These resources provide general information only, and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have about your individual health and medical condition.
Acknowledgments
This resource was created in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and practitioners working in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled sector.
QAIHC would like to acknowledge and honour the Traditional Owners of the lands and waterways of Queensland. We recognise their continuing connection to these lands and waters, and thank them for protecting this country and its ecosystems since time immemorial. We acknowledge and wholly support all Traditional Owners for their continuing connection to this country and their communities.
We pay respect to Traditional Owners and to their Elders past, present and emerging.
QAIHC thanks and acknowledges Diabetes Australia and Health and Wellbeing Queensland for their contributions to this project.
Introduction
Before others came to our lands and waters, our connection to Country, water and each other meant that the foods we ate grew our physical health and also our social and emotional health and wellbeing. Food was more than just nutrition, it was also social, spiritual and part of ceremony. Our diet was balanced, with just the right amount of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. The physical activity required to hunt, grow and find and prepare our food meant that our bodies maintained a healthy weight and a strong metabolism.
When others came to our lands, many changes disturbed our traditional lifestyles which affected our ability to obtain and prepare our food. These changes included being forcibly removed and losing access to Country, limited ability to earn money, living off rations and confinement to reserves, missions and fringe camps. As our ability to obtain and prepare our traditional foods was reduced, our health suffered.
For thousands of years, the social, spiritual and ceremonial aspects around our traditional food kept us healthy. If we look back to the foods we ate at those times and return to that as much as we can, we can start to regain the good health we had before.
The benefits of healthy eating
Healthy eating can help you to:
Achieve target cholesterol (blood fat) levels
Maintain a healthy blood pressure
Maintain a healthy body weight
Reduce your risk of heart disease
Better manage your blood sugar levels
Unless your doctor advises otherwise, meals that are recommended for people with lifestyle diseases are the same as for those without disease.
There is no need to prepare separate meals or buy special foods. Everyone, including family and friends, can enjoy the same healthy and tasty meals together.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines
The Australian guidelines help you and your mob to eat healthy and get all the nutrients that you need to stay healthy and active.
Guideline 1
Be physically active to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, and choose nutritious food and drinks to meet your energy needs. Avoid overeating.
Children and adolescents need to eat enough nutritious foods to grow and develop strong minds and bodies. They should be physically active every day and their growth should be checked regularly by a doctor health worker or child nurse.
Older people should eat nutritious foods and keep physically active.
Guideline 2
Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods from the five food groups every day, including:
Fruit and vegetables of different types and colours.
Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high cereal fibre varieties.
Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans.
Milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or their alternatives, mostly reduced fat.
Water, plenty of it.
Choose store foods that are most like traditional bush foods.* Enjoy traditional bush foods whenever possible.*
Guideline 3
Reduce your intake of foods containing saturated fat, added salt, added sugars or alcohol.
Limit intake of foods high in saturated fat.
Replace high fat foods with healthier fats like avocado or macadamia.
Low fat diets are not suitable for children under the age of 2 years.
Limit your intake of foods and drinks containing added salt.
Read labels to help choose the best options between similar foods.
Do not add salt to foods in cooking or at the table.
Limit intake of foods and drinks containing added sugars.
If you choose to drink alcohol, limit your intake.
Guideline 4
Encourage, support, and promote breastfeeding. Support around breastfeeding is available from your health care provider.
Guideline 5
Wash your hands before making food, and clean, prepare, and store your food safely. Keep hot foods hot, and cold foods cold.
*Additional recommendations specific to some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities (to align with the National Guide to preventative health assessment).
Make deadly choices for your health
Being overweight can put pressure on your body and your health. Eating healthy foods and meeting your calorie goals can help to stop and even reverse weight gain. Working towards a healthy weight range will make it easier to stay healthy and manage your health conditions.
Energy use to absorb food
Energy burnt during exercise
Energy used when your body is inactive
The best way to limit weight gain is to choose healthy foods and reduce processed food and food that is high in energy like:
Eat your bush tucker
Many people have a healthy diet but sometimes eat too much. Reducing your portion sizes and building regular, health meal patterns helps you stay healthy and fit.
