What makes a food ultra-processed - and what's the big deal?  A frequent question and concern of not only students, but the general public.  And the answer isn't straightforward.  I really appreciated this balanced article from US Today entitled "Minimally processed vs. ultra-processed foods:  What's the difference?" and it's perspective. http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/08/11/what-are-processed-foods/85554799007  The article points out certain benefits of processing in making our food safer as well as potentially more nutrient dense, accessible, and affordable.  The issues arise when foods are processed to make them more palatible and easier to overeat (think added sugar, salt, saturated fats, artificial ingredients) rather than enhance their nutritional content (think added vitamin D, folic acid, calcium....).   Americans get the majority of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods - which correlates to fewer vegetables, fruit, and whole grains; and less fiber, healthy fats, and certain essential nutrients.   A healthy approach would be to emphasize whole or minimally processed foods while choosing processed foods with an eye towards nutritional content.  For a classroom activity, ask students to bring in a wrapper or package of a processed food or to post a picture of a processed food they typically consume and to discuss potential benefits, drawbacks, and how that food item might fit within an overall healthy diet.      ... View more

A great way to start a new semester is to find out what questions your students might have or what they expect to learn in regards to the overall topic of a course.  I taught introductory nutrition for almost 25 years to over 7,000 undergraduates and started each semester by having students submit one diet or nutrition related question they'd like addressed during the semester.  Questions reflecting trending topics and popular dietary approaches along with core concepts around nutrient needs, supplementation, weight management, and more.  As social media and influencers became more prominent and popular, questions included what students were seeing or reading on these platforms. I used the submitted questions (I would set up as an assignment in the LMS) in a variety of ways across the semester in classes and assignments.   If was teaching about carbohydrates for example, I would invariably have questions on sugar, "artificial" sweeteners, and fiber that I would address in the context the lecture.  Currently, "Fibermaxxing" is hot on social media and no doubt students are wondering about the safety and efficacy of boosting fiber intake.  And the recent media coverage about Coke switching from corn syrup to "real" cane sugar offers a great opportunity to discuss research and recommendations about added sugars.   Sometimes I would have a media story or even a social media post showing on the screen as students entered the classroom for face-to-face classes.  Using real questions or trending topics that students are actually wondering about to lead lectures is a way to have a topic forward approach that provides context and relevance for teaching the core concepts and science.   Not to mention it's likely more engaging and memorable for students! I recently put together a list of sample questions for over 30 trending "hot" topics in nutrition (there are plenty right now!) and where coverage on these topics can be found in my textbook, Nutrition for a Changing World.  I've provided a sampling of some of those topics below and where they are addressed in the textbook. Is sugar toxic?  (no) How much is safe to consume?  Addressed in Chapter 4 Carbohydrates Are artificial sweeteners bad for you?   Addressed in Chapter 4 Carbohydrates How much protein do I really need and how much is too much?   Addressed in Chapter 6 Protein Is a gluten free diet healthier?  Addressed in Chapter 3 Digestion Should I switch to a vegetarian diet for my health?   Addressed in Spotlight C Plant-based Diets Should I take dietary supplements - and which ones?   Addressed in Spotlight D Dietary Supplements Why the controversy over fluoride in our water?   Addressed in Chapter 10 Trace Minerals Is it really better to buy organic foods?   Addressed in Spotlight H Food Safety   ... View more

