CHAPTER 3
Food and Nutrition
Contents
About this chapter
Where to get help
Section 1
Historical overview of Aboriginal diet
Introduction
The diet of Aboriginal people before
European contact
Hunter-gatherer lifestyle
Dietary diversity
Division of labour
Meat in the diet
Plant foods
Meal Patterns
Food Preparation
Food distribution
Fat
Delicacies
After European settlement: the transitional diet
Rations
Assimilationist Policy
Communal feeding
Key events
The first community stores
To sum up
Food supply and eating habits in Aboriginal
communities
Aboriginal diet today
Fat intake
Sugar intake
Salt intake
Fibre intake
Fruit and vegetable intake
Vitamin and mineral intake
Bush Foods (‘Bush Tucker’)
Nutrition and income
Purchasing patterns
Family obligations
Cooking and storage facilities in the
home
Food supply issues
The cost of food
Transporting food
The community store
Store staffing and management
Store manager
Store committees and store policies
Book-up system
Food quality and quantity issues
Local food production
Nutrition related health issues
Maternal nutrition
Maternal nutrition and birthweight
Breast feeding in NT rural
Aboriginal women
Breast feeding and maternal
nutrition
Growth monitoring
Malnutrition and growth patterns
Poor growth
Nutrition related problems in adults
Chronic diseases
Overweight and obesity
THS food and nutrition program
The Northern Territory Food and
Nutrition Policy and Strategic Plan 1995-2000
The Territory Food Project
Community nutritionists
Aboriginal Community Nutrition Workers
Aboriginal Community Nutrition Worker
Training Program
Growth Assessment and Action
The Strong Women, Strong Babies, Strong
Culture Project
New developments
Oral health
An overview of oral health
Traditional times
Nowadays
Oral health status in remote communities
Decay
Gingivitis
Periodontal disease
Requirements for strong teeth
Fluoride
Healthy food and drinks
Tooth-brushing
THS Oral Health Program
Priority Groups
Section 2
Actions and strategies to address food and nutrition issues
What is in Section 2?
Where to get help
Food and nutrition guidelines
Dietary guidelines for
Australians
Dietary guidelines for
children and adolescents
Australian Guide to Healthy Eating
Food guidelines for remote stores
Strategies to improve food supply
The community store
Encouraging discussion about the
role of the store
Supporting store committees
Store policy development
Organising a store policy
Reducing the cost of goods sold
through the store
Monitoring food supply in stores
Community market basket surveys
How to do a community market
basket survey
Analysing the results
Feeding back the results
Measuring store turnover
Using local foods
Bush tucker
Case study: the store’s role in
the bigger picture
Strategies to encourage better food choices
Key nutritional messages for promoting
better food choices
Key messages about oral health
Store tours
Food displays and promotions
Taste testings
Looking at the fat and sugar content of
foods
Where to get help
Shelf talkers
How to use shelf talkers in the
store
Tips for making shelf talkers
Evaluating a shelf-talker project
Case study: a local approach to healthy
food displays and promotions
Cooking contemporary foods
Doing brief interventions on
nutrition
Strategies to improve maternal and child health
Improving the growth and development
of young children
Growth Assessment and Action
Growth Action Plans
The Road to Health Chart
Tips for improving growth assessment and
follow-up
Tips for feeding back information
to the community
Enhancing antenatal care
The Strong Women, Strong Babies, Strong
Culture Program
Useful Resources
Contact lists
Bibliography