Directory of Nutrition Resources for CALD Communities

• SBS Cultural Atlas
  provides detailed information about the cultural and religious backgrounds of Australia’s migrant populations. A Glossary provides a range of definitions and explanations. The aim of the atlas is to improve social cohesion and promote inclusion.
   
• Developing health resources for people from refugee backgrounds - Best practice guide for NSW Health Staff.
  A practical guide outlining issues to consider when designing resources for a variety of media for refugee communities.
   
• Cultural Profiles (2011)
  provides cultural profiles of multicultural population groups. 

Some food beliefs and practices are based on religion. Some religious groups avoid various foods or food groups, fast, or prepare food according to strict guidelines, although dietary practices vary widely among those who practice the same faith. 

• The religion of Islam, practiced by Muslims, observes dietary laws which define foods as Halal (lawful or permitted) and Haram (not permitted). Muslims also celebrate the holy month of Ramadan. The date varies each year depending on the phase of the moon. During Ramadan, Muslims around the world fast from sunrise to sunset.
• Many Buddhists are vegetarian although in some countries fish and/or meat is eaten. 
• Meat is not prohibited for Hindus but they do not eat beef.
• Kosher foods comply with the Jewish dietary rules known as Kashrut which describe which foods to eat, how to prepare them, and how to combine them. Jews avoid pork and shellfish.
• Some Christians do not eat meat on Fridays and may avoid certain foods during the period of Lent, the period leading up to Easter.
• Seventh-Day Adventists follow a strict lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, with no meat, fish, poultry, alcohol, tobacco or caffeine.

Food requirements for selected religions

Additional information

• Halal Food Guide
• Ramadan - SBS Podcast
• Ramadan - Smart Traveller
• Faith and Food- A Guide to Religious Dietary Requirements

• The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating handout (includes serve information):
  A two-page handout showing the five food groups and standard serve sizes recommended each day for adults and children. Available in English, Arabic, Khmer, Dari, Hindi, Punjabi, Korean, Filipino, Tamil, Turkish and Vietnamese.
   
• Healthy eating video:
  A 10-minute healthy eating video available in Arabic, Italian, Greek, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese and English which describes the five food groups, serve sizes and recommended number of daily serves, plus healthy cooking methods. This resource may also be beneficial for those living with diabetes.
   
• Healthy living in Australia booklet:
  A 44-page booklet about how to eat well, maintain good bowel health, healthy teeth and the importance of physical activity. Available in English, Arabic, Chin Hakha, Chinese, Dari and Karen.

See also resources in the Diabetes section.

• Eat more vegetables and fruit infographic:
  Pictures of serve sizes, recommended number of serves for different ages and tips to encourage children to eat more vegetables and fruit. Available in English, Arabic, Farsi, Korean, Chinese, Hindi and Tamil. 
   

• Fruit and Vegetable booklet:
  A - Z lists of fruit and vegetables commonly found in Australia with information about how to select, store, use, cook and serve them. Includes Seasonal Guide for Western Australia. In English only.

• Vegetable guide:
  A four-page resource with pictures of vegetables and a seasonal availability guide.

• Fruit guide:
  A four-page resource with pictures of vegetables and a seasonal availability guide. 

• Buying fruit and vegetables in Australia:
  A two-page handout with photos showing how to buy fruit and vegetables - by weight, by item or by pack - plus notes about dried and canned fruit and vegetables. Available in English, Amharic, Arabic, Somali and Tigrinya.

• Preparing vegetables:
  A 12-page document of vegetable photos with symbols showing suitable cooking methods - steaming, baking, grilling, microwaving, boiling and stir frying.

• Cooking vegetables:
  A one-page handout to accompany the ‘Preparing vegetables’ document. Photos of cooking methods - steaming, grilling, boiling, baking, microwaving and stir-frying. Available in English, Amharic, and Arabic.

• Preparing fruit:
  A six-page document with photos of fruit and how to prepare each type for eating. Available in English and Amharic.

• Healthy drinks video:
  A simple 3-minute video that provides important messages including water in Australia is safe to drink, choose water over unhealthy drinks (such as sugar-sweetened drinks) and how much to drink each day based on age and gender. In clear and simple English.
   
• Healthy drinks handout:
  A one-page handout with pictures of healthier drinks to choose regularly and less healthy drinks to have occasionally. Available in Amharic, Arabic, Dari, Dinka, Farsi, French, Karen, Kirundi, Kurmanji, Somali, Sorani, Swahili, Tigrinya and English. Some are available with audio.