  Fueling Your Workday: Healthy Eating in Any Work Environment This year’s National Wellness Month focuses on workplace wellness including the vital contribution of good nutrition and healthy food choice. So, whether you're navigating the office break room or working from your kitchen table, maintaining a healthy diet during work hours can be challenging. Deadlines loom, meetings abound, and disruptions take up valuable time leaving you a bit frazzled. In the office, that convenient bag of chips from the vending machine or the donuts in the break room may seem increasingly appealing. At home, it’s easy to be tempted by the leftovers in the fridge or the cookies in the pantry.  However, applying the core pillars of a healthy diet and setting up your eating environment to make positive food choice easier can transform how you approach workplace nutrition, supporting your health and boosting both your energy and productivity. Studies demonstrate that most people consume at least half of their daily intake of calories during work hours. The type and availability of food in the workplace significantly influences what employees eat. At home, the constant access to your kitchen can lead to “grazing” and mindless snacking. The key is not to be rigid or rely on “will power” in food selection, but to do a bit of preplanning and to set up your food environment in such a way to be more likely to make positive food choices most of the time.   Doing so doesn’t just promote your overall health, but boosts cognitive performance, helps stabilize mood, augments energy level, and increases productivity. What constitutes a healthy diet? The core characteristics of a healthy diet whether within your workday or at home are adequacy, balance, variety, and moderation. Adequacy refers to a diet that supplies the calories and essential nutrients you need each day for your body to function at its best and to supply your cells with the energy and nutrients they need to do their jobs.  Many Americans fall short on critical nutrients like vitamin D, potassium, fiber, calcium, and iron – which can not only impact body processes but increase risk of chronic disease.  While not always easy or convenient when we’re busy and our choices are limited, emphasizing nutrient-dense foods at meals and snacks goes a long way in getting adequate amounts of essential nutrients.   Balance involves consuming foods from across all the food groups and across the macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fats) in appropriate proportions. Variety means choosing different foods within the food groups – not just eating apples for example, but switching up fruit choices to berries, melon, citrus, and others. The more varied your food choices, the more likely you are to get a broad range of essential nutrients and other dietary components. Variety in protein foods is important for our health – not relying solely on animal foods, but incorporating plant-based proteins through beans, legumes, tofu, and the like. Moderation comes into play in portion control and not overindulging in any one type of food, particularly foods that are energy-dense which are often high in added sugars, unhealthy fats, and sodium.   How do you set up a food environment that makes healthy eating convenient and appealing? The impact of our food environment is powerful, whether in the office or at home where you may be working remotely.  Readily accessible sweet and salty snacks in our workspace or within easy reach make it easy to overeat, often rather mindlessly as we focus on work rather than the food itself.  One study found that the location of candy in an office made a big impact on amount consumed. A bowl of jellybeans was placed on top of workers’ desks, in desk drawers, on a counter in the work area, and in a break room. It’s no surprise that more jellybeans were eaten if the bowl was plain sight and within reach on someone’s desk versus having to get up and walk across the room (less accessible and in front of others) to the candy bowl on the counter or to the break room. Even placing the candy bowl out of sight in the desk drawer resulted in fewer jellybeans consumed.    At work, a bit of preplanning can go a long way. If you go out with coworkers for lunch, consider restaurants that serve a variety of foods, so you don’t have to always turn to a burger and fries. Most workplace cafeterias offer an array of choices that can fit within a healthy diet. Packing your own meal is always a nice option whether it be leftovers or food you’ve prepared in advance. Consider balance and variety across food groups as you pack a meal or snack.   At home, keeping work and eating spaces separate can help establish boundaries between work and nourishment time. Stock your fridge with pre-washed veggies for snacking alongside hummus or cottage cheese. Opt for higher fiber snacks with some protein to help fill you up and keep you satisfied for longer. While chips, pretzels, and crackers are convenient to grab, they don’t do much to quell the appetite and it’s easy to keep reaching for more. It is advisable to pre-portion a small serving in a baggy when you crave something crunchy and salty as you can lose track of how much is eaten out of a large bag or box. You don’t have to maintain a “purist” food environment at home, but putting healthier, less-energy dense foods at the forefront of your pantry and refrigerator can help offset impulsive grab and go moments. For mealtimes at home, take the time to leave your workspace and focus on the food, not just quickly eating while you are at your computer.   Healthy eating in the workplace isn't about perfection—it's about making choices that support your well-being and work performance. By understanding and applying the principles of adequacy, balance, variety, and moderation to your specific work environment, you can create sustainable habits that fuel both your career and your health.   ... View more