A good aim is to eat three smaller meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and two healthy and light snacks—one between each meal.
THESE FOODS COULD ALSO BE wholegrain breads, pasta or noodles, brown or basmati rice, oats, quinoa, soba or mung bean noodles, legumes*, barley, freekeh, corn, potato or sweet potato.
*such as, kidney beans, lentils
Fill a quarter of your plate with nutritious carbohydrates that have a low GI
One quarter of your plate with a palm-sized serve of a lean protein source
THESE FOODS COULD ALSO BE meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, or plant based protein sources like tempeh, tofu and legumes.
NON STARCHY VEGETABLES INCLUDE
Asian greens, beetroot, broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, capsicum, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, pumpkin, spinach, tomato, zucchini and MORE!
Fill half of your plate with a variety of nonstarchy vegetables or salad
Include some healthy fats and oils as part of a balanced meal
Tips for eating healthy everyday
Cut up and store snack-sized fruit and vegetable portions in your fridge for a quick snack.
Keep fresh fruit on the bench or table. Add fruit and vegetables to your favourite family recipes.
Use different coloured fruits and vegies in your meals to make them more interesting and tasty.
Think up new ways to serve fruits and vegetables. Try serving, flavouring or cooking them in different ways. You can also disguise them in sauces, minced meals or curries.
Frozen or canned vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh vegies, and are a convenient, budget friendly option as well.
Make simple changes every day. Try adding salad to sandwiches, or having extra vegetables with dinner.
GI or Glycemic Index
Foods that have a high Glycemic Index (GI) break down into sugar quickly. This means a higher and faster rise in blood sugar levels after eating.
Low-GI foods can be a better option because they break down over a longer period when compared with highGI foods. This means a smaller and slower rise in blood sugar levels after eating.
Some foods with a lower GI are still not everyday food choices e.g. chocolate, ice cream, potato chips.
Foods that meet both low GI and health recommendations can be certified by a low GI symbol.
It’s an easy way of checking out how healthy a food product is before you buy. 1 2
A simple swap makes a deadlier choice
Wholegrain cereals contain more fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than refined cereal foods like white bread, because most of the important nutrients in white bread or low fibre cereals are lost during processing.
Look for words like 'wholegrain' or 'wholemeal' when choosing bread. Grainy and seedy breads are more nutritious and have a lower GI.
Sourdough breads have a lower GI (especially dark rye) as they contain 'wild' yeast and they offer more health benefits.
Breads and Cereals
Limit highly processed breads and cereals
Tip
Choose bread and cereals that are high in fibre
Eat 3-6 serves of wholegrain and high fibre breads and cereals every day.
+ cereal + cooked rice/ pasta ½ cup 1 serve
1
1
Non-starchy
vegies
Eat at least 5 serves of these types of vegies every day
Starchy vegies
Eat 1 serve of these types of vegies most days
Legumes
Eat at least 2 serves of legumes* every week
1
Dairy and alternatives
Avoid full cream dairy products Choose low-fat options
Eat 2 - 4 serves of low-fat dairy every day 1
Meats and alternatives
Eat 2 serves of oily fish every week
Fats
Avoid fats that aren’t good
Bad fats include things like palm oil, butter, ghee, mayonnaise or creamy salad dressings.
Choose healthier fats for our body
You can use these fats in small amounts because they are good for your heart.
Drinks
Drink less alcohol, energy drinks or other sugary drinks
Alcohol contains a lot of energy and can contribute to weight gain, high and low blood sugar and heart diseases.
Limit your alcohol intake to max two standard drinks a day and try to have at least 2 alcohol free days a week.
When you’re thirsty, water is the best drink, always.
Drink more water!
Soft drinks are only “okay sometimes” if they are sugar free.