• Planning healthy meals video:
  In this 7-minute video, a family plan their weekly food shopping. They prepare a shopping list while talking about the five food groups for healthy eating. Available in Arabic, Dari, Tibetan, Karen and English.
   
• Shopping for healthy food video:
  One of a series of culturally appropriate, multilingual education videos promoting healthy eating for newly-arrived refugee and migrant communities. In this 7-minute video, a family go shopping at a supermarket for healthy food items including fresh, tinned, frozen, and packaged foods and read a nutrition information panel. Alternatives to supermarkets are mentioned and the five food groups are summarised. Filmed in Arabic and available in English, Dari, Tibetan and Karen.
   
• Shop smart booklet:
  A 15-page A5 booklet that may be appropriate for those becoming familiar with the English language. Information includes reading a food label, how to save money at the supermarket, how to use the Health Star Rating and the cost of healthy versus processed food.
   
• QLD Health Multicultural Health: Nourishing new communities - healthy food in the first seven days:
  Menu plans, meal ideas and shopping lists to assist in the settlement of newly-arrived families from Burundi/Rwanda/Congo, Eritrean/Ethiopian, Karen-Burmese, Middle-Eastern, Sierra Leonean/ Liberian and Sudanese. Also available is a Food and Kitchen Safety education module.

• How to read a food label handout
  A simple summary about reading a food label, including a downloadable Shoppers Guide. Available in English.
   
• Demystifying food labels handout 
  A detailed analysis of a food label. Available in English. 

• Fair food directory – multicultural grocers 
  A directory of multicultural grocers who sell traditional foods in the Illawarra.
   
• Food Fairness Illawarra:
  This website also has directories for local food, community gardens and free and low-cost meals.

• The Macedonian cookbook:
  This cookbook is a compilation of healthy Macedonian recipes from people in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. Each recipe is written in English, translated to Macedonian and includes pictures.
   
• Healthy and tasty challenge recipe competition cookbook in 6 languages:
  Each file contains illustrated recipes written in English and translated on the same page. Recipes include serving ideas and some key nutrition information in an easy-to-understand style. Available in Chinese (Cantonese & Mandarin), Filipino, Italian, Samoan and Sri Lankan (Sinhalese & Tamil).

• Making food safe to eat video:
  A 10-minute video showing a family learning about safe food practices to prevent food poisoning. Filmed in Tibetan and available in Arabic, Dari, Karen and English.
   
• Keeping food safe video:
  A 10-minute video describing basic food safety steps. It is designed for people migrating to Australia from countries where English is not the spoken language, especially those who do not have experience in food preparation. It uses a simple English and pictorial format.
   
• Safe food, safe kitchens handout:
  A one-page resource about food safety and storage using pictures of a fridge and freezer to show where and for how long different foods should be stored. Translated into Amharic, Arabic, Dari, Farsi, French, Karen, Kirundi, Kurmanji, Somali, Sorani, Swahili, Tigrinya plus English and an audio file in Dinka.
   
• Keeping food safe handout:
  A two-page pictorial resource showing basic food safety guidelines including how to store food in the fridge and freezer, use by dates, storing leftovers and thawing foods safely.

• Healthy lunches video:
  An 8-minute video which covers the cost, convenience and nutrition of meals prepared at home compared to meals purchased outside the home. The importance of regular physical activity, vitamin D and water as a healthy drink are discussed. Filmed in Dari and available in Karen, Tibetan, Arabic and English.
   
• Healthy family routines video:
  This 8-minute video shows a family making changes to their routine and snack food choices to ensure the children get enough sleep and can concentrate at school. Filmed in Karen and available in Arabic, Dari, Tibetan and English.
   
• Food for school video:
  The videos are 2 to 3 minutes long and explain how and why to pack a healthy lunchbox in clear and simple English. A two-page handout provides a summary of the videos in pictures and simple English.
  • Video: Sam’s lunchbox 
  • Video: How to make a school lunchbox
  • Video: How to make a healthy sandwich
  • Handout: Food for school
     
• Healthy Lunchbox website:
  Developed by the Cancer Council NSW. This website contains an interactive online lunchbox, examples of lunchboxes, and ideas for snacks, sandwich fillings, healthy swaps and recipes. In English only.
   
• Healthy Lunchbox handouts:
  • Healthy lunchbox translated fact sheets: A two-page handout with a six-step guide to healthy lunchboxes. Available in English, Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Hindi, Tagalog, Spanish, Korean, Italian and Vietnamese.
  • Lunchbox flyer: A two-page handout in English with minimal text and clear pictures of healthy lunchbox options
  • Healthy lunchbox poster: A one-page poster in English. Minimal text and pictures showing examples of healthy choices from each food group.
  • Amharic healthy school lunches: A four-page handout in Amharic.
  • Dari healthy school lunches: A four-page handout in Dari
  • Farsi healthy school lunches: A four-page handout in Farsi
     
• Healthy swaps handout:
  A one-page handout with pictures of healthier swaps for unhealthy snacks. Minimal text and the key messages are in picture format which makes it easy to understand.
   