Cheetos and Milky Way bars marked the beginnings of my 40+ year academic, professional, and publishing journey in the field of nutrition.   An assignment in a high school English class to create a survey prompted me to find out what students ate for lunch.  Truthfully, I wasn’t overly interested, but it seemed like a good topic and an easy survey to conduct.  The results revealed that while students ate all types of food from sandwiches to hot meals offered by the school to family meal leftovers, the two additional foods that were most frequently consumed were Cheetos and Milky Way bars.  Most likely purchased from the vending machines in the cafeteria (which aren’t allowed in public schools these days) not sent by their parents.  Part of the assignment required discussing the implications of the survey findings and it was really the first time I thought about the nutritional value – or lack thereof – of the foods we choose.   Fast forward to starting college and the perceived pressure to choose a major.   Seeing a class on vitamins in the catalog was enough to make me decide to major in nutrition.   After finishing my undergraduate degree, I went on to complete a dietetic internship, pass the registration exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), and earn a master’s degree in foods and nutrition.  Over the next decade or more, I gained experience in the clinical setting, conducted research, served as a consultant to several food companies, and helped manage a workplace health promotion program.   I even co-authored several popular “diet” books in the 80’s and 90’s with a health psychologist colleague. These experiences helped build a foundation for stepping into the classroom to teach nutrition at Vanderbilt University as an instructor in the year 2000.   Being an educator and having the privilege of speaking into students’ lives about the science and practice of eating well as a registered dietitian nutritionist has been the most rewarding part of my career.   I started with an overhead projector and 27 students, but within a few years the course grew to fill one of the largest classrooms on campus with almost 250 students and a waiting list.   As the university didn’t offer nutrition as a major, none of the students were majoring in nutrition, but had an interest in the subject or were taking the class to fulfill a pre-requisite or science requirement.   It was exciting and challenging to engage and effectively instruct the diverse class, so I began integrating more real-life examples and relevant illustrations of scientific concepts.   I also began dabbling in classroom technology and was one of the first instructors to make use of student polling devices as a tool to engage students and assess understanding.    Enter an acquisition editor with W.H. Freeman/Macmillan Learning in 2012 who invited me to coffee at a Starbucks to discuss the prospect of authoring an introductory nutrition textbook entitled “Nutrition for a Changing World” that used a journalistic style with science content weaved into relevant stories written by professional science writers.   He said my publishing history, approach in teaching, and Rate My Professor ratings (ha!) were among the reasons he came to me.  I was to provide the science content and work alongside a science writer and editors to create a unique approach to teaching nutrition to students that may not be majoring in nutrition.   Writing a textbook is an ambitious endeavor and early on I realized that I needed the help of a co-author to add their perspective and expertise on content as well as vision for infographics and art for the book.    Steve Nizielski, PhD, joined me on the project and we’ve worked as a team through the first two editions, a digital update, and currently, a third edition of the book.  Nutrition for a Changing World was awarded the STEM Product of the Year for its first edition and received a Textbook Excellence Award from the Textbook and Academic Author’s Association for the second edition.   It’s been gratifying to see the book evolve and serve as a source of credible and applicable nutrition education for thousands of students from across the country.   Little did I know that a survey in high school and a course catalog in college would be the start of an almost five decade fulfilling career as an RDN– or bring such varied opportunities to share knowledge and to foster an appreciation of the evolving science of nutrition with others.   Here’s to National Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day 2025!  ... View more

