Nutrition 300
Nutrition for Today

Course Introduction

Welcome to Nutrition for Today!

We are all mindful of food at some level. We buy and consume it daily; it gives us energy; we are told that much of it is good for us; it can entertain and delight us. Despite the key role food plays in our lives, few people know how food behaves in our body—how it affects our longevity, productivity, and quality of life. Without an understanding of nutritional science, it is difficult to interpret the evolving nutritional claims and recommendations made by a wide range of sources every day (the media, food producers, untrained people claiming to be experts, and others). Ideally, we would all make informed and realistic food choices: ones we can live with and that will help us live.

This course is designed to help you develop a foundation in human nutrition and to apply these principles to your daily life. As you read through the lessons and textbook, you are encouraged to explore your own interests in nutrition. Some of the topics will relate to you directly and personally; others may remind you of family members or acquaintances. If you pursue further study or work in the health professions, this course will provide you with a background on which to build.

Read on to find out more about what you can expect to learn in this course, the resources at your disposal, and the work you will do along the way.

Recommended Computer Software

You should have the most current version of your Internet browser software (see your Online Student Handbook for details).

Course Objectives

By the end of this course you should be able to:

• identify principal dietary sources of essential nutrients;
• compare and contrast the basic characteristics of the nutrients presented in this course (that is, their functions and interactions);
• describe the challenge to individuals and society in dealing with the epidemic of overweight and obesity;
• identify how dietary needs change over the life cycle;
• describe the relationship between nutrition, exercise, and fitness;
• describe the potential benefits and risks of using supplements, herb products, and ergogenic aids;
• describe the causes of food-borne illness and methods to improve food safety;
• describe relevant social issues pertaining to nutrition and diet, including biotechnology, eating disorders, and access to nutritious foods;
• describe diet and lifestyle factors associated with the risk of chronic disease; and
• apply your knowledge of nutrition, dietary guidelines, and the relationship between diet and health as you assess your own diet and diet-related health risks, and discuss how your diet may be improved.

About the Online Environment

This is a Web-based, online course. Because enrollment takes place over several months, you may be on a different timetable than other students in your section.

Your online course offers several advantages over the traditional classroom, including the comprehensive Online Student Handbook, the ability to communicate electronically with fellow students and with your instructor, access  to an array of online resources, and some flexibility in scheduling your assignment and exam due dates over your 3-month enrollment period.

Online Student Handbook

This handbook answers questions about your online learning course, such as how to purchase your textbook, schedule an exam, obtain a transcript, and get technical help if you need it. The handbook also provides additional resources, such as how to order books or journals from the library and how to study for an online course.

Communicating with Your Instructor and Student Peers

You can e-mail questions and comments to your instructor. Or you can post questions on the Message Board (link to this from the Online Tools page of the course syllabus). Online message boards, designed by the University of Washington's award-winning Catalyst team, allow you to communicate with other currently enrolled students and with your instructor. You are encouraged you to use this Web page to exchange ideas, resources, and comments about your course work. Your instructor will monitor this Board and provide feedback as needed.

 Online Resources

As an online student, you have access to a wealth of Web resources compiled by the University of Washington to provide fast, easy access to information that supports your online learning experience. Organized by subjects, the Online Resource page links you to sites with help for writing and research, study skills, language learning, and electronic library reference materials. All links have been assessed for credibility and reliability, and they are regularly monitored to ensure their usability .

Course Elements

There are ten lessons in this course. These online lessons do not restate the content of the textbook. They introduce you to each topic and help you research material from the textbook and other sources as part of your work to understand and apply various nutrition concepts.

Each lesson contains:

• a reading assignment;
• learning objectives;
• links to related Web sites (via the Nutrition 300 Resources Page);
• tools for self assessment and reflection (labeled "Knowledge Check," "Your Turn," and "Quiz Yourself").

