Healthy Eating
Shaping our food system
In our work across Cardinia Shire, the City of Casey and Greater Dandenong, we promote health initiatives focusing on nutrition, food access and healthy eating.
We support volunteers, employees, cooks, and food retail staff in following Healthy Choices guidelines. We aim to increase healthy food options in early childhood education, schools, sports clubs, recreation facilities, hospitals, and community services.
Frameworks guiding our work
We endorse a number of frameworks encouraging services to make healthy changes, including:
- Healthy Places for schools and early years services
- Vic Kids Eat Well in schools, Outside School Hours Care (OSHC), recreation facilities and sports clubs
- Healthy Sports Clubs framework supporting sports clubs working through the Healthy Food and Beverages health area
- Healthy Choices in recreation facilities, sports clubs and internally at Monash Health.
Find out how we can support your organisation by visiting our Health Promotion webpage.
Providing education sessions
Our dietitian provides nutrition workshops and activities for eligible community settings engaged in our health promotion work, including:
- hands-on activities for kids
- webinars
- in-person education sessions for parents, staff and volunteers.
Topics include:
- general healthy eating guidelines
- fussy eating
- fueling for sports performance
- the Healthy Choices guidelines
- how to use FoodChecker to assess your menu
- adhering to service menu planning guidelines and
- catering for people with allergies.
Local partnerships and collaborations
Food from Home
We have partnered with Enliven and The Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute to support the social marketing campaign Food from Home, designed to encourage people to grow fruits and vegetables at home. The campaign includes newsletters, blogs, recipes, ‘how-to’ guides, and growing resources.
Visit the Food from Home website for more information or follow on Facebook and Instagram.
Food Systems South East (FSSE)
FSSE is a network uniting individuals working in food systems health promotion in the south east of Melbourne. FSSE focuses on building connections, sharing information, facilitating collaboration and reducing duplication in the food system workforce.
Contact Alexis at Alexis.Letters-Haydock@monashhealth.org if you would like more information or would like to join this network.
Upcoming events
Oromo community garden
Join our community gardening group run by volunteers.
Location: Afri-Aus Care Inc, 562 Springvale Road, Springvale South.
Time: Monday 11am to 2pm weekly
No need to register, all welcome.
Contact Marama Kufi at Marama.Kufi@monashhealth.org if you would like more information.
Oromo Community Health and Wellbeing Radio station
Listen to the fortnightly Oromo Community Health and Wellbeing Radio show. The radio show has raised awareness of and provided information on various health and wellbeing topics, including fresh vs. ultra-processed foods and dental care for children.
Tune in to find out more.
Useful resources
Grow your own
- Looking for beginner gardening and cooking inspiration? Find everything you need at Food from Home.
- Get your garden started with seeds from the Seed Library based at libraries in Cardinia Shire and the City of Casey. Libraries also have a great range of gardening and cooking books to borrow for free.
- Get involved in a local community garden. Check out the Community Garden Directory.
For organisations
- Healthy eating resources for sports clubs
- Schools resource hub
- Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) resource hub
- Early childhood services resources
Visit our Health Promotion page to find out how we support organisations.
Contact Us
For more information email healthpromotion@monashhealth.org