Think about when you’ve taken a bite of a food or family recipe and were transported back in time to your childhood dinner table, a holiday gathering, or family celebration.   Food connects us with special memories of family and friends.    This year’s National Nutrition Month theme of “Food Connects Us” embraces the social and communal aspect of how food connects us to our cultures, traditions, and the people in our lives.   Established in 1973 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, National Nutrition Month is celebrated each March to educate and to increase awareness about making informed food choices and developing healthy eating and lifestyle habits.   Food nourishes and sustains us, but it also serves to express appreciation, celebration, creativity, comfort, and connection.   Sharing a meal allows opportunity to focus on others, learn about one another’s lives, enjoy familiar and new foods, laugh, make new memories, and connect!   One of my students’ favorite assignments in my nutrition classes (also included as an end of chapter 14 activity in my textbook, Nutrition for a Changing World) involves exploring and comparing food-based guidelines from countries and cultures around the globe.   The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has over 100 countries featured on their website organized by continent and region with each country’s messages for their population about recommended food choice and diet related practices. *   When examining recommendations between countries, a fascinating pattern emerges – many emphasize the social and communal aspect of eating as a central component of what constitutes a healthy way of eating.   Brazil’s guidelines specifically state “Eat regularly and carefully, in appropriate environments, and whenever possible, in company.”    I love that they emphasize eating as a social practice that should be done in environments where people can focus on their food and one another.   Japan promotes “enjoying meals” through shared family dining.   They even recommend establishing regular mealtimes so family members can partake in the same dishes, passing down culinary traditions and strengthening family bonds.   French guidelines include that meals should be pleasurable social experiences, never rushed or eaten while performing other activities.   Mexico highlights “la comida” (main meal) as a central family event when families gather, disconnect from technology, and engage in conversation. Italian guidelines explicitly state, “conviviality strengthens the sense of belonging”.   Browsing messages and recommendations from other countries highlights the role of food in connecting us to one another.   The FAO food-based guidelines reveal that across diverse cultures, the act of eating together isn’t just about nutrition, it’s about strengthening social bonds, preserving traditions, and promoting overall well-being.   While culturally cognizant, the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans do not specifically highlight the social and communal aspect of eating.  Consider that surveys estimate Americans eat more than half of their meals alone and that less than half report eating dinner with other members of their household.  We may do well to consider the messages from other countries and food’s important role in connecting as it nourishes us. *For an article with suggestions on how to use the FAO Food-based Guidelines website as a class activity or assignment visit the Macmillan Learning Nutrition Community at https://community.macmillanlearning.com/t5/nutrition-blog/how-are-over-100-countries-around-the-world-advising-their/ba-p/19983 ... View more

Every year Valentine’s Day reminds us to think about what our heart wants. Falling right in the middle of American Heart Health Month, February shines a light on this vital organ that keeps us going.  Celebrating these holidays is not the only way to honor your heart’s needs. Heart health is crucial to a happy life. Young people, in particular, can set themselves up for longevity by prioritizing heart health from an early age.  Nutrition for a Changing World, Second Edition offers insight into a heart-protective diet and cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States that’s largely preventable.  The textbook covers additional relevant topics including the diabetes epidemic and global nutrition to educate students about our evolving understanding of our bodies.  With AnalyzeMyDiet, a personalized diet tracker, students are prepared to take their health to the next level. Healthy habits lead to a healthy heart that can take on anything, even love!  The auto-grading feature for diet analysis activities frees up instructors’ time for lesson planning, syllabus making… love too!  Students will learn exactly what their bodies need with real-world nutrition activities and scenario-based exercises where they can apply their understanding. There’s even a chapter dedicated to nutrition through the college years, so students can plan for eating between classes and during late night study sessions.  College students often find themselves so busy that even drinking water becomes a chore. Sections about vitamins and water will reinforce the importance of keeping your body hydrated and in check.   Your heart is at the center of your circulatory system, so put love first this month. Remember, your heart needs you! Empower your students to take charge of their health today with Nutrition for a Changing World, Second Edition   ... View more

