The purpose of this course is to help the student recognize the relationship between good nutrition and the health, well-being, and productivity of individuals. The student must acquire a knowledge of the various nutrients required by the human body, their function, and the process of how our body digests and utilizes food.

Entry Level Competencies: No pre-requisite courses required.

If you do well in this course, you will be able to:

1. Identify the six major nutrient classes and state their function
2. Describe the role of energy nutrients in the diets for fats, carbohydrates and protein
3. List the water and fat soluble vitamins, their functions, and major food sources
4. Describe the functions of fiber and other non-nutrient components of the diet and their role in health promotion
5. Describe symptoms of the most common nutritional deficiencies
6. Describe the processes of digestion, absorption, and metabolism of the major energy nutrients
7. Assess the adequacy of various nutrients in an individual's diet based on the RDAs and DRIs
8. Understand the foundation for planning a healthy diet
9. Use a computer nutritional analysis program to evaluate their diet
10. Interpret the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and ChooseMyPlate.gov Guidelines

Possible Assignments Include: (Subject to change each semester. The actual assignments are available in the Syllabus in the Blackboard course site on the first day of classes.)

Your final grade may be based on the following scale. Please note that you must also pass at least several exams in order to pass the course, regardless of your scores on the other assignments.

There are 3 exams in this course.

Last Updated: September 27, 2012