Culinary Medicine Cookshops

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.

Sundays are for reconnecting with the earth 🌱 Today’s project: building a new garden with five raised beds at my holiday...
16/11/2025

Sundays are for reconnecting with the earth 🌱 Today’s project: building a new garden with five raised beds at my holiday house – so I’m starting with hardy favourites that don’t mind a little neglect!

These are a few seedlings I picked up from the wonderful Castlecrag Association of Gardeners:
• Feverfew – a natural pest deterrent 🌼
• Society garlic – stunning as a low hedge and brilliant for infusing flavour in cooking
• Salvia purple – because every garden needs pollinator magic 🐝💜

You’ll also spot Purple Perilla and warragal greens (native spinach).

I’m especially excited about growing more edible weeds, herbs and native edibles. If you have suggestions for easy-care, edible, low-maintenance plants, I’d love to hear them! This garden won’t get daily TLC, so hardy heroes are welcome.

Anyone for dakos? 🇬🇷 This very traditional, humble Mediterranean meal is still adored across Greece – especially for lun...
15/11/2025

Anyone for dakos? 🇬🇷 This very traditional, humble Mediterranean meal is still adored across Greece – especially for lunch on a hot summer’s day.

Paximadia (twice-baked rusks) are the star of the dish. Traditionally, they were made to last for weeks without spoiling—perfect for shepherds on long journeys. To enjoy them today, simply sprinkle a little water to soften, then top with ripe chopped tomato and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Finish with a touch of feta (traditionally made from sheep and goat’s milk) and you have the Greek version of bruschetta!

This week I challenged one of my younger Greek-heritage patients to make paximadia with barley flour. Barley was more commonly used in traditional times and it’s a healthier choice than white wheat flour. You can incorporate it into all types of bread. Using barley, rye or even carob flour simply gives you a darker, richer rusk.

Don’t feel like baking your own? These days you can buy paximadia in many shapes and sizes at Mediterranean stores in Australia—imported directly from Greece. Perfect for a fast, light meal when you wander home from the beach… or simply don’t feel like cooking.

If you visit Greece, you’ll also find paximadia featured in what’s labelled a “Cretan salad” on menus – essentially a Greek salad boosted with hearty rusks. In my photo, the paximadia have been tossed through just tomato – another delicious way to serve them for a more substantial salad.

A delicious idea to tuck away for summer ☀️🍅😜

Anyone for banana blossom salad as a starter? 🌸🥗 The last time I enjoyed this refreshing dish was in Vietnam about 20 ye...
13/11/2025

Anyone for banana blossom salad as a starter? 🌸🥗 The last time I enjoyed this refreshing dish was in Vietnam about 20 years ago, but tonight’s version at Bay Hong on Oxford St, Sydney, was just as memorable. The salad was super fresh with the trademark herbs of Vietnamese cooking.

Their five-spice mock duck and spicy eggplant curry were also totally plant-based — perfect for vegans and anyone curious about modern Vietnamese cuisine.

If you’re looking for your next flavourful eating destination, this might be it! 🇻🇳✨

When you’ve been busy in the garden weeding on a hot day 🌿☀️ and need to whip up something light and quick for lunch, wh...
10/11/2025

When you’ve been busy in the garden weeding on a hot day 🌿☀️ and need to whip up something light and quick for lunch, what do you do?

There’s more than one right answer! A salad made from bits and pieces you have on hand (including fresh herbs) plus some protein always hits the spot 🥗 – and you can keep going without that post-lunch slump. I made this yesterday.

But have you considered protein that’s better for you and the planet? 🌏 Here I’ve used marinated, pan-fried tofu pieces (chewy like chicken) and peanuts for crunch. Just add a simple dressing and — "Bob’s your uncle"! 👌

There are many plant based protein options for you to discover so you can adopt more of a Planetary Health Diet (or flexitarian diet) if you’ve been meat focussed in the past. I was born in the "meat and wheat" belt in Croatia - so if it's possible for me to do, it's possible for almost everyone. You just need to give it a go and start the learning process!

Organic market haul 🥖🌾A regular stop for me — the Narrabeen Organic Markets. Today I stocked up on 10 loaves of my absol...
30/10/2025

Organic market haul 🥖🌾
A regular stop for me — the Narrabeen Organic Markets. Today I stocked up on 10 loaves of my absolute favourite bread: the spelt sourdough from Common Ground Bakery.

You just can’t find this kind of quality in supermarkets — you have to hunt down true artisan bakers! This beautiful loaf travels all the way from the Blue Mountains, NSW, and it’s worth every kilometre.

It’s hearty, delicious and packed with wholegrain goodness. I slice it thinly, freeze it for convenience, and enjoy two thin slices as my serve of whole grains for a meal when I need bread — filling, satisfying, and simply out of this world. 🌿💚

It was wonderful to see two of my Food as Medicine cookbooks displayed by Signs Publishing at the Frankfurt Book Fair th...
24/10/2025

It was wonderful to see two of my Food as Medicine cookbooks displayed by Signs Publishing at the Frankfurt Book Fair this past weekend 📚✨

It’s inspiring to know these evidence-based, plant-powered recipes are reaching readers around the world 🌿 — helping people cook for their best health, one meal at a time.