Welcome to a new semester! What diet and nutrition questions are your students wondering about? The first week of classes is an excellent opportunity to get a sense of what questions (and misconceptions!) your students have coming into your course. Consider having students submit one nutrition or diet related question via your LMS that they'd like addressed over the course of the semester. You can use their questions to inform your teaching and for assignments and projects during the semester. Ideas: Consider the questions as you prepare topic specific lectures and guide students to where their questions are addressed in the text  Use the questions for a research project. Select a few of the questions to have students choose one to explore and compare in the media and in scientific literature. (Message me if you'd like a copy of a Nutrition in the News project) For an end of semester assignment, provide an Excel list of their questions (without names) and ask them to address one....the hope is that by scrolling through the questions from the first week of class students get a sense of what they've learned, but also how much there is to learn in the arena of nutrition! Here's a sampling of questions, note how some demonstrate inherent misconceptions.... How necessary is it to have three meals a day and which one is the priority? How many carbs on average should one eat during a day? What foods are best to avoid? Which fad diets are actually good for you? What is the relationship between your diet and your mood and/or mental health (if there is one)? How much protein is too much? Are multivitamins helpful? Are there benefits of dairy in the human diet or is it healthier to altogether eliminate dairy? What are the true benefits of a plant-based diet? How I can I ensure I'm getting all my required nutrients on a plant-based diet? I would like to learn more about the effects of red meat on health and cancer. What does a well-balanced diet look like What types of food aid in better performance??? I am curious about coffee. What are the nutritional benefits? How much is too much coffee? How should what one consumes change over the lifespan? is diet soda actually that bad for you? Is there any science behind Omega-3 and fish oil consumption. How can I maintain a healthy gut with my diet? Does diet or exercise play a larger role in overall health and weight? How can you have a healthy and good diet while still eating what you want? ... View more

How does dietary guidance for populations from around the world compare to the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans? The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) provides easy access to food-based guidelines for over 100 countries.  Exploring these guidelines provides students with the opportunity to explore the health, cultural, agricultural, environmental, and even political aspects of how government agencies advise their population to eat. Most countries have also developed visual depictions like pyramids and plates to provide dietary advice.  I would be happy to share a slide presentation that provides a brief overview of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, but then asks students to explore other countries (just email me at jpopenutrition@gmail.com!).  Organized by region of the world, it's interesting to discuss how the language, specifics, and emphasis of guidelines compare.  Chapter 2 in Nutrition for a Changing World introduces food guides around the world, but can be used as an end of semester activity to consider the many aspects of healthy diets.  Here are a few questions to consider: Do you notice cultural, agricultural, or health/nutrition concerns reflected in the messages? How do the messages differ from the DGA? How are the messages similar to the DGA? How does the food guide icon differ from the US MyPlate? Common to all countries are recommendations to consume more plant-based foods and to reduce intake of saturated fats, added sugars, and sodium.  Here's a recent article of interest from the British Medical Journal to share with students - The healthiness and sustainability of national and global food based dietary guidelines: modelling study of 85 countries The article explores how countries are doing in meeting dietary guidelines - spoiler:   not very well at all.   ... View more

The first week of classes for too many semesters to count, I asked my students to submit one nutrition or diet related question via our LMS that they'd like addressed over the course of the semester.   I have thousands of these questions!   They reflect what's trending (popular diets, etc.) as well as fundamental questions about what constitutes a healthy diet, plant-based eating, supplements, and more.   I considered these questions when preparing my lectures (for example, what are their questions or misconceptions about carbohydrates?).   For the Nutrition in the News project (see previous post -search Nutrition in the News or email me for a copy), I choose four or five topics from among the questions for students to choose one to research.  Finally, for their last participation activity I provide an Excel list of their questions (without names) and ask them to address one....my hope is that by scrolling through the questions from the first week of class students get a sense of what they've learned, but also how much there is to learn in the arena of nutrition!   Here's a sampling of questions, note how some demonstrate inherent misconceptions.... Does one's nutrition/diet affect how COVID-19 impacts his or her body? If so, how? How necessary is it to have three meals a day and which one is the priority? How many carbs on average should one eat during a day? What foods are best to avoid? Which fad diets are actually good for you? What is the relationship between your diet and your mood and/or mental health (if there is one)? How much protein is too much? Are multivitamins helpful? Are there benefits of dairy in the human diet or is it healthier to altogether eliminate dairy? What are the true benefits of a plant-based diet? How I can I ensure I'm getting all my required nutrients on a plant-based diet? I would like to learn more about the effects of red meat on health and cancer. What does a well-balanced diet look like What types of food aid in better performance??? I am curious about coffee. What are the nutritional benefits? How much is too much coffee? How should what one consumes change over the lifespan? is diet soda actually that bad for you? Is there any science behind Omega-3 and fish oil consumption. How can I maintain a healthy gut with my diet? Does diet or exercise play a larger role in overall health and weight? How can you have a healthy and good diet while still eating what you want? ... View more

