The workshop, to be held in July, will involve more than 120 teachers from government and non-government schools.

Nutrition Australia ACT project officer Lynette Brown said she hoped the professional development program would leave teachers enthused with ideas to make necessary links between classwork and nutrition.

"Improving the food and nutrition skills of young Australians is an important step in reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers," she said.

"Poor food choice is also linked to poor general health outcomes.

"It is essential that primary and secondary school teachers understand the processes and approaches required to motivate and develop skills in nutrition."

The workshop is part of the ACT Health Promotions Grants 2008 Health Promoting Schools Funding and key speakers include visiting fellow in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of New South WalesRosemary Stanton, sports dietician Glenn Cardwell, health and nutrition researcher at the University of Sydney Associate Professor Jenny O'Dea and Janet Reynolds.

Topics for discussion include body image and self esteem, TV food advertising, understanding nutrition research, building teacher capacity to deliver effective nutrition education and developing a bank of curriculum programs and resources to enhance the teaching of nutrition education.

Ms Brown said they would also be discussing practical ways to introduce nutrition across all teaching areas not just in health-related subject areas.

"An example would be how you could get a good nutritional message into maths class," she said. "In kindergarten and junior schools you could do this by five different coloured apples, how many colours? And then you could talk about why the difference of colours and bring it back into maths.

"So it's putting nutrition across the curriculum rather than just in a health box which becomes very overloaded."

With nutrition education in schools she said the aim in junior age groups was to ensure messages students came to school with were enhanced and developed. For senior students it was about equipping them with the information to make healthy choices. By the time students left college they should be able to weigh up the information and make healthy food decisions.