ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app

Fourth-year nutrition and dietetic students students, Natalie Tomasiello, Eden Rothnie-White, and Bing Liu, completed a four-week food service placement with During the placement they assisted with meal preparation, packing meals, preparing nutrition education fact sheets, presenting nutritional talks to clients, conducted a menu review and completed a comprehensive recipe analysis.

Dietetics student Natalie Tomasiello said the experience was not only rewarding but eye-opening.   

“From preparing fresh ingredients in the kitchen to packing meals and sending them off to clients, we were immersed in every step of the process,” Natalie said. 

“Seeing firsthand how much care goes into every meal gave us a deep appreciation for the service and its impact. The sense of community and gratitude among the staff, volunteers, and clients was overwhelming.

“We were able to see the human side of food service dietetics. We created fact sheets on different key nutrition topics with the clients in mind.  It wasn’t just about meeting nutritional needs but nourishing lives, fostering connection, and ensuring dignity through food.”

Meals on Wheels is a service geared to the needs of frail older people, younger people with disabilities and their carers. Meals on Wheels aim to help make it possible for people to stay home and maintain their independence.

Making a difference together

The students were supervised by Nutrition and Dietetics discipline leader and , Academic Program Director Nutrition and Dietetics from the School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences.  

Associate Professor Lambert is a Fellow of Dietitians Australia and Board Director of Meals on Wheels North Shoalhaven and knows first-hand the demand on volunteer-run organisations to provide services to deliver nutritional meals to the community.

"Not only did the students gain hands-on experience in a real-world setting, but they also used their nutrition know-how to make a real difference in the lives of people right here in our community," Associate Professor Lambert said. 

“In one day, Natalie, Eden and Bing assisted with the arrangements of 400 meals, from food preparation to packing.

“The placement was a win-win for all involved. The students were able to apply their understanding of the socio-ecological relationship between food, nutrition and health, support the community and offer Meals on Wheels assistance in projects that otherwise would still be untouched.”

ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app nutrition and dietetics students Bing Lui and Eden Rothnie-White help with food preparation in the Meals on Wheels North Shoalhaven kitchen.

Nutrition and dietetics students in their final year of study are required to complete a minimum of 100 days of practical placement. The placement addresses the National Competency Standards for Dietitians in Australia.

Recipe review for better health

ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app student Bing Liu said in addition to the food preparation activities they worked on observations and recommendations at an operational level.  

“We were able to offer recommendations based on what we observed in the kitchen, our visit to the logistics center and in talking to the volunteers,” Bing said.

“During the recipe analysis of the new Autumn menu we were able to review more than 70 recipes using online software and provide in-depth nutrition analysis.

“Meals on Wheels have a lot of clients who have diabetes and chronic kidney disease. We analysed the recipes and compared it with the therapeutic diet to see if tweaks needed to be made. Working with the chef, site manager and our supervisor we created a table of recommendations and comparisons against the national guidelines.

“It was a unique opportunity to take responsibility and ownership of our initiatives. With the help of our supervisors, we were able to communicate effectively with each other to come up with real solutions. We wanted to make sure our efforts would provide the best outcomes for the clients.”

ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app students Natalie Tomasiello and Eden Rothnie-White play a game of Jenga with Meals on Wheels clients and volunteers during the Meals Together luncheon in March 2025.

Community connections

The four-week placement culminated in the lunch at the end of March attended by 60 Shoalhaven residents and supported by volunteers, students from Scots All Saints College, the Country Women’s Association of NSW’s Nowra Branch and the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app students.

“From our first week of placement we knew how important the social connection with clients and talking face-to-face is. A lot are living alone and their interactions with Meals on Wheels are their only chance to interact and engage with the community. It really drove us to want to deliver something special at Meals Together beyond just sharing a meal,” Bing said.  

“We came up with a fun way to deliver nutritional education to the clients through our interactive Food Bingo game. We provided each group of clients with printed materials and presented a series of questions. They stamped off their answers on to their bingo card. It was designed to reinforce key nutrition messages in a fun way.  

“Feedback from the clients about the event and our final dietitian talk was so supportive and heartwarming. We hope that future students will be able to build on our work.”