How can you evaluate a dietary supplement for effectiveness (that is delivering on it’s claims) and safety? It ain’t easy. Dietary supplements are regulated more like food than drugs and do not undergo the same level of scrutiny as drugs. Most were classified as GRAS substances (Generally Recognized As Safe) under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 and are assumed to be safe unless reports of adverse effects demonstrate otherwise. Any new supplement or dietary ingredient introduced by a manufacturer requires that the FDA be notified and provide evidence that a supplement is” reasonably expected to be safe”. When considering a supplement, it is wise to check with your health care provider as well as do some research on your own to examine claims, interactions with medications, and potential adverse effects.   For many semesters, my students completed a project in which they evaluated a dietary supplement of their choosing. The first step was to examine the label for claims, warnings, and dosage instructions. Supplement manufacturers generally use what are called “structure function” claims about how a product might affect the body’s structure and function (not a disease or condition). These use words like “promote”, “helps”, or “maintains” and require a disclaimer that the FDA has not evaluated the claim and that the product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. I then provided several credible, evidence-based websites where students could read about the supplement and address questions about efficacy of claims, interactions, contraindications, and potential side effects. A few of those sites are listed below.   Finally, students looked at a few scientific abstracts in PubMed – a repository of peer reviewed research and review papers – to gain some insight on the type and quality of research conducted on the supplement they were examining. Here's a helpful guide to "To Find Information About Complementary and Integrative Health Practices on PubMed®" Based on their readings and research students were asked to share their own recommendations and reservations about a supplement – and most concluded that more research was warranted to support claims and safety. Here are some websites to explore! National Institute of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS): https://ods.od.nih.gov/ NIH ODS Supplement Fact Sheets: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/ FDA Dietary Supplements https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplements National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine www.nccam.nih.gov Medline Plus (Herbs and Supplements): https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/herb_All.html               ... View more

Do you include a dietary analysis project in your nutrition course?   Faculty surveys indicate that most instructors assign early in the semester.  If you are a Nutrition for a Changing World 2e user, I hope you’ve checked out AnalyzeMyDiet in the robust Achieve learning platform for the course that provides a comprehensive set of interconnected teaching and assessment tools.   I love that the assignments in AnalyzeMyDiet are now integrated in a pre-built course to align with topics and relevant chapters.   Assigning the entire project before covering topics can make context and appropriate answers challenging!   AnalyzeMyDiet provides both a diet tracker and personalized, auto-graded diet analysis activities, freeing instructors from hand-grading diet analysis projects.  It has a database of over 50,000 USDA and brand-name foods!  AnalyzeMyDiet generates comprehensive reports including an all-in-one “Combination Report” with personalized feedback and data in one file for easy reference when addressing questions that help students understand and apply fundamental nutrition concepts.   Check out the sample report attachment!    Here are a few thoughts about assigning a dietary analysis project: Consider having students document intake before entering into the analysis program.  Even though students can directly enter their food intake, this was often done from recall - which we all know is tough to do especially if recalling three days of intake!  I would ask students to document their intake over a three-day period (two weekdays, one weekend day) either by hand on a form (sample attached) or to download form as pdf or in Word.   This was the first step in the project from which they would then enter their food and beverages into AnalyzeMyDiet tracker.   Students would upload their records as attachments or photos of handwritten logs into the LMS for the assignment.  The records counted as part of total project points.  Students were instructed to record portions as accurately as possible, dissuading against using “1 serving” or “1 bowl” and such – as can vary significantly!   Would provide visual ways to estimate portions – i.e., a baseball or tennis ball about one cup, a ping pong or golf ball about 2 tablespoons, a deck of cards about 3 ounces of meat, chicken, etc. (examples included at bottom of attached food log). Encourage students to choose “maintain” their weight when setting up their profile and to use the project to evaluate nutritional adequacy not for weight management!   If students opt to say, “lose weight” and even put in 1 or 2 pounds the calorie target will be lower and skew how they compare their actual intake.   And add to the weight focus of many college age young adults!   Many of the free and popular tracking apps have a weight loss focus.  Speaking of weight focus – be careful with this project in view of the higher incidence and risk of disordered eating in this population!   I stress and put in red type “Note:   closely monitoring personal food intake may not be appropriate for some students; please contact Professor Pope to discuss confidential, alternative arrangements for this project.”   The student and I come up with a viable alternative whether it be analyzing someone else’s intake, using sample days, or even a research project that doesn’t involve any dietary analysis that aligns with their interests.   I usually have about several students reach out each semester! You can learn about all that AnalyzeMyDiet can do by scheduling a one-on-one demonstration here!  Scroll down to Achieve Demo for Nutrition.   ... View more