•
Healthy meal ideas
Coconut Curry Beef Stew
What you need:
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• stewing beef chunks
• onion
• fresh/crushed garlic
• fresh/crushed ginger
• spices to taste (yellow curry powder, cumin powder, soy sauce, brown sugar, ground black pepper, and bay leaves)
How to make:
• lite coconut milk
• potatoes
• carrots
• garnish (chilli, coriander leaves, and white sesame seeds)
Tips for making curry
• Customise the vegetables. Potatoes and carrots go really well in a curry stew, but you can easily throw in other vegetables that you have on hand. Some vegetables that work really well are string beans, cauliflower and broccoli, as they soak in all the delicious curry juice. Any starchy vegetables work well too such as sweet potatoes and yam.
• Let the stew rest. Let the stew rest for at least 20 minutes to cool down and also to let the flavours develop. This is really important. In fact, the longer you let it rest, the more flavoursome the beef curry gets.
• How to serve curry. Serve coconut curry beef stew over coconut rice, plain white jasmine, brown rice or basmati rice.
1. Heat oil in large pot for two minutes on medium–high heat. Add in cubed beef and stir well to cook evenly for 6–8 minutes until the beef is browned.
2. Add onions, garlic, and ginger. Mix well, stirring for about two minutes until fragrant. Add the spices and continue stirring to combine for about three minutes.
3. Stir in the lite coconut milk. Turn heat down to medium-low and put the lid on the pot. Simmer for 25 minutes until the beef is tender, stirring occasionally. To check the tenderness of the beef, use a fork. If you are able to insert a fork in the centre of beef with little resistance, it's cooked fork tender.
4. Remove the lid, add potatoes and carrots and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and carrots start to soften. Add ¼ cup water if needed to thin out the sauce. Take the pot off the heat and let rest for 20 minutes to slightly cool.
5. Serve over rice and garnish with chilli, coriander and white sesame seeds on top.
• How to store/meal prep. Store curry in an airtight container for up to four days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze for up to two months. It's a great recipe to use to meal prep for the week.
What you need:
• 2 cups of water
• 3 carrots sliced
• 1 onion sliced
How to make:
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• 1 tin of corned beef
1. Put the water on to boil, prepare vegetables and add them to the saucepan once cut.
2. Bring the water back to boil and add the corned beef.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the corned beef has broken up and flavoured the stew.
Corned Beef Stew Serves 3-4
Coconut Damper Serves 6-8
What you need:
• 4 cups wholemeal self raising flour
• pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon low-fat butter or margarine
• 1 can lite coconut milk
• 1 cup coconut
How to make:
1. Add flour, salt, coconut and butter to a bowl and rub butter into flour with fingertips. Add 3/4 can of coconut milk and mix.
2. Keep adding milk until a dough forms that is not too wet but still slightly sticky.
3. Form into a ball and brush top with milk. Place into a hot camp oven on a trivet (or in a regular oven on a baking tray).
4. If cooking in a camp oven, surround with lots of coals. Shovel some coals or heat beads onto camp oven lid.
5. Cook for 30–40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.
Mango Salad Serves
4 as a side dish
What you need:
• 2 mangoes, peeled and sliced
• 1/3 cup mint leaves
• 1/3 cup coriander leaves
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 limes —1 juiced, 1 cut into wedges to serve
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
How to make:
1. Place mango, mint, coriander and onion in a bowl. Season, then toss to combine. Combine lime juice and oil in a small jug.
2. Divide salad among serving bowls. Drizzle dressing over salad and sprinkle with coconut and chilli flakes. Serve with a wedge of lime.
Paw Paw Salad Serves 2-4
What you need:
• 200g green paw paw, shredded
• 4g fresh garlic
• 2 chillies
• 40g prawns, optional
• 60g palm sugar
• 30g fish sauce
• 60g cherry tomato
• 40g nuts (optional)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
How to make:
1. Finely grate or crush palm sugar, pound peanuts and chilli and garlic together in a mortar and pestle or heavy bowl.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and gently pound again, mixing thoroughly.
