Home – Sustainable Food Systems Toolkit – SFS in the National Nutrition and Dietetic Associations (NDAs) – Australia NDA SFS Projects (2)

Dietitians Australia (DA)

DA had 2 grants:

1 – PlanEATary Quest promotes planetary health, one bite at a time. 

The PlanEATary Quest encourages dietitians to choose their own adventure to modify your own diet-related practices in line with current evidence regarding planetary health outcomes. 

Visit the PlanEATary Quest Google site to take your own quest in 4 easy steps:

Step 1: Complete the quiz – Complete a 12-question PlanEATary Quiz to see where you’re kicking goals, and where you can improve.

Step 2: Design your Challenge – Select from over 100 tasks to design a challenge that will help you improve your score. We suggest choosing 3 – 10 tasks, focusing on the questions where you scored the lowest on the Quiz.

Step 3: Complete your Challenge – Time to get your hands dirty! Spend 2-3 weeks completing your chosen tasks. As you go, you may like to reflect on what helps or hinders your quest for planetary health.

Step 4: Repeat the Quiz – Repeat the PlanEATary Quiz to see whether you’ve improved your score and are interacting with our food system more sustainably.

This grant was managed by Dr Liza Barbour and Sandy Murray, both active members of Dietitians Australia’s Food and Environment Interest Group. They established a working group of 7 members and met monthly for the first 8 months of this project, during which time we reviewed the existing materials (the ‘Eco-Friendly Food Challenge) and, based on our expertise in the field, developed an updated, evidence-based version.

The PlanEATary Quest was piloted with a group of practising dietitians and health promotion practitioners (n = 47) from Sep–Nov with a group of 5 Master’s of Dietetics during their 8-week public health placement. They recruited PlanEATary Quest participants, monitored their level of engagement throughout the intervention, and followed up with a series of interviews and focus groups (n = 14). See the infographic of key findings from this pilot.

While their placement focused on more ‘process evaluation’, they will also be analysing and writing up further results for publication in 2024. A pilot with nutrition and dietetic students is planned for February – June 2024.

2 - Pathway to Planetary Health

DA developed information, education, and communication materials for the Pathway to Planetary Health (link to article). 

The process was led by member Kristen MacKenzie-Shalders, along with members of the Dietitians Australia Food and Environment Interest Group and others listed on the website. They aim to empower D-Ns to undertake pro-environmental change in their personal and professional lives and foster positive behaviour change through evidence-based education, information, and communication strategies.

The outputs include a user-friendly, professional PowerPoint slide deck and a 30-minute recorded webinar, with accompanying materials; a workshop; an online participatory webinar; and a case-study summary submitted to the Focus on Health Professional Education Journal.

The 6 dimentions of the pathway to planetary health.

Six dimensions form the positive change process. They all interact & people move within & between each. They are ALL important:

  • AGENCY – vision, self-belief, confidence, strength, and responsibility
  • ACTION – start, shift, translate, achieve, and commit
  • ACENSION – build, overcome, manage, challenge, and progress
  • ALIGNMENT – leadership, transparency, diplomacy, values, and systems
  • ALLIANCE & ALLYSHIP – support, collaborate, represent, community, and citizenship
  • ADVOCACY & ACTIVISM – disrupt, co-design, transform, empower, and urgency

Click through and look at the amazing artwork by artist Jessie Mordey of Zomered Style. Jessie is a First Nations woman and likes to create traditional symbolic images that connect strongly with her Torres Strait Islander Heritage. These images represent identity, Torres Strait Heritage, connection to ancestors, cultural storyline, community, and connection to natural elements.

The symbolism for each dimension is her interpretation of the dimension. For example:

  • For ACTION, the shark keeps moving forward and can adapt
  • The turtle in AGENCY includes stamina and survival with the sun for growth
  • The stars in ASCENSION act as a compass to guide Islanders home
  • The clamshell for ALIGNMENT symbolises direction and connection to self
  • For ALLIANCE & ALLYSHIP, the flower and plant represent peace, trust, relationship, and communication
  • The woven fish is meaningful for strength in bonding and moving together (ADVOCACY & ACTIVISM)