• Healthy snacks handout:
  A simple handout showing pictures of healthy snack options. Minimal text in English with the key messages in pictures.
   
• SWAP IT: 
  Simple poster with 5 steps to a healthy lunchbox. Available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Hindi and Nepali. 
   

Pregnancy

• Healthy eating for pregnancy handout:
  A one-page handout translated into Arabic, Hakha Chin, Chinese (Simplified), Dari, Dinka, Karen, Persian, Swahili, Tamil, Vietnamese plus English. The resource shows foods that are important to eat during pregnancy, and those to avoid, in pictures and simple words.

Breastfeeding

• Breastfeeding in Australia video:
  A 6-minute animated video about breastfeeding in simple English. It is designed for people who are newly arrived in Australia who are learning English.
   
• Breastfeeding Confidence Booklet:
  A 24-page booklet of breastfeeding essentials. Topics include the benefits of breastfeeding, positioning and attachment, milk supply, common issues, expressing and storing breastmilk, going out, returning to work, the role of partners, and where to get support. Available in English, Vietnamese, Amharic, Arabic, Assyrian, Burmese, Chinese, Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Farsi, Hindi, Karen and Tamil.
   
• Breastfeeding and Childcare
  Explains the rights of mums and babies about breastfeeding and early childhood education and care centres. It is a free downloadable pamphlet available in English, Tamil, Croatian, Vietnamese, Hindi, Farsi, Dinka, Chinese, Arabic, Amharic, Burmese and Assyrian.

• Breastfeeding Basics Video
  Approx 15 minutes long and provides information about the early days and weeks of breastfeeding. It is available in English, Arabic and Simplified Chinese.

• How Breastfeeding Works booklet series
  Available for health professional, hospitals, health centres and other services that support breastfeeding mothers. The 40-page booklets cover 9 topics with simple text and illustrations. An English version is included side-by-side with the translated versions. Languages include Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Nepali, Bengali, Korean, Vietnamese, Karen/Burmese, Turkish, Spanish, Tibetan, Punjabi and Urdu.

• Gestational Diabetes factsheets and videos:
  Factsheets and short videos (6-7 minutes) from Diabetes Australia. Available in Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin, Mongolian, Nepali, Rohingyu, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese.
   
• Breastfeeding in Australia videos and factsheets:
  A series of videos and factsheets in simple English about breastfeeding and infant feeding. Developed by Queensland Health in partnership with African women in Brisbane. Contact details need to be modified for local use. 

Preparing infant formula

Breastmilk is the ideal food for infants. It is safe, clean and contains antibodies which help protect against many common childhood illnesses. Breastmilk provides all the energy and nutrients that an infant needs for the first months of life, and it continues to provide a significant proportion of a child’s nutritional needs after solid foods are introduced. Infant formula is the best alternative if breastfeeding is discontinued.

• Preparing and feeding infant formula handouts:
  A 6-page brochure about preparing and feeding infant formula to a baby. Available in English with the option to choose other languages from the drop-down menu - Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, Malay, Spanish, Tagalog, Turkish, Vietnamese.
   
• Preparing formula and sterilising bottles:
  A 3-page document in English, Bengali, Indonesian, Mongolian, Nepali and Thai with details about cleaning and sterilisation of bottles, preparing formula and tips for feeding to infant. Words only, no illustrations.
   
• Preparing and feeding infant formula webpage:
  A webpage in English with step-by-step illustrations and the option to download a printed version. Covers cleaning and sterilising bottles, preparing formula and getting the bottle ready for feeding.

• Starting solid foods videos and factsheets:
  A variety of videos and factsheets in simple English about introducing solid foods including a factsheet on iron-rich foods. Developed by Queensland Health in partnership with African women in Brisbane. Contact details need to be modified for local use.

• Baby’s foods 0-12 month Flipchart:
  A 12-page booklet explaining foods and fluids for babies from birth to 12 months. Only available in English. Text is simple and illustrated with photos. Content includes: signs that baby is ready for solids, how much and which food to provide, preparation guide - including texture changes, appropriate drinks, foods to avoid, food safety and a Frequently Asked Questions section.
   
