and senior dietitian, Leanne Elliston, joined ABC Canberra radio this week to talk all things protein.
Protein seems to be added to just about everything these days but do we really need those protein enriched foods or is it just more marketing hype?
In the interview, we unpack the hype around high-protein products and why a balance of whole or minimally processed foods still come out on top when it comes to good nutrition and overall health.

Listen to the interview here 👉 https://actnss.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ABC020625.mp3

02/06/2025

❄️🍴 Winter school holiday cooking class bookings are now open! 🍴❄️

Our hands-on, dietitian-led cooking classes are back this winter - designed to spark your child’s love of food and build confidence in the kitchen!

For children aged 8–12 years are child friendly recipes focus on nourishing, seasonal ingredients including produce from our very own kitchen garden.

📆 Monday 7 July to Friday 11 July
🕘 9am–12noon daily
💲 $80 per session (inc. GST)
🐦 Book before 15 June to save 10%!

Held in our welcoming Food Skills Kitchen at the Chifley Health Hub, these popular sessions fill quickly - don’t miss out!

👉 Book now to secure your child’s spot: https://www.trybooking.com/DCEED

24/04/2025

🎉 That’s a wrap on another wonderful school holiday program! 🎉

This season, we made the most of our beautiful garden produce—think pumpkins, potatoes, and plenty of vibrant spinach! 🥔🎃🌿
Was also the season for hot cross buns and Anzac biscuits which are our big favs.

From garden explorations to hands-on cooking sessions, the kids had a fantastic time building their food skills, making new friends, and discovering the joy of food.

Thanks to all the little chefs who joined us—we loved seeing your confidence and curiosity grow in the kitchen.

Until next time!

17/04/2025

Our FEED program for 3-5 year old children is back in Term 2!

Is your little one hesitant to try new foods, super selective, or stuck in a food rut? The FEED program is here to help!

This FREE positive food exposure program is specially designed for children aged 3-5 years and is run by an Accredited Practising Dietitian and a Play Therapist. Over 8 weeks, we’ll gently explore a variety of vegetables through therapeutic play and responsive eating practices, helping your child build confidence and curiosity around food.

🗓 Term 2 sessions begin Tuesday, 6 May
⏰ 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
📍 Chifley Health Hub

Spaces are limited, so don’t wait—learn more and register here:
👉https://www.trybooking.com/DAAIH
or visit the ACTNSS website: https://actnss.org/services/community-services/fuelling-everybody-every-day-feed/

Supported by the ACT Government under the ACT Health Promotion Grants Program.

13/04/2025

Our senior dietitian, Leanne Elliston, had the chance to share some of the fun, play-based learning strategies from our Nourishing Little Minds program at the Early Childhood Australia Regional, Rural and Remote Forum.

It was a great way to highlight just how powerful play can be in helping little ones build positive food habits from the very start.

This week our ACT CEO, Leanne Elliston, presented at the Early Childhood Australia Regional, Rural and Remote Early Childhood Forum in the Hunter Valley.

A wonderful oportunity to share the great work we do in the ECEC space highlighting the importance of positive food exposure through play-based learning.

If you work in ECEC and would like some professional support and guidance around food and nutrition for your service then look no further than our Food Foundations program.

Food Foundations supports ECEC settings to provide children with quality food and mealtime experiences for promoting wellbeing, development and learning outcomes.
Learn more here: https://nutritionaustralia.org/programs/early-childhood-oshc/food-foundations-program/