If you haven’t yet explored them, both Food as Medicine: Cooking for Your Best Health and Food as Medicine: Cooking to Prevent and Treat Diabetes are very beautiful and share practical ways to use everyday foods to prevent and better manage chronic disease. You can fall in love with healthy eating again ❤️
Borrow them from your local library or buy online and in good bookstores. 📖

Are there places you never tire of visiting? This is one of mine 💚The climb up Mt Tomaree in beautiful Port Stephens nev...
19/10/2025

Are there places you never tire of visiting? This is one of mine 💚

The climb up Mt Tomaree in beautiful Port Stephens never disappoints. The views are always spectacular — shifting in colour and mood with the light and the seasons.

It’s about a 30-minute walk up (and the same down) for those with moderate fitness. The path is paved, so it’s accessible — but make no mistake, you’ll still get a good cardiopulmonary workout 💪

This time, the water shimmered in shades of green near the shore, and there was even a paraglider floating above — my first time seeing that from the summit! (Can you spot him?) I’m still wondering where he launched from 🪂

If you ever visit this stunning part of New South Wales, make sure to climb Mt Tomaree. From the peak you’ll enjoy a 350-degree panorama, including Zenith Beach in this photo.
Who knows what you’ll see next time? 🌊🌿

🥗 Beautiful, plant-based breakfast! 🌿I enjoyed this colourful falafel bowl at SML Café in North Willoughby (Sydney) — pr...
18/10/2025

🥗 Beautiful, plant-based breakfast! 🌿

I enjoyed this colourful falafel bowl at SML Café in North Willoughby (Sydney) — proof that you don’t need processed meats (so harmful for health – think increased risks of diabetes, heart disease and cancer) to have a satisfying and nourishing start to your day.

This dish came with a ton of fresh avocado, a seasoned couscous salad with kale, cucumber, and even a touch of sauerkraut— delicious and beautifully balanced. 💚

I’d definitely have it again! It’s all about diversity in whole plant foods — and this one nails it.

✨ Feeling honoured and grateful! ✨I was thrilled to receive my Fellowship certificate from Dietitians Australia in the m...
17/10/2025

✨ Feeling honoured and grateful! ✨

I was thrilled to receive my Fellowship certificate from Dietitians Australia in the mail this week.

Fellowship is the highest honour bestowed by Dietitians Australia, recognising innovation, leadership and impact in our profession – now over 9400 members!

I was already a Fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, but since nutrition and dietetics has been my “bread n’ butter” throughout my professional career, being awarded a Fellowship by my peers at DA feels extra special. 💚

I’d also like to take this moment to celebrate my fellow newly appointed Fellows:
⭐ Dr Kim Faulkner-Hogg
⭐ Dr Merran Findlay
⭐ Karen Inge
⭐ Dr Kate Marsh
⭐ Professor Yasmine Probst
⭐ Evelyn Volders
⭐ Professor Karen Walton

You can read about their incredible achievements (and all previous Fellows — now just over 50 in total) here:
👉 https://dietitiansaustralia.org.au/about-us/celebrating-our-members/fellows-dietitians-australia

🌈 Vibrant vegies don’t just brighten your plate — they love your heart! 💚Eating vegetables with yellow, orange, red and ...
17/10/2025

🌈 Vibrant vegies don’t just brighten your plate — they love your heart! 💚

Eating vegetables with yellow, orange, red and blue-purple hues is linked with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and early death. 🌻🍅🥕💜

Carotenoid-rich foods like tomatoes, carrots, pumpkin and orange sweet potatoes are among the most studied. In fact, enjoying yellow-orange veg like carrot or pumpkin once or more daily has been tied to a 23% lower risk of heart disease and up to 60% lower risk of dying early from all cardiovascular diseases combined.

So yes, I get very excited when I see cafés celebrate vegies in such simple, beautiful and delicious ways — like this roasted pumpkin and beetroot at Kitchen by Mike (Sydney CBD). With food like this, one can truly live one’s best life. 🥗✨

Our beautiful Nicole has decided to retire — and we’ll certainly miss her! 💐Apart from her energetic personality, Nicole...
16/10/2025

Our beautiful Nicole has decided to retire — and we’ll certainly miss her! 💐

Apart from her energetic personality, Nicole has always been the picture of organisation, thoroughness and diligence — perfect qualities for a practice manager. Some of you may not know that Nicole began her career as an anaesthetic nurse in theatres, so it feels only fitting that her last official role is within a wellbeing clinic — helping people heal in a different way. 💛

To celebrate, we gathered for a lovely afternoon tea in her honour — complete with alcohol-free bubbly and a real homemade cake (it helps when one of your dietitians used to be a pastry chef! 🍰). Lots of dual qualifications here 😜🤣

Wishing you all the very best for your well-deserved retirement and travels, Nicole — you’ll always be part of our Nutrition & Wellbeing Clinic family. ✨

Weekend walks are medicine too! 🐾Weekends are the perfect time to top up your physical activity. Dogs aren’t just man’s ...
12/10/2025

Weekend walks are medicine too! 🐾
Weekends are the perfect time to top up your physical activity. Dogs aren’t just man’s best friend — they’re our best movement motivators! Many people will take their dog for a much-needed walk before they’d ever take themselves.

Louis the Labrador reminds me daily — two walks are non-negotiable! If you’re looking for extra motivation (and don’t mind an energetic breed), try an English Labrador Retriever. You’ll gain a walking partner, a loyal friend, and a source of the best bedtime cuddles. 💛🐶

Address

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

Telephone

(02) 9899 5208

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