Happy, healthy 2024!! What are the food trends for 2024? The predictions from industry, chefs, and nutritional professionals vary, but there seem to be some common themes revolving around gut health, sustainability, small serving indulgences, more plant-based meat/seafood alternatives, and "purer" ingredient lists and product labels. Americans are villanizing what they see as ultra-processed foods and pledging to eat less sugar and refined grains as well as reduce alcohol consumption by opting for non- or low alcohol alternatives. Sharing and discussing food and nutrition trends make an interesting way to kick off a new semester!    https://www.thedailymeal.com/1435962/food-trends-2024/ ... View more

First day of class and stepping in front of a new group of faces in a classroom or kicking off an online course?   My goal for this first interaction has been not only to introduce myself and the course, but to ignite interest and excitement about what they will learn during the semester.  Here are some thoughts and ideas – please share your strategies for Day One using the Reply button below!   Project a recent nutrition news story on the screen as students arrive.  Or share a social media post relevant to diet and nutrition.  For current news, subscribe to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics SmartBrief for daily nutrition news.  Also, I regularly post nutrition news links with a brief overview and applicable research on my educational Facebook page, Jamie Pope Nutrition Prof.  Sharing current or trending nutrition news catches attention and demonstrates relevance while also raising questions that taking the course can help address…. You can also do this in synchronous online lectures by including or posting on the screen as students join.    I stopped going through the syllabus word by word electing to highlight important takeaways and expectations and encouraging them to read the syllabus as a contract and that by enrolling they are agreeing to the terms.   For the past several years, I have recorded a video that walks through the syllabus in more detail and post it along with the print version on the course LMS page.   This saves me some precious class time and is also helpful for students that might enroll after the first day of class.   After welcoming them and introducing myself, usually sharing what brought me into the field of nutrition along with a bit about myself professionally and personally, I’ve often opened the class with a short video.  While several years old, “Time Travel Dietitian” breaks the ice and illustrates the evolving (and often confusing) science of nutrition.   While they misspell as "dietician" and not all "facts" are quite right - it also allows opportunity to comment on the abundance of misconceptions in nutrition.   You might have seen it and use it, but if not, you'll get a chuckle!  Another option is to show a health and nutrition related feature from one of the major networks – you can find these on their homepages.  Because of the class size, to begin getting acquainted I have used a series of polling questions and have generated bar graphs or word clouds with answers – why they are taking the class, majors, where from, favorite food, etc...   I’ve also asked students to name a food they consider “healthy” and one they consider “unhealthy” (provides some humorous answers from a big group and gives me an opportunity to let them know that all foods can have a place in an overall healthy diet!).   This can also be done with polling questions in synchronous platforms.   If time permits after some opening engagement content, course orientation, and addressing questions, I’ve used some highlights from recent surveys as a sort of state of nutrition.   The International Food and Information Council’s annual Food and Health Survey can provide relevant statistics about perceptions and practices surrounding food choice – I’ve sometimes posed the same question from the survey to the class as a polling question and then show the IFIC survey results for the nation.    Just a few ideas - every semester is a bit different!   Here is a First Day of Class resource from my university's Center for Teaching.  What is your approach for the first day of class?! ... View more

