Ready to better manage your health?
Ready to better manage your health?
​Veterans’ dietitian service
Fully funded* nutrition support delivered by an Accredited Practising Dietitian.
Our service supports you to improve your health and achieve your goals. An Accredited Practising Dietitian will work with you to develop a personalised nutrition plan to help you get back on track! This here service is an add-on available for participants of the Veterans’ Better Life Program.
Our service helps you to:
Improve health
Better manage chronic diseases (heart disease, and diabetes)
Better manage your weight
Improve gut health (IBS)
Better manage food intolerances and allergies
Weight management (lose or gain weight)
Better fuel your body to get the most out of your session.
How it works
We support you to improve your health through better nutrition.
As part of this service, we’ll conduct an initial assessment, support you with education, advice and meal planning and provide ongoing support and monitoring. Whatever your goals, our dietitian will support you to achieve them.
How the service works:
Assessment
- We’ll do an initial assessment to better understand your goals, medical history, medications, training, lifestyle, dietary intake and eating habits.
Education
- We’ll conduct one-on-one and group-based sessions to help you better understand nutrition and how changes to your diet can improve your health. Our approach focuses on empowering you with the knowledge and support to take control of your health.
Advice and meal planning
- We’ll develop an evidence-based tailored nutrition plan to support you to achieve your goals.
- Providing tailored nutrition strategies.
- Developing personalised meal plans.
- Working with you to set personally relevant and achievable goals that prioritise lifestyle changes.
Ongoing support and monitoring
- We’ll provide ongoing support.
- Regular check-ins and tracking your progress.
- Providing ongoing nutrition education, advice, and tools.
- Facilitating motivation to keep you on track.
- Developing individualised, adaptive nutrition plans to help you better manage your health and achieve your goals.
To learn more about the service check out the service factsheet.
Easy to join
Joining the service is easy.
All you need is a referral from your doctor or hospital discharge planner, and we’ll do the rest.
Our program in action
What our clients say about us!
Would just like to express my respect for the VHA crew! Going back 18 months to when I first started to attend their program at Goodlife Nerang, I was struggling with addiction,  mental health issues and an overall lack of motivation to live a healthy lifestyle. They helped me get back on track, I still have my problems, but my quality of life is better than it ever has been since my discharge from defence. I highly recommend them to any veteran young or old!  If you live on the Gold Coast and you want help to improve your quality of life I suggest you get in to see them!!
Luke G
Such a blessing that VHA is available to Veterans. The Coordinators have provided me with a great program for body and mind. Good to be in a routine again. Thank you.
Iain S
This organisations is awesome. Some really great people. If you live in proximity to the Gold Coast, do yourself a service and say g’day to these guys. Will work around any injury/illness with qualified support. I’m moving to Melbourne, but will sure miss these guys.
Brendan D
The team at Veteran Health Association have worked with me for the past 2 years helping me with recovery from my service related injuries and reintegration back into the workforce. They offer a professional service that is unmatched from any other provider around. Their team have helped 100’s of veterans of all ages and services and continue to break ground where others have failed. Thank you VHA!
Dean K
Eligibility and cost
Open to all Australian veterans
The service is available to Australian veterans in the Veterans’ Better Life Program who hold a DVA Health Card (Gold or White).
We welcome DVA clients.
*Fully funded for DVA card holders
There are no out-of-pocket costs for the service. DVA Health Cards (Gold and White) are accepted as payment upon a GP referral. Some restrictions apply for white card holders.
If you’re not a DVA Health Card holder but want to join our service, get in touch and we’ll discuss your options.
OUR DIETITIAN’S NUTRITION TIPS
OUR DIETITIAN’S NUTRITION TIPS
Additional Support
- Veterans’ Better Life Program
A multidisciplinary one-stop-shop that supports you to get your mind and body back on track.
- Veterans’ Diabetes Program
Veterans’ Diabetes Program is available to support you to improve your health and achieve your goals.
FAQs
What is a dietitian?
A dietitian is a qualified allied health professional who understands how nutrition affects the body and uses evidence-based scientific information to develop a personalised plan tailored to your needs.
Is a dietitian and nutritionist the same thing?
Dietitians are all nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are dietitians. The dietetic profession is regulated, while nutritionists are not. Most dietitians have graduated with an approved dietetics degree from an Australian university while nutritionists may have limited formal qualifications.
How can your service support me?
We will assess your needs, discuss your goals, and develop a personalised nutrition plan to support you to improve your health and achieve your goals.
This includes:
- preventing or better managing chronic disease (e.g. diabetes, heart, cancer, kidney disease, and obesity)
- better managing food allergies, intolerances and gut-related conditions (e.g. IBS and bone health)
- better weight management (including weight loss or weight gain)
- improving your relationship with food and assisting in treating eating disorders
- supporting muscle building
- fuelling sports and endurance training
- improving your energy levels, immunity, and vitality.
How is this service different to others?
Our fully funded* Veterans’ Dietitian Service offers a tailored nutrition service for veterans. It’s delivered in a relaxed veteran-friendly environment and integrates assessment, education, advice, meal planning, and ongoing support and monitoring. The service is provided by an Accredited Practising Dietitian with support from a multidisciplinary allied health team including an exercise physiologist, physiotherapist, psychologist, and diabetes educator, as required
Where is the service delivered?
The dietitian service is available at health clubs on the:
- Gold Coast
- Tweed Shire
- Brisbane
Can a nutrition plan help me to better manage my diabetes?
Eating well has been scientifically proven to reduce the risk of diabetes, better manage weight, and help you live a healthier life.
Does this integrate with your other services?
All our veteran services integrate to help improve the mental and physical health of veterans through delivering one-stop-shop, evidence-based, tailored treatment that’s delivered in a relaxed veteran-friendly environment.
Why did VHA introduce a nutrition service?
Within our Veterans’ Better Life Program, recent AUSDRISK screening showed that almost 60% of assessed program participants either have diabetes or are at high risk of developing the disease.
Eating well has been scientifically proven to reduce the risk of diabetes, better manage weight, and help you live a healthier life.
How can I access the service?
Accessing the service is easy. All you need is a referral from your doctor or hospital discharge planner, and we’ll do the rest. Download the referral form to get started.
How many sessions does a referral cover?
A referral covers one 12-session treatment cycle. Veteran clients may have as many additional treatment cycles as their GP determines clinically necessary. Clients deemed a high risk may be eligible for a tailored referral and review arrangements if their health, treatment, or wellbeing would be adversely affected by the standard 12 session treatment cycle.
What’s the Veterans’ Better Life Program?
It’s a fully funded* one-stop-shop with all treatments delivered in one place by a multidisciplinary allied health team (including a physiotherapist, exercise physiologist and psychologist). The program is an evidence-based health care service that’s tailored to the veteran’s needs and delivered in a relaxed veteran-friendly environment.
What is the Veteran Health Association?
It’s an organisation that’s dedicated to improving the mental and physical health of Australian veterans.
Get in touch today
If you’re ready to live a better life, we’re ready to support you to get there.
Get in touch today to start living a better life!