Health
That's a wrap
Wow… what a year it has been in the nutrition department!
Just under 40 breakaway cooking sessions, curiosity week, the Big Vegetable Crunch Week, working with 13 students 1:1 and helping out 2 classes. Not to mention all of the lovely people I have spoken with about their child’s needs in regard to the hot food policy. Below I have expanded on some of my work this year and am looking forward to what 2025 holds.
Working 1:1
A big part of my role is working 1:1 with students. Food can be a scary thing for a lot of our students here at Anson St School. It is one of the few things a child can control when they are navigating a world that wasn’t built for them. My job is to help make it less scary so that more balance and nutrition can be added into their diet. I also help manage symptoms from an imbalanced diet such as nutritional deficiencies, bowel problems, weight changes and more. If you’re thinking your child needs dietetic help in 2025, please reach out to their class teacher to make a referral. See below for examples of the cool activities I did with some of my students:
Hot food policy
For many parents, the introduction of the hot food policy was a challenge not only due to a child’s food restrictions, but also because it was such a big change. If you haven’t already gotten into the groove of packing cold lunches, I have listed some ideas for next year that perhaps you can try out over the holidays:
- Savoury muffins
- Tuna sandwich
- Falafel and hummus pita pocket
- Pesto, spinach and chicken pasta salad
- Mini English muffin pizzas
- Bacon and cottage cheese herby dip (served with crackers)
- Mac n cheese zucchini slice
- Rice paper rolls
- Vegetable and bacon fritters
- Egg bagels
- Curried egg and chickpea sandwich
- Sushi
Here is a great article on the use of a bento box (+ideas on what to include in them) by a paediatric dietitian: https://www.sarahremmer.com/bento-box-lunch-ideas/
Curiosity Week and Big Vegetable Crunch Week
This year for curiosity week the theme was the colour red! We explored this colour through different textures, tastes, looks, smells and fun nutrition facts. We had jelly, rice paper (dipped in red water), dried cranberries, strawberries, pomegranate, capsicum, watermelon, beetroot and salsa. It was a great experience for all, even for those who didn’t eat or touch anything, because at the end of the day for many of our students it is an invaluable exposure experience.
Back in March we also had the Big Vegetable Crunch week. Throughout the week the students learnt about how we get our vegetables and why they are important for us. I also prepared a rainbow veggie platter for the students to have the opportunity to try new veggies and in different ways (eg crunchy chickpeas, roasted cauliflower etc). There were a lot of major successes with exposures, with some students going from absolute refusal to asking to have some more, and some students picking the veggie up and giving it a smell or a lick. Or for some students, even just not running out of the room was a big win.
Such an awesome year with so many more exciting things to come! Any questions about food and nutrition in the new year, please feel free to reach out to your child’s class teacher or email me at nadia.fathinia1@det.nsw.edu.au
Nadia Fathinia
Accredited Practicing Dietitian