Lesson Topics

• Lesson One—Overview of Human Nutrition; Elements of a Healthy Diet; Assessment; Estimating Food Intake; Introduction to Digestion and Absorption. This lesson introduces you to nutrition terminology, the ways human nutrition is studied and assessed, and foods' first interaction with the body: digestion and absorption.
• Lesson Two—Carbohydrates; Lipids; Proteins. Carbs, fats, and proteins are the "macronutrients." You will learn about their structure, functions in the body, health effects, and major food sources.
• Lesson Three—Fat-soluble Vitamins; Water-soluble Vitamins; Water; Minerals. In this lesson, you will look at water and the "micronutrients" (vitamins and minerals): their structure, functions, health effects, and food sources.
• Lesson Four—Beneficial Nonnutrients; Micronutrient Supplements; Enrichment; Fortification; Vegetarian Diets; Energy Metabolism. In Lesson Four, you will learn about important food components that do not meet the definition of "nutrients" but do provide health benefits: fiber, phytochemicals, prebiotics, and probiotics. You learn about how nutrients are added to foods (fortification), and examine pros and cons for using nonfood sources of nutrients (supplements). You will learn about different types of vegetarian diets and their nutritional implications. The lesson ends with a description of how our cells use the macronutrients for fuel.
• Lesson Five—Nutrition and Chronic Disease; Dietary Guidelines. We know that diet is related to health and that the relationship is complicated and difficult to study. In the first part of this lesson, you will learn what is currently known about how diet is related to four chronic diseases: cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes. In the second part, you will read about how dietary recommendations are developed and applied in attempt to reduce our risk of diet-related diseases and conditions.
• Lesson Six—Alcohol; Energy Balance; Body Fat and Obesity; Weight Control. In this lesson, you will learn about the metabolism and health effects of one more food component: alcohol. You will also learn about energy intake (eating) and energy output (metabolism and activity), and how these and other factors are related to obesity and weight control.
• Lesson Seven—Physical Activity and Health; Nutrition for Fitness and Sports; Eating Disorders. In this lesson, you look closely at health benefits of physical activity, and how nutrition affects fitness in both recreational athletes (which is most people who exercise) and high-intensity athletes. The lesson ends with a discussion of three eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.
• Lesson Eight—Nutrition Needs During Life Stages. In this lesson, you will learn about how nutrient needs and metabolism vary during different periods in life: pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and later adulthood.
• Lesson Nine—Agricultural Biotechnology; Herbal Supplements; Functional Foods; Food Safety. This lesson discusses several important issues facing society today, including the availability and opinions regarding genetically modified foods and botanical supplements, and the ever-important (but often overlooked) matter of food safety.
• Lesson Ten—Dining in America; Undernutrition in the World. This is the last lesson of the course. You probably already know that Americans love to eat convenience foods, fast foods, and restaurant food. In the first part of this lesson you will look more closely at this phenomenon: trends, marketing, apparent health effects, and how you can be a savvy food consumer. In the second part of Lesson Ten, you will study food insecurity and hunger in the U.S. and elsewhere, including the related nutritional risks, obstacles to accessing food, and efforts underway to improve access to healthy foods.

Textbook

The textbook for this course is Perspectives in Nutrition, 7th Edition, by Wardlaw and Hampl, ISBN 0073228060. Be sure you have the correct version of the book; see the "Important" sidebar at the beginning of this introduction.

Your textbook is the primary reference for this course (other references are the online lessons, as well as materials provided on the Nutrition 300 Resources Page. The reading you are expected to complete is noted at the beginning of each online lesson. Use the learning objectives outlined at the beginning of each part of each online lesson as your reading guide.

To get the most out of your textbook, you should skim through the table of contents, preface, "Textbook Tour," and appendices as you start this course.

Textbook Web Site

The publisher of your textbook (McGraw Hill) has a Web site with supplementary resources such as practice quizzes, activities, Web links, and instructional animations. This site is called the Online Learning Center. You are not required to use these materials, however you might find them helpful.

Online Discussions

There are two online discussion settings in this course: a Discussion Forum (which you are required to participate in) and an optional Message Board. Links to these (and to related instructions) are provided on the Online Tools page of the syllabus.

Discussion Forum

On the Discussion Forum, you will answer questions that have been posted by your instructor regarding two topics. Participation constitutes 10 percent of your total points in the class. To earn all points, you must post  thoughtful and substantive answers to each of the two discussion topics. When applicable, provide citations to the textbook or to the Internet to support your position or information. You must also respond to the posting of at least one fellow student for each topic. Deadlines for participating in each topic are shown on the Course Schedule (link from the syllabus).

