How NDIS Improved Daily Living Supports Can Fund Your Meals

Let's be honest, cooking can feel like a mountain to climb when you're already managing the daily demands of living with a disability. Between shopping, chopping, and cleaning, it's exhausting. Here's the excellent news: your NDIS Improved Daily Living funding may cover fresh, nutritious meals delivered straight to your door. Yes, really! In this guide, we'll walk you through exactly how this funding works and how it can help you spend less time in the kitchen and more time doing what you love.

What Exactly Is NDIS Improved Daily Living?

Think of NDIS Improved Daily Living (you might see it called CB Daily Activity in your myplace portal) as your toolkit for building independence. It falls under the Capacity Building budget of your NDIS plan, and according to NDIS operational guidelines, it's designed to fund assessment, therapy, and training to help you develop skills and confidence in daily life.

Here's the key difference from Core funding: while Core covers your everyday essentials, such as personal care, Improved Daily Living is an investment in your future independence. It's about learning, growing, and crucially, overcoming the barriers that make daily tasks harder than they need to be. And guess what? Nutrition is a massive part of that picture.

What Can This Funding Cover?

Your Improved Daily Living funding can support a whole range of services to help you thrive:

• Dietitian consultations: Personalised nutrition advice tailored to your specific needs.
• Occupational therapy: Developing skills for meal prep and kitchen safety.
• Skill-building training: Learning to read food labels, plan meals and shop smarter.
• Therapy supports: Physiotherapy, psychology and speech pathology services that support daily living skills.

Note: Funding for the ongoing preparation and delivery of ready-made meals is typically covered by your Core Supports Assistance with Daily Life budget. Your allied health team can use Improved Daily Living funding to build the skills and evidence that support this Core funding.

Why Nutrition Matters for Your Independence

We know what you might be thinking: "It's just food, right?" But here's the thing: what you eat directly impacts how you feel, think, and function every single day. Dietitians Australia confirms that people living with a disability often have unique nutritional needs that go beyond the basics. Getting this right can be genuinely life-changing.

The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend eating a variety from the five food groups for good health. For NDIS participants, meeting these guidelines can boost energy, sharpen focus, and improve overall wellbeing, all things that make achieving your goals that much easier.

The Real Benefits of Eating Well

When your body gets the nourishment it needs, you'll notice the difference:

• Steady Energy: No more afternoon crashes or struggling through the day
• Clearer Thinking: Better focus for learning new skills and making decisions
• Improved Mood: Nutrient-rich foods genuinely help you feel happier
• Stronger Immunity: Fewer sick days mean more consistency in your routines
• Better Mobility: Maintaining a healthy weight supports independence in daily activities

The Meal Prep Struggle Is Real

We get it. Preparing nutritious meals isn't always straightforward when you're managing a disability. Accessing balanced nutrition can be more difficult for people with disabilities who may face additional barriers to shopping, cooking, and eating well. You're definitely not alone in finding this challenging.

Common Challenges We Hear About

Our customers often tell us they've struggled with:

• Physical Limitations: Standing for long periods, handling kitchen equipment, or managing tasks like chopping
• Sensory Sensitivities: Certain textures, smells, or flavours that make eating tricky
• Executive Function Difficulties: Trouble planning meals, following recipes, or juggling multiple cooking steps
• Fatigue: Feeling too exhausted to cook after other daily activities
• Dietary Restrictions: Conditions like coeliac disease require strict gluten-free diets that are hard to manage safely

Sound familiar? That's exactly why meal delivery can be such a game-changer.

How Meal Delivery Takes the Pressure Off

Imagine this: instead of battling through grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning, you simply open your fridge, grab a delicious meal, heat it for a few minutes, and enjoy. That's what meal delivery offers: freedom to focus your precious energy on the things that matter most to you.

At Nourish'd, we're proud to be a fully registered NDIS provider, meeting strict national standards for quality, safety, and accountability. Our chef-crafted, nutritionist-approved meals are designed to support your health goals while taking the stress out of mealtimes. Because honestly? What's inside matters.

What Makes Nourish'd Different

• 100% Gluten-free: Every meal we make is entirely gluten-free, and we're Coeliac Australia Endorsed so that you can eat with complete peace of mind.
• Fresh, not Frozen: Our meals arrive fresh and stay delicious in your fridge for up to 4 to 7 days.
• No Preservatives or Added Sugars: Quality ingredients without any of the nasties
• Ridiculously Easy Heating: Pop it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and you're done. No chopping, no mess, no fuss
• Delicious Variety: Browse our menu and pick meals you'll genuinely look forward to eating

Tasty Meals Our NDIS Customers Love

Enough about the practical stuff, let's talk about the good part: the food. Here are some favourites from our current menu that our NDIS customers rave about.

Hearty and Satisfying

Our Beef Massaman is proper comfort food: slow-cooked, melt-in-your-mouth grass-fed beef in a rich, flavour-packed curry with potato, served with fluffy basmati rice. It's the kind of cosy, warming meal that feels like a treat but still ticks the nutrition boxes.

