Internet dishes up quick and healthy recipes

Launching the Better Health Channel’s Healthy Recipes section, Dr Catford said the new website feature contained 160 recipes donated by 16 organisations including the National Heart Foundation, the Anti-Cancer Council and the Australian Institute of Sport.

There are recipes for 25 meal types ranging from stir fries and school lunches to pasta and desserts.

Recipes can also be chosen to meet dietary requirements such as high fibre, vegetarian or gluten free.

Dr Catford said the healthy recipes used a wide variety of foods and were easy-to-make for people with all levels of cooking experience.

‘These simple and delicious recipes will inspire people to ditch their takeaway menus and turn on the oven,’ Dr Catford said.

‘The Department of Human Services wants Victorians to lead healthier lives by eating less fat and more vegetables and fruit.

‘The free website is providing people with information to cook healthy food and an incentive to get into the kitchen instead of dialling high-fat takeaway.

‘It brings together the favourite recipes of food, sporting and health organisations—with each dish already a proven winner with tastebuds and waistlines.

‘Each recipe also takes less than half-an-hour to prepare so busy parents, students or full-time professionals will have the time to cook a meal.’

The website also provides a nutritional analysis of each recipe and lists the vegetables and fruit in season each month.

The Better Health Channel, funded and operated by the Department of Human Services, provides a wide range of information on health issues and services.

• To find the Healthy Recipes section on the Better Health Channel website visit www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au.