Culinary Medicine Cookshops

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Culinary Medicine Cookshops

Join us at our award winning cookshops, an innovative way to improve your success with healthy eating and show you how to use food as medicine.

Each month we’ll inspire you to cook easy, delicious meals everyone can enjoy! Each month we'll inspire you to cook easy, delicious meals everyone can enjoy. See fresh ideas to get you back into the kitchen
Learn tips and tricks to save time and money
Enjoy tasting plates from entree through to dessert
Drop your cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar levels
Lose weight and improve your wellness

You'll learn how to use more seasonal and minimally processed foods lacking in most Australia diets. The cookshops are conducted by Sue Radd and her team of Accredited Practising Dietitians. You will experience a culinary adventure and receive medical nutrition advice as well.

25/03/2026

Need to dampen inflammation in your body? Ready to make food work harder for your health?

Join us in Sydney for a fun and informative evening on anti-inflammatory eating and discover how simple food choices can help calm chronic systemic inflammation - for you and your family. At this event Dr Sue Radd will explore what inflammation is, health problems fuelled by inflammation, anti- versus pro-inflammatory eating patterns, the central role of the gut microbiome, and why cooking methods matter too.

Across the evening, we’ll cook, taste and discuss plenty of delicious ideas you can easily repeat at home. After attending a previous cookshop, one attendee said “WOW, I'm diabetic and this will certainly really help me!”

You’ll learn which foods help dampen inflammation, which ones can fuel it, and how to prepare meals in ways that reduce the formation of pro-inflammatory chemicals. Expect practical take-home tips, vibrant flavours, and lots of tasting and discussion along the way.

Whether you come on your own, with a friend, or turn it into a date night and bring your partner, this is a wonderful chance to be inspired, learn something new, and enjoy a delicious evening out. People who have come to multiple cookshop events (on different topics) have consistently told us they’ve found this type of adult learning not only stimulating, but invaluable for their health. And everyone is welcome, including health professionals!

Delicious Anti-Inflammatory Eating: Fight Chronic Disease with Every Bite
21st April | 6–8 pm (Sydney)

Seats are limited, so don’t miss out. Call Susan on 02 9899 5208 to book your seat today.

23/03/2026

Inspiring the next generation of health professionals 👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️

I simply love lecturing to students. Last Friday was to our future Exercise Scientists and Exercise Physiologists at the University of Sydney, in the Susan Wakil Health Building.

We explored Food & Culture: Considerations for Practice in an immersive 2-hour session where students didn’t just learn - they experienced. From Mediterranean and Asian to African and Indigenous Australian food traditions, they were able to touch, smell and taste the foods that shape how people eat and live.

Because food is never just nutrients on a plate - it’s culture, identity and tradition.

Developing cultural awareness is essential for building trust in consultations and helping patients embrace healthier choices without losing the pride of their heritage.

We also touched on the powerful role of Lifestyle Medicine and the 6 pillars from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine - practical tools these future practitioners can use to support better long-term health outcomes in their patients. And students were encouraged to avail themselves of the Lifestyle Medicine overview course from the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine.

If we can equip students to integrate even simple, evidence-based nutrition advice into wholistic practice, the ripple effect on community health could be enormous.

It was so encouraging to see such engagement and curiosity in the room 🙌

22/03/2026

What do you contribute to community lunches? There’s something special about sharing food at potlucks, picnics or scout gatherings – simple dishes made with care, designed to nourish and bring people together.

You can’t go past a colourful Greek-style salad – fresh, vibrant and always a crowd favourite. This time, I also made a black-eyed bean salad inspired by my recipe in Food as Medicine: Cooking for Your Best Health, (p127), but with a twist: fresh organic basil from my garden 🌿 It adds a beautiful high note and lifts the whole dish. Black-eyed beans are not only yummy but quicker cooking (you don’t even have to soak them) and used in many countries ranging from Greece to Africa.

When catering for a crowd, I like to choose meals that travel well, look appetising, and satisfy. Glass or ceramic containers are my go-to, but when I need to dash, a simple disposable option has to do the job.

Good food doesn’t need to be complicated – just wholesome, colourful and made to share.

18/03/2026

Collecting a few free “props” with my assistant (who just wants to go swimming!) for my lecture this Friday 🌿

I’ll be speaking to Exercise Science and Exercise Physiology students at the University of Sydney on Food and Culture – Considerations for Practice.

Here’s a little hint… it won’t just be theory. It’s going to be experiential, exploring traditional diets that matter in real-world practice across multicultural Australia.

