This course is intended for students pursuing careers in Nursing or other Allied Health fields. This course in nutrition will present information on the chemistry and the biological function of nutrients in the body. Diseases associated with an excess or deficit in nutrients will also be explored. Students will acquire a better understanding of some impacts of food choices on a personal level. Prerequisite: Highly recommend High School Biology with a B or better, BIOL 100, OR BIOL 160 with a 2.0 or higher within the last 5 years.
Prerequisites
Highly recommend High School Biology with a B or better, BIOL 100, OR BIOL 160 with a 2.0 or higher within the last 5 years.
Quarters Offered
Fall,
Winter,
Spring,
Summer
Course Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the following knowledge or skills:
- Briefly describe the science of nutrition in relation to health and dietary requirements.
- Recognize the principles of planning a healthy diet including current dietary guidelines for Americans.
- Describe the digestive and absorptive events that take place in the mouth, stomach, and intestines.
- Identify the nutritional significance of Carbohydrates and explain their role in energy metabolism, including monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides.
- Identify the nutritional significance of Fats and explain their role in energy metabolism, including trans, saturated, and unsaturated fats.
- Identify the nutritional significance of Proteins and explain their role in energy metabolism, proper cell function and maintenance of healthy body tissue.
- Describe the nutritional diseases of diabetes, malnutrition (over and underweight conditions), vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and eating disorders.
- Describe the purpose of vitamins and minerals in human metabolism and maintenance of body tissues, contrast fat soluble and water-soluble vitamins, as well as contrast major and trace minerals.
- Describe what is meant by the term ‘water balance;’ explain why water is an essential part of a balanced diet.
- Describe the importance of energy balance and body composition in weight management; calculate a body mass index and explain the significance of this measurement.
- Discuss the term ‘Life Cycle Nutrition’; examine various stages of life in relation to changes in nutritional needs and disease prevention.
- Assess current nutritional status through a personal dietary analysis, focusing on carbohydrate, lipid, protein, vitamin/mineral, and water intakes.
Course Content Outline
- Unit 1 (Weeks 1-3)
- Briefly describe the process of nutritional research, the current Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), and how nutritional assessments are made; classify essential, nonessential, and conditionally essential nutrients.
- Using food labels and nutritional guidelines to plan a healthy diet. Including: Malnutrition defined; utilizing RDAs, EARs, AIs and ULs to assess nutrient intakes; performing a personal nutritional assessment; reading and interpreting food labels
- Anatomy of the digestive system in relation to digestion and absorption of nutrients, including a brief relationship of absorption of nutrients to vascular and lymphatic system. The importance of health and regulation of the GI tract (including microbiome, hormones, and nerve pathways) should be highlighted.
- Unit 2 (Weeks 4-5)
- Basics of carbohydrate digestion (simple versus complex carbohydrates), absorption and circulation. Blood glucose regulation and its impact on diabetes should be highlighted.
- Basics of lipid digestion, absorption, and circulation. Fats, oils and fatty acid types from your diet and their impact on your health should be highlighted (saturated, unsaturated - trans vs. cis).
- Basics of protein digestion, absorption, and circulation. Importance of proteins in maintaining healthy body tissues through consuming and digesting complete proteins and their varied functions in cells and the body.
- A very brief overview of the metabolic pathways for energy production including carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins.
- Unit 3 (Weeks 6-7)
- Discussion of energy balance, body composition and weight management including energy balance defined, factors influencing energy requirement, body weight and composition assessment (BMI), obesity, and underweight conditions and eating disorders.
- Basics of vitamin function, significance of water in the diet, and basic roles that minerals play in the diet. Including discussion of fat-soluble vs water-soluble vitamins; general classes of vitamins; electrolytes in the body; hydration and dehydration; essential and trace minerals.
- Unit 4 (Weeks 8-11)
- Discuss the varying nutritional needs throughout life. Including nutritional needs during pregnancy and lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and nutritional needs of older adults.
- The role nutrition plays in disease prevention.
- The following may also be covered as time permits:
- Health benefits of physical activity; metabolic changes during physical activity; physiologic changes in response to physical activity; Impact of physical activity on dietary requirements
Department Guidelines
- The overall course percentage will be based on the following weighted categories:
- Lecture exams (including 3-5 tests) collectively worth 60-70%,
- Class assignments/quizzes collectively worth 30-40% of the overall score
- A standard grade scale will be used for this course with a 2.0 grade point corresponding to 70-72%.
- Individual instructors may choose to include other topics in addition to those listed in the course content. The additional content might include an exploration of the health and nutrition impacts of food safety and/or social aspects of nutrition.
- All exams are proctored. When possible, exams are held on campus. Online and hybrid courses may have exams online.
- PO5 should be assessed: Students will be able to solve problems by gathering, interpreting, combining and/or applying information from multiple sources. (Discuss with division when this assessment occurs).