Examine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander food practices and the factors affecting the nutrition and health of Indigenous communities

What this dot point is asking

You need to examine traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander food practices and explain the factors that affect the nutrition and health of these communities today.

Traditional food practices

Before colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples ate a varied, seasonal diet drawn from the land and sea. This included native plants, seeds, fruits, tubers, game such as kangaroo, fish, shellfish and other bush foods, often described together as bush tucker.

These diets were generally high in protein and fibre and low in added sugar and saturated fat, and food gathering involved a lot of physical activity. Food was tied to culture, kinship and knowledge of country, with detailed understanding of seasons, locations and preparation passed down across generations. Sharing food was a social and cultural practice, not just nutrition.

What changed

Colonisation and dispossession disrupted these practices. Removal from traditional lands cut access to native foods and the activity of gathering them. Over time, many communities shifted to introduced, processed store foods high in sugar, fat and salt.

This dietary transition, combined with social and economic disadvantage, contributed to higher rates of diet-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity in many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities compared with the wider population.

Factors affecting nutrition and health today

Food access and remoteness

In many remote communities, fresh and healthy foods are less available and more expensive, while shelf-stable processed foods are cheaper and easier to stock. Long supply chains reduce quality and choice.

Cost and income

Lower average incomes and higher food prices in remote areas make a healthy diet harder to afford, a clear example of how economics shapes food choice.

Social and historical factors

The ongoing effects of dispossession, disadvantage and disruption to culture influence health and food security.

Community-led responses

Many improvements are driven by communities themselves: healthy store policies, subsidised fresh food, nutrition education that respects culture, and a revival of traditional and native foods. Solutions led by and with communities tend to be more effective and respectful than those imposed from outside.

Approaching this respectfully

This dot point should be examined with respect and accuracy. Traditional diets were sophisticated and healthy, current challenges have historical and structural causes, and the most effective responses are community led. Avoid generalising or implying that poor nutrition reflects individual failure.

In short, traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander diets were varied and nutritious, but colonisation, food access and cost have created nutrition challenges that are best addressed through community-led approaches.