3. Use spoon to scrape the side of the paw paw mix to help combine juices.
Pumpkin Scones Serves 6-8
What you need:
• 1 tbs low-fat butter or margarine
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 egg
• 1 cup cold mashed pumpkin
• 2 cups self-raising flour
How to make:
1. Preheat oven to 225°C (205°C fan-forced).
2. In a bowl, combine butter and sugar with electric beater. Add egg, spice and pumpkin and beat until well combined.
3. With a spatula, stir through the flour, and turn out on bench. Combine with your hands and flatten the dough to roughly 3cm thick. Add more flour if you need to.
4. Flour a cup/mould rim with flour before cutting each out.
5. Place on greased tray with 1cm space around each scone and bake for 10–20 minutes depending on the size of your scone. When cooked, they should be brown on top.
Healthy meal ideas
Family Filler Healthy Bolognaise Serves 6-8
What you need:
• 1 kilo of mince (beef, pork, kangaroo or turkey - all work)
• 1 medium/large onion diced
• 1 large apple, peeled and chopped into small pieces
• 1-3 garlic cloves (or as many as you like)
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 can of lentils, drained
• 1 can of mixed beans, drained
Optional
Sprinkle with low fat cheese and pepper.
• 2 medium/large carrots, diced
• 500mls of passata or low salt pasta sauce
• 2 cans of peeled and chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Low fat tasty cheese or parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top
• One pack of dried wholemeal pasta or spaghetti
Healthy snack platter
How to make:
1. Dice the onion into small pieces and set aside.
2. Mash the chickpeas in a bowl so they form a paste.
3. Fry up the mince in a little water until browned, keep stirring so it doesn’t catch.
4. Drain off all the visible fat and return to the heat.
5. Add the diced onions and minced garlic and stir until onion turns clear over a medium heat.
6. Add the chopped apple and carrot and stir.
7. Add the passata/pasta sauce, chopped tomato and stir in with the vinegar or lemon juice.
8. Add chickpea paste, lentils and mixed beans.
9. Simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes while the pasta cooks.
10. Serve over wholemeal pasta cooked according to the directions on the packet.
It can be easy to make a platter of healthy snacks to share. Nearly everyone will eat fresh fruit and vegetables if they are served ready to eat.
What you need:
• 1 or more oranges
• 1 or more apples
• 1 or more bananas
• other fruits like: melon, pineapple and kiwi fruit.
• cucumber
• carrot
• snow peas
• hommus
• wholemeal crackers
• mixed whole nuts
• low fat cheese
How to make:
1. Cut up the oranges and apples into segments and chop the bananas and any fruit you like into bite sized pieces.
2. Cut up cucumber and carrot lengthways, serve with hommus for dipping and add some nuts for extra protein, and some chunks of low fat cheese.
3. Arrange these on a plate and serve... too easy!
Lentil wraps
Lentil wraps are a great high protein and low carb option and can be sweet or savoury.
Fill with cooked vegies or left over curry or bolognaise for a tasty savoury option; and cut up banana or apples with yoghurt are great for a treat.
What you need:
• Split red lentils
• Clean water for soaking
How to make:
• Spices or herbs for seasoning
• Small amount of salt and pepper to taste
1. Soak split red lentils in water overnight, and use the same water to grind the lentils into batter using a food processor or smoothie blender.
2. You can season the batter with either dried or fresh spices like cumin, black pepper, chilli curry or mustard powder. For sweet wraps use coriander, cinnamon or mint. Start with ½ teaspoon of the spice you choose to the ground batter and mix well.
3. If using fresh herbs you can add ½ cup into the split peas when processing.
4. Heat a non-stick frying pan, once it is hot spray with a little cooking oil.
5. Pour a ladle full of batter into the hot pan. Spread it out as much as you can using the back of a spoon or ladle.
6. Use a spatula to turn the wrap.
7. Turn on to a plate and add your choice of fillings
Bush tucker bewdies
WILD ROSELLA
Also known as wild hibiscus, common around Queensland and northern Australia, and though not indigenous to Australia, is often used as bushtucker. The fruit and leaves of the plant are great in salads. The flowers can be eaten fresh or in dried form and have beautiful deep pink to purple colour. Wild rosella is often used to make tea and is beautiful in jams or desserts. Wild rosella is high in Vitamin C and is claimed to help lower blood pressure.