This week my classes are covering the vitamins - which can be a bit of a challenge to teach in an engaging and effective way.  Vitamin discovery peaks my interest and I've found is a good way to introduce the role of vitamins, the consequences of inadequacy, and the connection to health and disease.   Here are a couple of videos I've integrated into online quizzes.   1) short video on the history of vitamins.   Among the multiple fun facts to ask students  - What year was vitamin C first proposed as an essential vitamin?   Name one of the five letters in the alphabet after which a vitamin has not yet been proposed or named.  2) And yes, it says "6th grade video", but I've open the water-soluble vitamin class with this video for years 🙂  "In the early 1900's a "mysterious" disease ravaged the American south resulting in tens of thousands of institutionalizations and deaths.   As addressed in chapter 8, watch this interesting video about the investigation and exploration of what came to be identified as a vitamin deficiency."   The online "quiz" includes questions like:    What were some of the early theories considered as cause for the mysterious disease found primarily in the rural south in the early 1900's? What was the disease called and what vitamin was the deficiency and the resulting effects ultimately attributed? Deficiency of the vitamin you identified in the preceding question is very rarely observed in the U.S. since the mid-1900s.   In addition to improvements in the availability of a more varied diet, comment on why you think this deficiency, likely along with other possible deficiency conditions, was essentially eradicated in the U.S.   A hint can be found here.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1446222/ Another assignment is:  Visit the National Institutes of Health website for factsheets on vitamins and minerals.   Choose one of the fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble B-vitamins or vitamin C and click on the vitamin's name in the list.   Choose "health professional" fact sheet.   Which vitamin did you choose? Skim the fact sheet for the vitamin you chose as you scroll down to the section on "Vitamin ____ Intake and Status".    According to survey data (NHANES) comment on the intake of this vitamin in the U.S. (i.e., do most people meet recommended intake levels or fall short?) Continue to scroll down the fact sheet to the section of the vitamin you chose under "Vitamin ____ and Health".    Identify at least two conditions or diseases that are listed as having a possible association with this vitamin?   You will note that often evidence is lacking for a strong association with conditions/diseases listed.     Scroll down to the section on "Health Risks from Excessive Vitamin _____"   Recall that not all vitamins have an established Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) - if provided, what is the UL for the vitamin you chose?   What, if any, health risks are associated with excess intake?  (in most cases, excess intake comes only through inappropriate supplementation not through food alone) These fact sheets can be of value to practicing health professionals and the public when evaluating dietary supplements or to learn more about vitamins and minerals.  In reading through the fact sheet on the vitamin you explored, was there any other information that was of interest?      ... View more

New Spring Semester greetings! Hope the DGA resources shared in a previous post are helpful as you update and integrate the new guidelines into your course. As the new semester resumes the first project I assign is "Analyze My Diet".  Below is an excerpt from the project overview including an option for students for whom tracking of their daily intake is not appropriate.   I opt to have students track three days of intake using the attached log (by hand or on computer) before entering food and beverages into the AMD analysis tool through Launchpad. They upload their food logs and their AMD Combination Report for 25 of the 100 points. The remaining 75 points include 5 points for the tutorial and 5 points for each of the AMD activities (14 of these). If helpful, here's that excerpt and food record attached!  As always, feel free to reach out to me with questions or input - jamie.pope@vanderbilt.edu  Project 1 Dietary monitoring and analysis project For this Analyze My Diet (AMD) project, students will keep a three-day food intake record that tracks food and beverage intake as well as other factors that play a role in eating behavior and food choice. The first part of the project will utilize an online nutrient and dietary analysis program through Launchpad to analyze dietary composition of key nutrients and compare to established recommended standards. After completing a short tutorial and using reports generated from the analysis, students will then complete online activities through Launchpad online media.  Activity due dates align with coverage of topics addressed over the course of the semester.  Students will be graded on the assignment completion and correctness not the adequacy of their individual intake. Note: closely monitoring personal food intake may not be appropriate for some students; please contact Professor Pope to discuss confidential, alternative arrangements. ... View more

The first assignment in my introductory nutrition course is to submit one nutrition related question to address during the semester. The most common question revolves around "just what is a healthy diet?". The media overflows with confusing and conflicting - and often unreasonable - information and advice. Bottom line, a healthy eating pattern revolves around balance, variety, adequacy, and moderation as addressed in Chapter 2 on Healthy Diets.  But how do consumers define these characteristics? This article provides details from a study that shows people view variety and balance differently - and not always in line with what nutrition experts and dietary guidelines intend. https://theconversation.com/food-variety-is-important-for...         ... View more