Message Board

A Message Board is also available for you to communicate with your fellow students and instructor about the course. Use this Web page to post questions about the course material, share resources, or engage in conversations about topical issues. You are encouraged to post your questions and comments on the Message Board instead of e-mailing your instructor, when possible, as a way to share ideas, questions, and answers with fellow students.

Note: participation in the Message Board is not required or graded. Postings are anonymous (use a pseudonym instead of your real name). Your instructor will check this Board at least twice each week to provide feedback and answer questions as needed. He or she may also use this Web page to post notices and supplemental material; you should check postings regularly to be sure you are kept informed.

Assignments

There are two assignments in the course. The first is an assessment of your own diet; the second is a critique of a weight-loss product advertisement. Instructions for each assignment, as well as information about how you will be graded, are provided at each assignment's link from the syllabus.

Refer to the "From Your Instructor" document on the course syllabus for instructions regarding how to submit assignments. Follow the instructor's submission directions carefully. Assignments that are submitted incorrectly may be returned to you for resubmission.

You are expected to submit well-written assignments. Up to five percent of the possible points may be deducted from assignments that do not meet the following writing and format standards:

• spelling and grammar are correct;
• sentence structure is correct; and
• your name and student ID number and the date are included.

If you have questions about how to proceed with the assignments, please contact your instructor via e-mail.

Quiz Yourself

After you complete the assigned reading, you are encouraged to use the following self-assessment tools to test your knowledge of the topics (note: these are not graded and you do not turn them in):

• Lesson quizzes. These are prepared by the course developer and instructors. They give you an idea of the type of questions that will be asked on your exams. You'll find a link to each lesson quiz within the online lesson.

• About Flash

  If you do not yet have installed the Flash Player on your computer, you can download if for free.
  Chapter quizzes. These have been prepared by the textbook publisher. You will find quizzes (multiple choice and true/false) for each chapter on the textbook's Online Learning Center Web site. Many chapters also have a crossword puzzle (which requires Flash Player to view) and a concentration game. You'll find a link to the Online Learning Center within the online lessons .
  
  Please note: (1) The textbook's quizzes include questions about topics covered in the book but not included in the learning objectives for the related lesson. You might still try answering those questions (just for practice). (2) At the bottom of each quiz page there is a "Routing Information" form. Please ignore these forms (you are not sending your quiz scores to your instructor).
• Write out answers to the learning objectives listed at the start of each part of the lesson. If you have questions or comments about a learning objective, you can post a message on the Message Board or e-mail your instructor.

NutritionCalc Plus Online

NutritionCalc Plus Online is a Web-based program that will help you analyze the nutrient content of your diet for Assignment 1. Visit the Web site for instructions for how to purchase access to the correct version of this program, and related links. Note: for this course you will be using the "Online" NutritionCalc Plus program (not the CD-ROM).

The Nutrition 300 Resources Page

The Nutrition 300 Resources Page is developed and regularly updated by the NUTR 300 instructors. It provides up-to-date links to Web resources related to each lesson. You will be referred to this page at various points in the lessons.

Exams

There are two multiple-choice exams in this course. The midterm exam (scheduled for week 6, after you complete Lesson Five) covers topics from the first half of the course; the final exam covers only topics from the second half (you should take this exam during week 11, after completing Lesson Ten). You will have 60 minutes to complete each exam. The exams are proctored, and are closed-book and closed-notes; calculators are not needed or allowed. You do not need to bring an answer form (for example, mark-sense form) to the exam.

See the Online Student Handbook for information about arranging and taking your proctored exams. Please note that if you live outside the greater Seattle area (and are therefore not taking your exams at a UW testing center), you need to locate an approved proctor and testing site in your community.

Exam questions are drawn from concepts outlined in the learning objectives listed at the top of each part of each lesson. Use these learning objectives to prepare you for the exams. In addition, each lesson provides a practice quiz to help you review and to demonstrate the format of the questions you will be asked on the exams (see "Quiz Yourself" links in the lessons).

Extra Credit

You have the option to submit answers to extra-credit questions. There are two sets of questions—you can answer one or both sets. Each set is worth 2.5 points, for a total of 5 possible extra-credit points.

The extra-credit questions, and related instructions, are located on the Extra Credit link in the Nutrition 300 Resources Page.