Because food is never just nutrients - it’s culture, identity and connection. And understanding that can change the way we support people to eat well for life.

14/03/2026

One of my favourite kitchen habits is repurposing leftovers.

Last weeks Cashew Nut Cream (usually destined for dessert) became this morning’s breakfast spread.

Super creamy. Naturally sweet.
And honestly — better than butter.

Instead of jam, I added very soft ripe fruit. It creates a rustic, naturally sweet topping that tastes far more vibrant than store-bought jam.

✨ Cashews bring healthy fats and plant protein
✨ Fruit adds fibre and natural sweetness
✨ And together… they make breakfast feel a little bit special

I love when a healthy dessert quietly becomes breakfast the next day.

That’s the beauty of real food in the kitchen — nothing wasted, everything enjoyed.

10/03/2026

Happy 50th Birthday Dietitians Australia! 🎉

How do dietitians celebrate a milestone like this?

With food, of course.

In this case, it was afternoon tea — shared with colleagues and friends who are passionate about improving health through good nutrition.

For 50 years, Dietitians Australia has supported dietitians across the country in translating nutrition science into practical advice that helps individuals, families and communities live healthier lives.

It’s a profession grounded in evidence — but also in people, culture and the joy of eating well.

Pictured are APDs Kate Marsh, Angela Saunders, Carol Zeuschner — and yours truly.

Congratulations to Dietitians Australia on five decades of leadership in nutrition and health. Here’s to the next 50 years of helping Australians make food work for their health.

09/03/2026

Wet weather calls for soup. 🌧️🥣

And you really can’t go wrong with a simple lentil soup.

My Brown Lentil Soup with Oregano (p210 in Food as Medicine: Cooking for Your Best Health) is inspired by traditional Greek cooking — humble ingredients, deeply satisfying flavour, and wonderful nourishment.

I often vary the herbs and spices just for fun. Sometimes oregano, sometimes allspice or Arabic seven spices. Today it’s a beautiful bunch of fresh lemon thyme from my garden. The tiny leaves fall off their stalks, which you fish out after cooking.

Apart from the comforting taste, it’s incredibly practical too:
• Ready in about 10 minutes in the pressure cooker
• Freezes perfectly for easy lunches
• Delivers 12 g of dietary fibre per serve

Simple food. Powerful nutrition.

What herbs would you add to your lentil soup? 🌿

06/03/2026

Weekends are a wonderful opportunity to move more and lift your average level of physical activity. 🌿

Will you embrace the outdoors this weekend and spend time in nature – or simply find ways to increase your step count?

Weather permitting, of course. Though I’ve been known to take an umbrella and head out anyway (unless it’s truly storming!).

Movement is even better in good company. A walk with friends combines two powerful pillars of lifestyle medicine: physical activity and social connection.

And sometimes it helps to have a guide – especially when exploring unfamiliar terrain. This photo was taken when I was walking through the Barbagia region of Sardinia, one of the world’s recognised Blue Zones of longevity.

Interestingly, not all of Sardinia is a Blue Zone. There are super luxurious area with the largest yachts I’ve ever seen! The designated area is rugged and mountainous (that’s why it was known as the land of the barbarians). What struck me most was that travelling between villages traditionally meant walking down one mountain and then up another. These days, people use a car. Daily life naturally involved a lot of incidental physical activity – alongside a traditional Mediterranean-style way of eating, of course.

It’s a beautiful reminder that longevity isn’t built in a gym - it’s often woven into the rhythm of everyday life.

What will you do this weekend that’s fun and helps you move more?

27/02/2026

People travel far and wide to attend our award-winning Food as Medicine cookshops — and I’m always inspired by the mix in the room.

Patients. Curious food lovers. Health professionals.
Learning side-by-side.

We learn.
We taste.
We discuss.
And we celebrate the real health wins that come when food works for the body, not against it.

This week we explored managing cardiometabolic risk — improving blood glucose and cholesterol naturally through everyday choices.

Our dessert? 💜
Queen Garnet plums (still in season in Sydney), rich in anthocyanins, creating that glorious purple sauce. A splash of rose water… because it just feels right.

You can make it too — the recipe is on p155 of Food as Medicine: Cooking to Prevent and Treat Diabetes. Borrow it from a library or find it where good books are sold.

I now run just five in-person cookshops each year — so they’re limited.

Our next event in April will focus on lowering chronic inflammation through powerful dietary patterns.

Perhaps it’s time you joined us.
Stay tuned 💚

22/02/2026

What you’re looking at isn’t eggs… it’s something far more traditional in many Mediterranean and Central European homes — polenta.