Another hearty go-to is our Beef Bourguignon with White Potato Mash, featuring tender, slow-cooked beef in a rich, vegetable-packed sauce with carrots and mushrooms, spooned over creamy, buttery mash for a classic, homestyle dinner with no prep.

Comfort Food Made Easy

If you prefer softer textures or gentler flavours, our Beef Bolognese Gnocchi is pure comfort in a bowl: pillowy, gluten-free gnocchi coated in a thick, nutrient-dense beef bolognese sauce, loaded with hidden veg. Don't tell your mum, but we think ours might be better than hers.

For something a little lighter, our Pumpkin Risotto is smooth, creamy and naturally dairy-free, made with Japanese pumpkin, peas and coconut cream for a satisfying meat-free option that's still packed with vegetables.

Crowd-Pleasers

Our Beef Fajitas with Basmati Rice bring fiesta vibes to your table: tender strips of grass-fed beef with capsicum and onion, tossed in zesty lime and orange juice, and Mexican-inspired spices, all served over a bed of fragrant basmati rice.

And if you love a twist on your usual takeaway, Chicken Masala with Cauliflower Rice delivers tender chicken thigh simmered in a rich, aromatic coconut-based gravy, served on a bed of nutrient-packed cauliflower rice; big on flavour, lower in carbs, and a favourite for those wanting something a little lighter but still filling.

How NDIS Funding Works for Meals

Alright, let's get into the nitty-gritty. Understanding NDIS funding for meals is simpler than you might think, and we're here to make it even easier.

What Gets Covered?

NDIS funding covers the preparation and delivery of meals, that's the cooking expertise, kitchen labour, and logistics of getting delicious food to your door. The cost of ingredients (the actual food) is considered an everyday expense, like buying groceries. There's typically a small co-payment for each meal, covering the ingredient cost. Fair enough, right?

Getting Started (It's Easier Than You Think)

Here's how to get set up based on your plan type:

• Self-managed: You can start ordering straight away! Pay upfront and use your invoice to claim reimbursement for the preparation and delivery portion.
• Plan-managed: We'll work directly with your plan manager to handle the funding portion. You simply pay the co-payment for ingredients, easy peasy.
• Agency-managed: We can submit a quote to the NDIA for approval. Once it's approved, you pay only the co-payment and we invoice the NDIA directly for the rest.

Tips for Including Meals in Your NDIS Plan

Don't have meal delivery in your plan yet? No worries, you can request it. Here's how to make a strong case during your planning meeting or review:

• Connect It to Your Goals: Explain how reliable nutrition supports your energy, independence, and capacity to participate in daily activities.
• Be Upfront About Your Barriers: Describe specific challenges you face with shopping, cooking, or eating well due to your disability.
• Gather Supporting Evidence: Letter from your dietitian, OT, or GP explaining why meal delivery would benefit you.
• Get Specific: Mention any dietary requirements (like gluten-free for coeliac disease) that make finding safe meals challenging.

For more detailed guidance, see our articles on getting meal delivery in your NDIS plan and keeping it during plan reviews.

Dietary Needs? We've Got You Covered

Many NDIS participants have specific dietary requirements, and we completely understand how important it is to find meals that are both safe and actually delicious.

Coeliac-Safe Meals

The Coeliac Australia organisation explains that coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition where eating gluten damages the small intestine. Maintaining a strict gluten-free diet is essential, but constantly checking labels and worrying about cross-contamination is exhausting.

That's exactly why everything we make is 100% gluten-free. Every meal we prepare is safe for people with coeliac disease, no ifs, buts, or maybes. As one of our customers shared: "As an NDIS participant with Coeliac Disease and lactose intolerance alongside disabilities, I thought I wouldn't find any food delivery companies I could enjoy. Then I found Nourish'd. The food is amazing, the customer service is on point, and I have loved all my meals."

Other Dietary Options

Beyond gluten-free, our menu includes:

• Dairy-Free Meals: For lactose intolerance or dairy allergies
• Low-Carb and Keto Options: Supporting blood sugar management. Explore our keto meal delivery range
• High-Protein Meals: For muscle maintenance and sustained energy‍
• Nut-Free Options: Clearly labelled for those with allergies

How to Place Your First Order

Ready to give it a go? Here's how to get started:

• Step 1: Browse our full menu and pick meals that make your mouth water
• Step 2: Choose your portion sizes: 
  
  • Regular (220-320g)
  • Large (320-420g)
  • Extra Large (420-540g)
• Step 3: At checkout, indicate that you have NDIS funding
• Step 4: Order by Wednesday at 9 pm AEST for delivery Saturday to Wednesday the following week
• Step 5: Receive your invoice with everything you need to claim through your NDIS plan

Need a hand? Our friendly customer support team is here to help. Your support coordinator can also sign you up directly if that's easier.

Your Mealtimes, Made Easy

Good nutrition shouldn't be a source of stress, it should fuel your journey toward greater independence. With NDIS Improved Daily Living funding and Nourish'd in your corner, you can enjoy delicious, wholesome meals without the burden of meal preparation. We're so grateful to be part of your journey, and we're here to make healthy eating simple so you can focus on living life your way.