Infuse Issue 12 November 2020 | Page 36

"... integrating nutrition science with bushfoods and healing practices , delivering them in Aboriginal ways ."

Tell us about Wattleseed . What made you move in that direction ?
I had this vision of being able to work with and for communities , supporting them in selfdetermining their health , wellbeing , food systems and their foods . So with what I had learnt at university , I was able to reframe some of that in a way that ’ s more translatable , applicable , appropriate and relatable to the clients and communities that I work with and for . I ’ ve recently been able to put on another Aboriginal dietitian , and that has enabled me to spend more time on the development of some other unique programs that I ’ m working on .
That ’ s exciting , being able to support another dietitian . Tell us about some of these other programs .
We ’ re developing some programs integrating nutrition science with bushfoods and healing practices , delivering them in Aboriginal ways . I ’ ve also recently secured another contract to work in partnership with an organisation in developing a program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls in high school , integrating our traditional knowledge and science and gut health . The next few months are going to be so exciting ! I ’ ve taken leave from my PhD studies to focus more on this kind of community-based work .
Images courtesy of @ WattleseedNutrition
Let me know if I have the number correct , there ’ s about 20 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dietitians in Australia ? What can we do to support more young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to consider dietetics as a career ?
© Dietitian Connection 36 Infuse | November 2020