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What you can expect from our recipes
All our recipes are:

• Tasty
• Quick and easy to prepare, with clear instructions
• Moderate to low in sugar and low in salt
• Suitable for use by people who have diabetes
• Usually made with easy-to-find, inexpensive ingredients.

• Fat content - recipes should be low in fat: 15g fat per 100g for a main meal is the maximum. However, each recipe is evaluated for its merit. For example, a recipe that is high in calcium may be included even if it has a slightly higher fat content.
• Mono-unsaturated or polyunsaturated fats - these should be used instead of saturated fats. Spreads like margarine should be used in place of butter.
• Oils - recipes should use olive oil, canola oil or peanut oil.
• Dairy products - these should be reduced or low fat (contain 2% fat or less).
• Cooking methods - low fat cooking methods are favoured: for example, grilling and baking instead of deep-frying.
• Vegetable content - every main dish should include a vegetable as one of its ingredients. For example, grated zucchini can be added to a meat loaf.
• Fibre content - all recipes should be high in fibre where possible. Where appropriate, fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots should be washed and not have their skin removed (by peeling or scraping).
• Wholegrain foods - recipes use wholegrain foods such as brown rice and wholemeal flour whenever possible.
• Essential nutrients - our recipes aim to promote consumption of essential nutrients like calcium, folate and iron.
• Salt and sugar - use of sugar, salt or other ingredients containing salt (like soy sauce) is limited.
• Food variety - our recipes promote the consumption of a wide variety of foods.
• Desserts - all deserts should be based on reduced fat dairy products or fruit.

• Meal types - for example breakfast, lunch, dinner, special occasions, snacks and finger foods
• Cultures - for example Australian, Asian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and European
• Cooking styles - stir fry, oven bake, no cook etc.
• Seasons - summer, winter, spring and autumn
• Age groups - children, adults, elderly etc.

• High calcium - 200mg or more per serve (25% of RDI)
• High fibre - 7g or more per serve
• High folate - 50mg or more per serve (25% of RDI)
• High iron - 3mg or more per serve (25% of RDI).

• Low salt - less than 120mg per 100g
• Low fat - less than 3g per 100g.

• Dairy free - no ingredient contains milk, lactose or milk protein.
• Egg free - no ingredient contains egg or egg products.
• Gluten free - no ingredient contains gluten.
• Nut free - no ingredient contains nuts or nut products. This also includes sesame seeds and sesame products.
• High energy - these recipes may contain more than 15% energy from fat. However, they have a disclaimer that the recipe is only suitable for people with high-energy needs.
• Easy to swallow - these recipes are made with soft, smooth textured foods that make it easier for people with swallowing difficulties.
• Vegetarian - these recipes contain no meat or fish, but they do contain a suitable source of protein, for example legumes, dairy foods and eggs.

• Low sugar - we don't have a 'low sugar' or 'diabetes' category in the menu options because all our recipes are moderate to low in sugar and should be suitable for most people with diabetes.
• GI values - while it's possible to calculate the glycaemic index (GI) of many foods, it's not possible at this stage to do so for our recipes as cooking foods changes their GI. However, we'll investigate whether we can find a source of low GI recipes in the future.

• Create a shopping list - select any number of recipes, click on the shopping list button and our shopping lists will add up common ingredients for your list.
• Print a recipe - this will produce an attractively formatted version of the recipe for you.
• What's in season - you can select a fruit or vegetable from our list and we'll generate a list of recipes, which contain that ingredient.

• Provided by reputable health organisations
• Approved by leading nutritionists.

• Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods
• Eat plenty of legumes, vegetables and fruits
• Eat plenty of cereals, preferably wholegrain
• Include lean meat, fish and poultry and/or alternatives
• Include milk, yoghurt, cheeses or alternatives
• Drink plenty of water
• Limit saturated fat and moderate total fat intake
• Choose foods low in salt
• Limit alcohol intake (if you choose to drink)
• Consume only moderate amounts of sugar and foods containing sugar
• Prevent weight gain
• Care for your food.

• DoH Public Health Nutrition - Public Health Nutrition in the Department of Health (DoH) aims to ensure that all Victorians can access and enjoy food that is safe, affordable, varied and nutritious.
• DHS Disability Services, Nutrition Unit - This Unit aims to assist people with a disability to get information about food that meets their social, cultural, health and nutritional needs.
• Department of Food Science RMIT - Staff from the Department of Food Science, RMIT, check all recipes to make sure that they taste good and work well.
• DoH Food Safety Unit - This unit provides advice on the best storage method for each recipe. The Food Safety Unit works to enhance consumer confidence in food safety. They contribute to the development of food standards, food industry guidelines and codes, and ensure that a single integrated policy underpins safe food production, preparation, processing and distribution.