Optimum Intake Dietitians

10/12/2025

Mental health challenges can affect every aspect of daily life, from energy levels and concentration to mealtime routines and social participation. For people living with psychosocial disability or poor mental health, these challenges can make it harder to maintain nutrition, wellbeing, and independence.

At Optimum Intake Dietitians, we provide specialised NDIS dietitian support to help participants overcome barriers linked to mental health and nutrition. By addressing food, eating behaviours, and lifestyle challenges, our team empowers participants to improve health, functional capacity, and quality of life.

Read more from our blog post:

NDIS dietitians support participants with psychosocial disability and poor mental health. Learn how dietitians improve mood, energy, mealtime routines, and quality of life through personalised nutrition support.

05/12/2025

New fancy signage at our Broadmeadow office!

Making it even easier to locate us within the building 💫

Accessible with the internal lift.

05/12/2025

We had such a great day at the RSC event in Newcastle this week!

So many wonderful conversations, new connections, and familiar faces who already know and love the work we do at Myrtle Oak Clinic and Optimum Intake Dietitians.

A few themes kept coming up again and again…

💛 How our team supports people with a disability who are also navigating an eating disorder

👩‍👧 The growing need for paediatric support

🤝 The strength of having a large, collaborative team of dietitians—matching clients to the right clinician and offering whole-team support

🌏 How we help clients in rural and remote areas who have limited access to allied health

🍽️ Our commitment to making food enjoyable, social, and meaningful—especially as we head into the festive season

Feeling grateful for the opportunity to connect with providers who share our values and passion for quality, person-centred care.

30/11/2025

Optimum Intakes Paediatric Dietitian, Rachel and Myrtle Oak Clinics Clinical Psychologist Katherine featured on the Speech Pathology Australia Podcast ‘SpeakUpPod’ talking about ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) and PFD (Paediatric Feeding Disorder).

🎙️ In this week’s episode of the , we explore paediatric feeding and Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) with a multidisciplinary panel. Psychologist Dr Katherine Bartlett, dietitian Rachel Tutill, and speech pathologist Val Gent discuss collaborative supports, recent research, and resources for clinicians and families.

🎧 Listen now: https://bit.ly/3Xht09F

27/11/2025

Event Highlight! ✨
This week our dietitian Kaila presented on Osteoporosis and Menopause at the Arrowtex Information Evening and what an incredible turnout!

So many engaged nurse practitioners joined us, and the feedback was fantastic. The session was described as informative, relatable, and practical — exactly how we love to keep nutrition care.

Kaila shared simple, evidence-informed strategies to support women through menopause and protect long-term bone health. Our passion for quality nutrition care and making things real-world practical really shone through.

A huge thank you to Arrowtex for having us and to everyone who came along with curiosity and enthusiasm
Supporting women’s health through every stage is at the heart of what we do.

18/11/2025

This week we had the privilege of joining Speech Pathology Australia for a powerful multidisciplinary discussion on Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and Paediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD) — two areas where collaboration truly transforms care for children and families.
Representing Optimum Intake Dietitians, our Paediatric Dietitian & Clinics Team Leader Rachel Tutil shared insights from the dietetic perspective, while Dr Katherine Bartlett, Clinical Psychologist & Psychology Team Leader at Myrtle Oak Clinic, brought her expertise on the therapeutic and family-centred components of feeding support.

We were honoured to present alongside:
🗣️ Val Gent – Speech Pathologist, Let Eat Feeding
🗣️ Nadia – Speech Pathology Australia

Together, we explored what truly makes multidisciplinary care effective — shared language, shared goals, and shared compassion.

🎙️ Episode coming soon!

Stay tuned for the release — it’s one you won’t want to miss if you work in paediatrics, feeding, or family-centred healthcare

06/11/2025

Our Disability Nutrition Team Leader Jane and Adult Disability Dietitian Isabelle had a great day at the Ready Set Connect NDIS Expo in Gosford today!

They chatted about different ways people can access our dietitian services (not just through NDIS!), how we support clients who feel anxious about seeing a dietitian, and the many ways we help people living with disability achieve their nutrition goals.

We’ve also developed a new handout showing all the ways you can access our services — because good nutrition support should be easy to reach and tailored to you.

Thanks to everyone who came by our booth — we loved connecting with you!

17/10/2025

Let’s be honest, nobody enjoys talking about poo. But bowel health affects almost every part of our lives.

We’ve all had those moments when our tummy doesn’t agree with us—maybe from something we ate or a stomach bug and suddenly, our whole day changes. We might:

Skip a morning walk

Take a sick day from school or work

Avoid shops or social events in case of a bathroom emergency

Change what we eat to try and settle symptoms

For some people, though, this isn’t an occasional issue, it’s an everyday reality. And when constipation, diarrhoea, or other bowel changes become ongoing, they can seriously impact health, independence, and quality of life.

read more here in our latest blog post

Constipation, diarrhoea, and gut issues are common for people with disability. Learn how NDIS dietitians at Optimum Intake support bowel management to improve health, independence, and quality of life.

14/10/2025

Our Aged Care and Disability Dietitian Team Leaders (Holly & Jane) are representing Optimum Intake Dietitians at the Aged and Disability Expo in Newcastle today!

It’s always great when our teams cross paths and collaborate — bringing together diverse knowledge across different service areas, funding programs, and nutritional support needs. The breadth of work we do reflects the reach we’ve built in our community and the many people and health conditions we’re proud to support.

Events like this are also a wonderful chance to connect with other allied health professionals who share our passion for supporting community members — whether at home or in clinic spaces — with wraparound, person-centred care.

We’re looking forward to a great day meeting exhibitors, community members, and future collaborators! ✨

14/10/2025

Meet our Sports Dietitian - Sarah!

Sarah brings both personal and professional experience to her work as a sports dietitian at Optimum Intake.

Growing up as a competitive swimmer, she’s continued her love of sport through triathlons, running events, netball, and strength training. Sarah believes the best results come from understanding your unique needs and designing a plan that leaves you feeling strong, energised, and ready to perform.

She works with athletes of all levels, delivering evidence-based, practical nutrition strategies that fit real life.

Credentials
Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) – Dietitians Australia
Sports Dietitian – Sports Dietitians Australia (SDA)

Sarah is ready to help you take your performance to the next level – whether you’re training for your first event or striving for your personal best.

https://www.optimumintake.com.au/services/sports-nutrition/

10/10/2025

Building Connections

Strong partnerships mean better care. 💜

We value every referrer who trusts us to help clients with complex nutrition needs — together, we make a difference.

08/10/2025

✨ “Priceless peace of mind” ✨

We’re here to guide, support, and walk alongside clients as they navigate their diagnosis.

From menu planning to practical adjustments and alternatives, our dietitians help make nutrition feel doable, personal, and empowering. 💜