Grading

Points for this course are tallied as shown in table i.1, below:

Table i.1 —Points for This Course

Course Component	Points
Assignment #1	25
Assignment #2	15
Midterm Exam	25
Final Exam	25
Participation in Discussion Forums	10
Total	100

Your grade will be calculated from your total points earned, which will be converted to a numerical grade according to the conversions shown in table i.2, below. Any extra-credit points earned will be added to your total points earned. This course is not graded on a curve.

Table i.2—Points-Grade Conversion

Grade	Points Earned
4.0	93.0–100
3.9	92.0–92.9
3.8	91.0–91.9
3.7	90.0–90.9
3.6	89.0–89.9
3.5	88.0–88.9
3.4	87.5–87.9
3.3	87.0–87.4
3.2	86.0–86.9
3.1	85.0–85.9
3.0	84.0–84.9
2.9	83.0–83.9
2.8	82.0–82.9
2.7	81.0–81.9
2.6	80.0–80.9
2.5	79.0–79.9
2.4	78.0–78.9
2.3	77.0–77.9
2.2	75.0–76.9
2.1	74.0–74.9
2.0	71.0 - 73.9
1.9	70.0 - 70.9
1.8	69.0 - 69.9
1.7	68.0 - 68.9
1.6	67.0 - 67.9
1.5	65.0 - 66.9
1.4	62.5 - 65.9
1.3	60.0 - 62.4
1.2	57.5 - 59.9
1.1	55.0 - 57.4
1.0	52.5 - 54.9
0.9	50.0 - 52.4
0.8	47.5 - 49.9
0.7	45.0 - 47.4
0	Under 45

Planning Your Schedule

Each lesson is designed to require an average of approximately nine hours of work per week. This is equivalent to the on-campus version of this course, which involves three hours of in-class time plus an estimated six hours of study time per week. Your actual study needs will depend on several factors, including your science background and your learning style.

Nutrition for Today is a three-month course: you must finish the course no later than three months after the day you registered.

To help you complete the work within this time frame, link to the Course Schedule from the syllabus and type in the specific dates for you to complete the lessons, assignments, exams, and forums. Note that the material has been designed to span 11 weeks. After you fill out the Course Schedule form, click on the "Send Form" button at the bottom of the page to send it to your instructor, and be sure to print a copy for your reference.

Here are some hints for making successful progress in this course:

• Pace yourself. Don't try to do everything at once, especially right before an assignment is due or before you take an exam.
• Each week, dedicate some time exclusively to this course. Make a schedule for yourself and keep to it.
• Use all available resources. Consult your textbook, the Internet, your instructor, and your classmates.
• Most of all— have fun! This is an opportunity to learn more about an ever-evolving and fascinating topic that affects each of us deeply (down to our bones, literally).

If You Need Help from the UW Online Learning Office

• General inquiries: onlinelearning@ese.washington.edu
• Online technical support: dltechsupp@ese.washington.edu
• Phone: 206-543-2350

You may also contact UW Computing and Communications at help@cac.washington.edu or by calling 206-543-5970.

About the Course Developer: Elizabeth Fiddler, RD, MPH

My name is Elizabeth Fiddler. I have been a registered dietitian (RD) since 2000, and I earned my master's degree in nutrition from the University of Washington in 2002. This credential requires numerous courses in advanced nutritional sciences and other health topics, a nine month internship, successful completion of a national board exam covering the range of nutrition disciplines (clinical, public health, food service, food safety), and yearly continuing education such as seminars and workshops.

I have been teaching introductory nutrition as an online course since 2003. I also teach nutrition on-campus at a local community college.

Prior to teaching, I was a research abstractor for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on a federal project to identify the most effective approaches to improving nutrition and physical activity in our population. I also developed a Web site for the Washington State Department of Health that provides resources for school boards, principals, and others to assess and improve nutrition and physical activity in schools. In addition I provided data analysis on a project that assessed the diet quality of a large study population in France relative to U.S. dietary guidelines. If you are interested in learning more about any of these projects, please feel free to contact me.

I think nutrition is one of the most interesting sciences, because it encompasses a wide range of topics: biochemistry, psychology, sociology, media, family traditions, agriculture, and so much more. It is also an amazingly evolving science. One of my goals as a nutritionist is to make sense of the latest studies, health claims, and new foods and products available to us, and to help others make educated choices about the food in their lives. I have developed Nutrition for Today with these goals in mind.

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