Wild Rosella Bush Tucker Bikkies
What you need:
• 125g low-fat butter or margarine
• ¼ cup caster sugar or sugar replacement
• 1 ½ cups of plain wholemeal flour
• 2 tbsp dried wild rosella flowers
How to make:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 160°. Line a baking tray with a silicone baking sheet or baking paper
2. Cream the caster sugar and butter together until pale and fluffy, using an electric hand mixer or wooden spoon.
3. Add the flour to the mixture, half a cup at a time, mixing in between.
4. Grind the dried wild rosella flowers with a mortar and pestle until you have some powder and some larger pieces. Then add to the dough.
5. Bring the dough together into a large ball— you don't have to knead it. Then gently roll it on a floured surface to about 1cm thick. Then cut into shapes.
6. Bake the biscuits in the oven for 15–20 minutes, being careful to keep an eye on them so they do not burn (due to the high butter content). Remove when lightly browned and leave to cool.
BUSH TOMATOES
Recommended combinations: Goes great with chilli, pepper, brown sugar, tomatoes, onions, eggplants and potatoes.
Note: Don't be too liberal with the old bush tomato as it will make your recipe bitter.
Bush Tomato Scones Serves 6-8
What you need:
• 4 cups plain wholemeal flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 3 tbsp. low-fat butter or margarine
• 1 cup akajura (bush tomato), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• 3 cups low-fat milk (approximately), plus extra for brushing
How to make:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Place flour in a large mixing bowl, add salt and baking powder. Rub the fat (butter) into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Add bush tomato, parsley and mix through.
3. Gradually add the milk, a little at a time, until you have a soft dough.
4. Knead for a few minutes.
5. Press gently so the dough is about 3cm high.
6. Cut out scones or roll into a circle and cut part way through, transfer to a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper and rest for 10 minutes.
7. With a pastry brush, brush the tops of the scones with a little milk and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until brown on the top.
WATTLE SEED
The nuttiest, most delicious flavour comes from these little seeds! Hints of coffee and chocolate flavours makes the wattle seed great for use in desserts.
Wattle seed has been used by both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in a variety of ways— as a type of flour to make bread, as a thickener for sauces, and for medicinal purposes. Wattle seeds are used to make a poultice for rheumatism which is wrapped on the ailing limbs. All parts of the wattle tree were utilised from the roots for tea through to the bark and branches.
Try using in an all-time favourite dessert, wattle seed pavlova.
Slow Cooker Wattle Seed Damper
What you need:
• 200 g rye flour
• 200 g spelt flour (or wholemeal flour)
• 50 g plain white flour
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 300 ml water
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 1/2 tablespoon wattle seed, ground
• 1 tablespoon rice malt syrup
• 3 ml extra virgin olive oil
How to make:
1. Place flours, yeast, salt and wattle seed into a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
2. Place a saucepan over low-medium heat. Add in water and rice malt syrup and heat until water is lukewarm (not too hot otherwise it will kill the yeast) and rice malt syrup has dissolved.
3. Pour into the dry mixture. Mix the ingredients together to form a sticky dough.
4. Tip bread onto a floured board or work surface. Knead by hand for 4–5 minutes.
5. Lightly oil the mixing bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with a tea towel and place into a warm place for 1 hour until dough doubles in size.
6. Place the dough back onto a floured work surface and knead briefly, incorporating sunflower seeds as you go. Shape bread into a round.
7. Place baking paper into the slow cooker insert, flattening the paper as much as possible against the sides of the insert. Add in the dough. Cook on high for 1 1/2 hours (all slow cookers are different, so you may need up to another 30 minutes cooking time).
8. If you want to darken the top of your loaf, place until the grill for 5 minutes until golden brown.