• Baby’s First Foods:
  A 9-page factsheet covers signs that baby is ready for solids, which fluids and foods to provide, foods to avoid, drinking from a cup, dental care, choking and allergies. Available in English, Arabic, Burmese, Chin-Hakha, Dari, Farsi, Hazaragi, Karen, Simplified Chinese, Tamil, Ukrainian, Vietnamese. Each language factsheet includes the English version.
   
• Introducing solid foods website and factsheet:
  Shows first foods and homemade baby foods with photos, text in English only. 
   
• Factsheets on a variety of healthy eating and physical activity topics:
  English only. Some pictorial factsheets about Feeding 1-year olds; Feeding 2- and 3-year-olds, Feeding 4- to 8-year-olds, Breakfast Ideas, Lunch and Dinner Ideas, Snack Ideas. 

• The importance of a healthy diet video:
  The 3-minute Healthy Mouth - Something to Smile About video provides culturally and linguistically appropriate oral health information, targeting newly-arrived refugees and others of migrant background in NSW. The video also covers the importance of a healthy diet. Available in Arabic, Urdu, Dari, Karen, Nepalese, Tamil and English.
   
• Teeth brushing technique video:
  A sub-titled two-minute video for children. Tash and her puppet friend Chomper demonstrate how to brush teeth correctly. Available in English, Arabic, Dari, Punjab, Burmese, Mandarin, Assyrian, Persian, Sinhalese and Vietnamese.

• Teeth brushing and flossing factsheets and stickers:
  Factsheets available in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Samoan, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Torres Strait Creole. Stickers available in English, Arabic, Burmese, Dari, Farsi, Karen, Nepali, Somali, Swahili, Tamil, Tigrinya and Vietnamese. 

• My first dental visit booklet:
  Photos and simple words explaining what happens at a dental check-up. Final pages have information about Victorian dental services that would need to be edited for other states. Available in English, Arabic and Farsi. 

• Oral health factsheets:
  An extensive range of other oral health factsheets are available in variety of languages. Not all topics available in each language.

• Diabetes Victoria pictorial booklet:
  Pictorial guides have been developed with community input and include culturally-relevant pictures and tips for staying healthy. Pictorial guides are available in English, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Greek, Italian, Indian, Karen and Vietnamese. Guides use simple text and pictures. Healthy eating, exercise and other diabetes-related topics are included. 
   
• Diabetes Australia pictorial booklets:
  24-page booklets in English, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Vietnamese about healthy eating with pictures of foods and serve sizes. 
   
• Diabetes Victoria Multilingual Healthy Eating Guide videos:
  Ten-minute videos discuss the five food groups, serve sizes and number, examples of meals and other information. Available in Vietnamese, Italian, English, Arabic, Mandarin and Greek.  
   
• National Diabetes Services Scheme - Factsheets and videos:
  Diabetes information in 23 languages. Topics vary in each language. Some examples: Healthy Cooking, Glycaemic Index, Carbohydrate Counting, Gestational Diabetes, Blood Glucose Monitoring, Driving, Treating hypoglycemia, Complications and What to do in hot weather or a natural disaster.

Coeliac Disease

• Coeliac Disease factsheets:
  Plain English fact sheet plus more detailed fact sheets in Arabic, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Farsi, Spanish, Tamil and Turkish outlining symptoms and diagnostic process; culturally-appropriate gluten-free diet guidelines, foods and recipe information. Each language fact sheet has a corresponding version in English. 

Vitamin D

• Vitamin D factsheet:
  Basic, clear information about Vitamin D available in English, Arabic and Dari.

Calcium

• Calcium factsheet:
  Basic, clear information about Calcium available in English, Arabic and Dari.

Iron and Anaemia

• Iron-deficiency Anaemia factsheet:
  A two-page handout in simple English explaining the causes and treatment for iron-deficiency anemia. Developed by ASeTTs in 2003. 
   

• Iron and iron deficiency factsheet:
  A one-page handout by SA Health with a focus on treatments for low iron. Available in English, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Dari, Farsi, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Swahili, Turkish, Burmese, Croatian, Dinka, Greek, Indonesian, Khmer, Punjabi, Tamil and Vietnamese.

• Iron factsheet:
  Basic, clear information about Iron available in English, Arabic and Dari.

• Introducing common allergy causing foods:
  Five-minute videos in Burmese, Hakha Chin, Hazaragi and Karen. 
  Factsheets available in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Dinka, French, Hindi, Mongolian, Nuer, Punjabi, Somali, Swahili, Tigrinya and Vietnamese.
   