I grew up with polenta. Cooked simply with water and salt. Served soft like porridge. Sometimes with milk — or for a “richer version” topped with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, garlic and paprika, yoghurt or a little cottage cheese. Even sauerkraut to jazz it up!

This version was made by my cousin in Toowoomba. He actually grows his own corn 🌽, coarse-grinds it (the best way — instant polenta has a finer particle size and tends to raise blood glucose more quickly), and cooks it firm.

Zlatko eats his with:
🧅 Plenty of raw onion
🧀 A small sprinkle of goat’s cheese (rarely much other cheese)
🫒 Generous extra virgin olive oil to moisten everything (not to mention those polyphenols)

He made a massive pot for the whole family of visitors to enjoy for a Sunday breakfast. And enjoy we did. Thank you for taking us back to “old food” and our childhood. It was so delicious.

Polenta is made from maize (so it’s naturally gluten free) — and the yellow variety is rich in carotenoids, particularly zeaxanthin, which helps protect your eyes against macular degeneration.

Food that nourishes your body.
Food that protects your vision.
Food that connects generations.

How are you protecting your eyesight as you age? 👁️. About 1 in 7 Aussies over the age of 50 have some evidence of AMD!

If you’d like a simple place to start, try my Soft Yellow Polenta (p189) in Food as Medicine: Cooking for Your Best Health. Great also as a base for stews, tagines and red sauces.

20/02/2026

🦶 Did you know?

• Around half of all people with diabetes are at increased risk of neuropathy
• People with diabetes are up to 23 times more likely to have a leg, foot or toe amputation
• And yet — up to 85% of diabetes-related amputations are preventable with early identification and treatment

These aren’t just statistics.
They’re lives, families, futures.

That’s why I’m honoured to be part of The Limb Shift — a powerful new documentary podcast series coming this year from ABC journalist James O’Brien.

🎙️ The series explores what it really means to look after our limbs — especially if you’re living with type 2 diabetes.
It will be essential listening for:
✔️ People with diabetes
✔️ Anyone who has experienced an amputation
✔️ Family and friends
✔️ Health professionals working in this space

Early detection. Better wound care. Stronger metabolic health.
These conversations matter.

Stay tuned — I’ll share details when it goes live.

And thank you, James, for creating space for such an important discussion.

19/02/2026

What do I grab for a work lunch? 🥗 You asked.

Honestly… it varies. It depends what’s waiting in my fridge or freezer.

I lean heavily into my storage compartments for pre-prepared, healthy home meals. Future-me is always grateful to past-me. 😉

Today it’s fasolakia 🇬🇷 – a simple Greek vegetable dish.

Yep… no/little animal protein required as it’s easy to get enough across the day. This helps me avoid excess protein.

Why I love it for work lunches:
✔️ Pressure cooked in just 3 minutes
✔️ Supplies ~250g green beans per serve (before counting contribution of other veg!)
✔️ A true vegetable-only main meal – a powerful way to boost your weekly veg average
✔️ Stores beautifully for several days

Traditionally it’s finished with a sprinkling of feta (usually sheep or goat’s milk rather than cow’s milk based) or some olives. Feta is a fermented food – another tick for gut health. And yes… you can make a plant-based feta too, if you prefer. I sometimes make mine from almonds.

I always enjoy this dish with a slice of high-quality bread 🍞 Look at the colour and texture to give you a clue. And I finish with fruit in season – a traditional habit in many cultures. Modern research shows fruit helps dampen oxidative stress from meals, so it’s a good idea to include rather than exclude it.

Such a simple ritual helps me feel satisfied… and far less likely to crave biscuits or ice cream later. I can also last 5 hours before my next meal, helping me practise a form of traditional intermittent fasting – not eating between meals. Old wisdom. New science.

If you’ve never tried fasolakia (it’s not hard to pronounce!) why not learn a little Greek along the way? So next time you’re in a taverna in Greece, you can order it with confidence.

My recipe can be found in Food as Medicine: Cooking for Your Best Health (p133). For beginners, I’ve called it “Mediterranean Braised Green Beans with Tomato” – because versions of this dish are made right across the Mediterranean and fasolakia might not mean much – yet.

Simple meals.
Made fast.
Vegetables doing the heavy lifting. 🌿

What’s in your lunchbox today?

Address

Nutrition And Wellbeing Clinic @ Suite 10, 80 Cecil Avenue
Castle Hill, NSW
2154

Telephone

(02) 9899 5208

Website

http://www.nwbc.com.au/

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