Eating and Feeding

Eating and Feeding Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Eating and Feeding, Nutritionist, 35 Cabot Drive, Altona North, Melbourne.

Dietitian's and Feeding Therapist's for adults and children, helping individuals to find their own food freedom by understanding and addressing the anxiety, restriction and fears related to food, eating and their body.

09/09/2026

Brooke, one of our dietitians, shared a video about something that can seem small until it happens: losing a safe food. In this case, Woolworths stopped stocking Brooke’s ready-to-eat mac and cheese, and some of the comments felt pretty invalidating.

Brooke is privileged to have the knowledge, support and skills to help her manage this situation. She can draw on strategies she has learnt as a dietitian and feeding therapist, as well as what she has learnt from clients and other members of our team. Not everyone has access to that kind of support.

Losing a safe food isn’t “dramatic” or “just a preference”. It can be a genuine accessibility issue.

We know all too well that losing safe foods can have serious short and long-term consequences, including meltdowns, food refusal, inadequate nutrition, malnutrition and worsening restrictive eating. In some situations, the consequences can become medically serious or even life-threatening. It is not something to take lightly.

And to everyone in the comments who shared the moment a safe food disappeared or changed, we see you. Thank you for trusting us with your stories, and thank you for all the love on the video.

If you want to learn more about neurodivergent eating and feeding challenges, follow along here or head to our website. Brooke is passionate about talking about selective eating and helping people feel understood, not judged.

05/09/2026

Hey I’m Simone, and I’m a new graduate Speech Pathologist who loves supporting children express themselves in their own way. In my spare time, you can find me playing video and board games, baking, or listening to all kinds of music (especially synth-rock!).

I personally love seeing the connections individuals can make with different things; whether that is a movie, book, hobby, or place. Being then able to share those interests and have your passions be deeply understood by others is such a wonderful feeling! Since I enjoy gaming and story telling, I like to bring these hobbies into the clinic and collaborate with children to help achieve communication goals that matter to daily life.

I take on a neuro-affirming approach and a focus on children and their interests during sessions as I truly believe meeting and engaging with children in their world is the key to making therapy fun and meaningful.

03/09/2026

For someone experiencing an eating disorder, weight loss can come with a surprising amount of praise and validation from the people around them, even while their health is getting worse.
We are pretty quick to celebrate weight loss.
“You look great!”
“You have lost weight!”
“Whatever you are doing, keep it up!”
The problem is, we have no idea what is actually going on for that person. Weight alone does not tell us how healthy someone is, and neither does a smaller body.
It is time we stopped treating weight loss as something that deserves a compliment. There are so many other things we can notice and celebrate about someone that have nothing to do with the size of their body.

01/09/2026

Hi, I’m Tayla, a chatty dietitian with a deep love for my dog Kobe and a passion for helping people rebuild their relationships with food. When I’m not supporting clients, you’ll likely find me with Kobe, whether it’s enjoying a cuddle or heading out for a walk. Travelling is another big part of my life. Having explored 26 countries (and counting), I’m always dreaming of my next adventure. Oh, and fun fact: I’ve been practising karate for 16 years and earned my black belt in 2016, so yes, I can kick diet culture to the curb (metaphorically, of course).

My path to becoming a dietitian has been shaped by my own journey through and recovery from anorexia nervosa. Living with and overcoming an eating disorder taught me the importance of separating the voice of the eating disorder from your own, as well as the power of breaking secrecy and shame. These lessons have deeply influenced how I approach my work, giving me a compassionate and informed perspective that fuels my passion for helping others reclaim their lives.

In 2024, I was diagnosed with ADHD, and suddenly, so many pieces of my life made sense, including why I love to chat! Being neurodivergent myself, I understand the unique challenges and strengths that come with an ADHD brain. I have developed a deep appreciation for creating personalised, neuro-affirming strategies to help my clients navigate their own neurodivergent experiences.

26/08/2026

Our dietitians genuinely love this part of the job 💛
Behind the scenes, there is always something being prepared. Recipe ingredients ready to go, food experiments being set up, and feeding boxes packed for the next session.
A little glimpse of what happens before our clients walk through the door.

19/08/2026

Deakin University is inviting caregivers of children in Australian schools to share their feedback on the food and nutrition messaging children are exposed to.

The survey takes around 10 to 15 minutes and asks what caregivers think about the impact these messages can have on children’s relationships with food, their bodies and themselves.

The feedback collected could help shape future recommendations about how food and nutrition are discussed in schools and what teachers are encouraged to include in the curriculum.

Everything shared in the survey is confidential, and participants can also go into the draw to win a $100 supermarket gift card.

For more information:

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1045572701192761&id=100072201220154&rdid=Tb0IR4AC2pGYWRJK

To complete the survey:

https://researchsurveys.deakin.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_6J3yTlFJXRLlhHg

17/08/2026

What it looks like: playing.

What we are actually doing: building communication.

In speech pathology sessions, play is how we work on real, impactful goals like:

- Turn taking (my turn, your turn)
- Responding to what someone else says
- Asking questions to keep an interaction going
- Expanding vocabulary in a way that sticks

We always work alongside children to find their path to communication, in a way that feels safe, doable, and connected.

Playing is learning!

08/08/2026

POV: You’re in Woolies, heading for one of your favourite safe foods… and the packet is different. Then you realise the ingredients are different too. And suddenly you are having a meltdown in the chilled aisle.

This “surprise rebrand” recently happened to our dietitian Brooke. One of her safe foods changed overnight.

For a lot of neurodivergent people, food “surprises” aren’t fun. They are distressing. And it’s not just “I don’t like change”.

It can be:

- It doesn’t taste good
- The texture is weird and not in the good way
- Your other favourite safe food is 3x the price

When a brand changes packaging *and* ingredients, something reliable can become unpredictable in a second.

If this hits close to home, it makes sense. You’re not being dramatic.

This is REAL life for some neurodivergent folks!

While Brooke our dietitian is able to “get over it”, that’s not the case for everyone and we know that. Food can be difficult, if you want to up skill, work on flexibility or practice new foods, thats the work we do! eatingandfeeding.com.au

01/08/2026

Our music therapist Bree has been using Star Wars to build a motivating, meaningful activity for one of her clients. Because it’s *their* thing, they are wanting to join in, stay with it, and practise again and again.

So it looks like “just play” from the outside, in reality this activity is building skills in that actually carry over to everyday life like:

- Motor planning and coordination
- Bilateral coordination
- Attention and motor coordination
- Listening and motor coordination

Our music therapist Bree has been using Star Wars to build a motivating, meaningful activity for one of her clients. Because it is their thing, they want to join in, stay with it, and practise again and again.

29/07/2026

This ✨Therapy Tip Thursday✨ Brooke (dietitian) is sharing 3 support moves that actually help:

1) Reduce sensory input

Lower lights, reduce noise, move away from strong cooking smells if you can.

2) Reduce commentary around eating

Less narrating, less coaxing, less “just try one bite”

Neutral presence is supportive.

3) Prioritise nutritional adequacy within existing safe foods

Safe foods are valid foods

Build nourishment by adding what’s tolerated without turning meals into a battle.

For more information, resources and support go to eatingandfeeding.com.au 🪴

Address

35 Cabot Drive, Altona North
Melbourne, VIC
3025

Opening Hours

Wednesday 2pm - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

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