• Food ideas for babies around 6 months; 7-9 months; 10-12 months and toddlers.
  Factsheets available in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Dinka, French, Hindi, Mongolian, Nuer, Punjabi, Somali, Swahili, Tigrinya and Vietnamese.
   
• Treatment and prevention of Eczema:
  Videos in Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Tagalog ad Vietnamese. Factsheets in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Dinka, French, Hindi, Mongolian, Nuer, Oromo, Punjabi, Somali, Swahili, Tigrinya and Vietnamese.

• Community Education Flipchart (Cancer Institute NSW)
  Supports health and community educators who work with multicultural communities to discuss cancer prevention and healthy living. A Facilitator Manual is available in English and the flipchart is available in English, Arabic, Assyrian, Bengali, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Dari, Dinka, Filipino, Korean, Macedonian, Mongolian, Nepali, Samoan, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Ukrainian, Urdu and Vietnamese.
   
• Bowel health and screening educational resources (Cancer Institute NSW)
  Explains how bowel cancer develops, risk factors, signs and symptoms and the importance of regular bowel screening tests.  Resources include a Facilitator Manual in English and a flipchart in English, Arabic, Assyrian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Farsi, Greek, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Lao, Macedonian, Punjabi, Spanish, Tibetan and Vietnamese.
   
• Cervical screening (Cancer Institute NSW)
  Provides information about cervical cancer and cervical screening. The Facilitator Manual is available in English and the flipchart is available in English, Arabic, Assyrian, Bengali, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Dari, Farsi, Khmer, Korean, Nepali, Spanish, Thai, Tibetan, Turkish and Vietnamese.
   
• Breast health and screening education resources (Cancer Institute NSW)
  Provides information about breast cancer and breast cancer screening. The Facilitator Manual is available in English and the flipchart is available in English, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Greek, Italian, Korean, Spanish, Tibetan and Vietnamese.

• A range of presentations from Queensland Health for teachers to promote healthy eating and explain Australian food. Email healthynewcommunities@health.qld.gov.au for copies of the presentations. Topics include:
  • Healthy food and drinks in Australia (1 hour)
  • Vegetables in Australia (1 hour). Why we should eat more vegetables and the differences between Australian vegetables and those grown in other countries.
  • Vitamin and mineral tablets: When should we take them? (30 Minutes)
  • Food gardening and support materials (1 hour).
  • How to grow vegetables at home including tips about climate, pests and what to know if you are renting a house or unit.
     
• A presentation developed by Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District about the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, reading food labels, healthy lunchboxes and Vitamin D. Pictures and simple English. Email ISLHD-HealthPromotion@health.nsw.gov.au for a copy.
   
• Women’s Health Presentations
  A series of eight PowerPoint presentations in English, Arabic, Burmese, Simplified Chinese, Dari, Farsi, Hindi, Karen, Nuer, Somali, Swahili, Tamil, Thai, Tibetan and Vietnamese.
  • Health checks
  • Good Food for good health (includes five food groups, calcium, lunch boxes)
  • Move More Sit Less
  • Feeling good
  • Vitamin D
  • Menopause and health
  • Sexual health and healthy relationships
  • Periods

• Raising Children Network translated resources:
  Articles, videos and picture guides from the Raising Children Network website have been translated in a number of languages. Topics include child health, daily care, healthy eating, sleep and disabilities.
  Languages include Arabic, Auslan, Burmese, Cantonese, Dari, Dinka, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Indonesian, Karen, Korean, Mandarin, Nuer, Persian, Simplified Chinese, Sudanese Arabic, Swahili, Tamil, Turkish and Vietnamese. Topics vary in each language.
   
• Health Translations - Victorian Government:
  A free online library of links to high-quality translated Australian health and wellbeing information for health professionals and people who work with culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
   
• Multicultural Health Communication Service - NSW Health:
  A library of health resources, with topics including breastfeeding, diabetes, healthy eating, infant nutrition, nutrition and oral health. Resources can be searched by language or topic.
   
• Refugee Health Network Queensland:
  Links to resources from a number of organisations. Topics include allergy & anaphylaxis, breastfeeding and children’s nutrition, nutrition & hygiene and Vitamin D deficiency.
   
• Multicultural resources for dietitians:
  Fact sheets, patient resources and consultation guides developed with local communities to help dietitians provide culturally appropriate care. Available for Afghan, Burmese, Chinese, Congolese, Indian, Maori, Samoan, Somali, Syrian and Tongan communities.
   
• Global Health Media:
  An extensive range of videos showing practical step-by-step information for health workers on a variety of subjects including childbirth, first aid, medical procedures and nutrition topics such as breastfeeding, diabetes, healthy eating and feeding babies and children.