10 October 2013

MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Almost one in four of our evening meals are prepared outside the home (Sensis 2009). These meals are more likely to be higher in fat, salt and sugar than the homemade equivalent.

On Wednesday 16 October, Nutrition Australia ACT will be launching the Project Dinnertime – School to Home program which aims to empower students to prepare their own food with confidence and consequently improve their nutritional wellbeing.

Project Dinnertime – School to Home encompasses Nutrition Australia’s Project Dinnertime theme of getting more people cooking more often and helping them to cook, eat and enjoy good food everyday.

“There is an increasing echo of concern within the dietetic community that the demise in cooking skills is a contributing factor to the rising levels of obesity and food insecurity” says Nutrition Australia ACT Dietitian and Program Manager, Leanne Elliston. “The lure of eating out and choosing convenience foods is overtaking the desire and need to prepare meals from home. This combined with the decline of traditional cooking classes in schools is contributing to our society of culinary ineptness”.

“Cooking is not only a life skill, it is also a health skill” says Leanne “having basic cooking skills can contribute to the consumption of more vegetables and fruit and less fat”.

Poh Ling Yeow will be leading a cooking workshop with ACT high school students at Lake Tuggeranong College, using her enthusiasm and creative skills to help inspire young people to cook more often.

Throughout National Nutrition Week, Nutrition Australia is calling out to all families and communities to think about how they prepare their meals and if they rely heavily on convenient or take-away options.  In order to help establish the basics of healthy food preparation in the home, Nutrition Australia has joined forces with The Good Guys and Today Show Nutritionist and mum, Dr Joanna McMillan. Together they will be spreading the Project Dinnertime message and providing the community with some handy recipes and tips that will make cooking nutritious food easy.

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Contact:

Leanne Elliston
Accredited Practising Dietitian
Program Manager
Nutrition Australia ACT
Ph: 02 6162 2583