November 2013

Stonerweslestter

Hawthorn football team goes remote
Cyril Rioli, Jed Anderson and Chance Bateman from the Hawthorn Football Club visited the communities of Bulman and Wugalarr last month, as an added bonus they brought the Premiership Cup with them.
The players visited schools and stores in the communities to promote a healthy lifestyle. While in Wugalarr the players visited the local store to learn more about the Shop @ RIC program which is running in the store. Shop @ RIC is a study conducted by Menzies School of Health Research which involves discounts on fruit, vegetables and low kilojoule drinks. It aims to increase the consumption of these products and reduce the intake of harmful fatty and sugary foods and drinks through health promotion messages in addition to a discount on some healthy foods and drinks. The players also helped to draw the winning entries for this month’s healthy eating activity as part of the Shop @ RIC program.

Kathy and Bethany at the launch

Checking shelf labels

Shelf labels on healthy items

Pirlangimpi shelf labels
Locals at Pirlangimpi (Tiwi Islands) have been shopping smarter with new shelf labels at the store. The store manager requested these to highlight pupuni ingiti (healthy food). So the school kids designed the labels and were finalised by health workers and store staff. They were placed by store staff and a local community based worker (CBW) on the shelves. Small labels were put in the shelf strips, and large labels were put in the fruit and vegetable section of the store.

The launch of the shelf labels was done as a part of the community Biggest Loser competition. Cooking sessions were run around the community using different labelled foods. Tours were run by the CBW and nutritionist, and the word quickly spread that you had to ‘look for those little signs’ to choose good foods. Everyone who came on a tour received a piece of fruit and a bottle
of water for free. The Biggest Loser was a great success, as locals bought healthy foods, started moving more, and lost a total of 28.8kg from August to October.

We found that a big part of the shelf label project is keeping the labels in the right place. The signs are checked by the CBW and store staff every month, and ongoing promotion of healthy choices is planned. We are excited to see the final evaluation results as we look at the data from store sales, and talk with people in the community.

The Menzies ‘Resource Package for Using Shelf Labels in Remote Communities’ was used to guide the process. We found this was a great resource to use – ask your local nutritionist for a copy if you’re keen to start shelf labels in your community.

November 2013

Stnoerweslestter

Product Profile: Milk

People like to have milk in different ways – on their porridge, in their tea or as a drink. Stores often stock a range of milks, including fresh, UHT, powdered, evaporated and flavoured. But what is best? We’re keen to clear up some milky facts:

Dry or fresh?
Powdered and UHT milks have the same amount of nutrition as fresh milk in the fridge.
Research shows that daily milk intake reduces risks of high blood pressure, stroke, some cancers, and diabetes. So whatever type, encouraging sales will improve community health.
Fat or skinny?
Full cream milk is recommended for children 1-2 years of age.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend that low or reduced fat milk is the best choice for most people two years and over. This reduces the amount of saturated fat we eat, improving heart health and helping our waist line.

Make sure your store sells reduced/ low fat options, and place them at eye level to increase sales.
What about babies?
Breast milk is best for babies
Infants under the age of 12 months should not be given cow’s milk as a drink; however it is ok for mothers to use a small amount of milk to mix with cereal.
If breastfeeding is not an option, then baby formula is needed until baby is 1 year old.

Are flavoured milks good to sell?
Low fat flavoured milks (chocolate, coffee, etc) are a good option to get the calcium in and make bones strong.
Aim to sell small cartons only, 400ml, to prevent excess sugar intake.

For more info or ideas, contact your local nutritionist. We are here to help!

Easy takeaway recipe:
SATAY CHICKEN

Ingredients:
1kg skinless chicken pieces 2 brown onions
2 Tablespoons curry powder 6 carrots
2 cups frozen peas/beans 1 cup powdered skim milk
½ cup peanut butter 2 cups water
Oil for cooking

Cooking:

Heat oil in wok, add onion and stir fry
Add curry powder and stir fry until almost burning
Add chicken pieces and stir fry until cooked
Add carrots and water and simmer until carrots are soft
Stir in peanut butter and milk powder and simmer for 5 minutes
Serve with boiled rice or wholegrain bread

Recipe adapted from Flour Drum Stove Cookbook

This newsletter is produced every two months by the Department of Health to share stories, ideas and information amongst remote stores in the Northern Territory.  Contributions are welcome.  Please email tamie.needham@nt.gov.au