Latest News

Latrobe Local News:
Healthy diet leads to better mental health

A campaign for eating healthy diet to keep us in shape and avoid mental distress.

By news@gippsland - 19th March 2021 - Back to News

Eating healthily not only benefits your body but also your mental health. That’s the message of a new campaign aimed at young people in Latrobe City. The Fab Food, Marvellous Mood campaign is a project of the Latrobe City Youth Council.

Working together to improve food access and availability in our community

The campaign encourages young people to eat a diet rich in whole foods (fruits, vegetables and whole grains) and to eat less sugar, snack foods, take-away foods and high-energy foods and/or highly processed foods, to feel better mentally as well as physically.

"This is a valuable message to be spread to young people to help instil healthy habits for life, the message will be shared in the community by six playful food characters, a water bottle character and puns, with each character linked to a health benefit," Latrobe City Council Mayor, Cr Sharon Gibson said.

Promoting the health campaign

Latrobe City Council Mayor, Cr Sharon Gibson said, "The community will see promotional bus wraps on Latrobe Valley Bus Lines buses that travel throughout Latrobe City, as well as posters, magnets and stickers in the community, social media posts on Council’s Facebook page and t-shirts for events."

Promotional material will be displayed in Latrobe City venues including Latrobe Leisure centres, libraries, early learning centres, sporting grounds and more. Material will also be shared with schools and the wider community.

Council received funding from the Latrobe Health Assembly, through Food For All Latrobe Valley, to deliver the campaign which aligns with the Living Well Latrobe Municipal Health and Wellbeing Plan. Council also contributed funding and in-kind support.

Workshops to discuss food security solutions

The campaign came about after Food For All Latrobe Valley facilitated community consultation workshops discussing how food security solutions could be implemented locally. During these workshops, community members raised the issue of mental health as a barrier to people consuming a healthy diet and also a potential consequence of unhealthy diets over time.

"Research shows that healthy diets have been linked to reduced risk of experiencing depression and that unhealthy diets, such as those high in processed foods, are associated with increased depression and anxiety," Cr Gibson said.

Healthy eating helps avoid distress

In Latrobe City, 17% of people experience high or very high psychological distress, significantly higher than the Gippsland (14.3%) and Victorian state averages (12.6%). More than half of people in Latrobe City do not meet the guidelines for the consumption of fruit and vegetables.

"I am truly passionate about the Fab Food, Marvellous Mood project, as I know many people who suffer psychological distress and mental health issues. I want to help as many people as I can by spreading our message," Latrobe City Youth Council Mayor, Natasha Murcott said. The project will be launched at Morwell Recreation Reserve, Travers Street, Morwell on Thursday 18 March 2021.

Pictures from Latrobe City Council Facebook page.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

If you are the author of this story you can edit it by clicking here

• More Mental Health Support for Students in West Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley
  Access to the school-based mental health support for secondary students soon.
• New mental health jobs and support for the Latrobe Valley
  Postgraduate nurses for mental health scholarship being appreciated.
• Putting the Mental Health of Victorians First in Eastern Victoria
  Victorian Budget 2020/21 will include $868.6 million to ensure Victorians have the mental health support.
• National Mental Health Month Begins Today
  Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA) to raise awareness of Mental Health
• COVID lockdowns leave Victorian kids' mental health worse than any other state, study finds
  Lockdown effects on young Victorian’s mental health.
• Final report into broken mental health system delayed
  Mental health final report delayed.
• New VicHealth Funding Available
  $2.5 million in new funding to support local organisations to address the immediate health and wellbeing concerns of Victorians hardest hit by the impact coronavirus pandemic.
• Latrobe health ready for vaccine rollout
  People at high risk will be prioritised and be provided with safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.
• Youth Council Spreads Health Message
  Good Food for Mental Health project was identified to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for the Latrobe City population.
• Latrobe City Council calls for health improvements for Morwell
  City council’s call for action to improve and protect the community’s health.
• Lockdown triggers surge in demand for mental health support
  Victorian's plea to have their emotional and financial trauma to be prioritised by the government.
• Growing Gippsland’s Future Health Workforce
  $200,000 for a feasibility study for a Community Health Hub and Clinic at the Gippsland campus in Churchill.
• Better roads will save country lives
  Road safety and improvements should be prioritized to avoid accidents, even more fatalities.
• Vulnerable Victorians waiting days in hospital ED for mental health beds
  Government must prioritise processing and fixing Victoria’s mental health system.
• New Campaign Celebrates the Elderly
  Positive attitudes towards ageing and senior citizens in Latrobe City.
• Shocktober Campaign aims to help Save Lives in Regional Victoria
  Ambulance Victoria are encouraging communities to learn CPR and how to use an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED), everyday 18 Victorians suffer a cardiac arrest, this can happen to anyone anywhere at any time.