Whether you are sharing teaching responsibilities with another instructor or teaching one or more sections of the same course alongside other faculty, this Faculty Focus article has some helpful insights for creating a collaborative experience that benefits both the educators and learners.   I’ve cotaught a large introductory course a few of my 40+ semesters –initially alongside my predecessor and most recently to orient my successor.  Both situations had their challenges in workload distribution, student communications, approach, and willingness to give more than the minimum.   Admittedly, I prefer solo teaching, but that is likely because I feel such ownership and accountability for student experience and learning outcomes – and my own need to control what and how content is taught.   As my university only had one section of introductory nutrition, I haven’t experienced teaching the same course with multiple sections, but imagine it requires collaboration for consistency and expectations.   We can all learn from one another and benefit from the unique strengths and experience each educator brings to the face-to-face, remote, or hybrid classroom.   This Nutrition Community can help us connect and collaborate!   What are you thoughts or experiences in coteaching?   ... View more

The first day of class can set the tone for the semester and is a chance to engage and motivate your new students.   I am always excited with a mix of adrenaline and butterflies to greet students (whether face-to-face or online) and preview course content and expectations.  After a brief warm welcome and introduction,  I usually kick off with a "fun" activity, video, or poll that is intended to demonstrate the significance and scope of nutrition - and to possibly challenge preconceived perceptions.   If using PPTX, I created a slide with a variety of snapshots about me and my life to provide some personal and professional insights - and also slides with photos about the teaching associates for that semester to put a personable face with their name.   If online, can create this as separate narrated VOPPTX or video.  I then discussed highlights and important takeaways from the syllabus, but in recent semesters I recorded a VOPPTX that walked students through the syllabus in more detail that would be posted on the course page and provided a link within the first week announcement for easy access (also was helpful for students who might miss the first class).   Would love to hear your thoughts about the first week of class!   Vanderbilt's Center for Teaching and Learning has a wide range of excellent, accessible resources for faculty - here's a link to some excellent ideas for that first day of class!  Here's wishing you a great semester!   Jamie ... View more

How do you feel about a warning symbol on the front of packaged foods alerting you to higher amounts of nutrients linked to chronic disease risk? In the US, we often see label statements and claims on the front of packages as to what “positive” nutrient a food might contain (fiber, omega-3, vitamin D, etc.) or what a food might not contain (gluten, GMOs, added sugars, etc.) – but in terms of amounts consumers must pick up a product and take a look (and try to decipher) at the Nutrition Facts Panel. Earlier this month, Canada instituted new food policy that requires packaged foods that contain more than 15% of the Daily Value for saturated fat, added sugars, and sodium to include a standardized warning on the front of the package. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2022/06/front-of-package-nutrition-labelling.html I admit, while I applaud the intent as we do overconsume these chronic disease promoting constituents, I am mixed about fostering a “good” “bad” approach to food choice – and how some consumers and manufacturers alike will respond. I often joke that dietitians often begin addressing questions with “it depends….”. Individual food choice must be viewed in context with the rest of the overall diet. Not sure if a warning label will be coming to a food package near you in the future. Would love to hear your perspective. https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/21683-front-of-package-warning-labels-coming-to-canada   ... View more

Link to 5 minute podcast about the Assertion Evidence approach for educational PPTX or read on..... 🙂 Several years ago, I attended a workshop offered by our Center for Teaching here at Vanderbilt on approaches for educational Power Point presentations for use in higher ed.  I was most intrigued and impressed by examples and the pedagogy behind the “Assertion-Evidence” approach to creating slide presentations. Rather than a topic heading on the slide, this format uses an assertion statement to make a point – and builds a presentation around messages rather than topics. The assertion is a statement or short sentence as the slide heading that expresses the primary focus or take away from that slide.  Even a quick glance at the slide provides the central concept or message being communicated.   For example, rather than a topic heading that says, “Blood Glucose Regulation”, the assertion would be “Blood glucose levels are maintained through the actions of pancreatic hormones”.  Or rather than a topic of “Carbohydrate Classification” the assertion would be “Carbohydrates are classified as simple or complex”.   The assertion communicates a message about a topic that is then supported by additional information or evidence of the assertion.  The “evidence” that follows would be bullet points, a visual image, or infographic that supports the assertion.   Regarding the assertion “carbohydrates are classified as simple or complex” the evidence would be examples of simple and complex carbohydrates along with or even just an image of some of these foods from the text.  The assertion is not repeated in the body of the slide.  For my own classes and for the textbook, I adapted the “regular” (and still very good!) slides to incorporate the Assertion-Evidence approach as an alternative for instructors. Thus, as currently found in the instructor resources - and unique to our text - educators have the choice of either topic-based slides or my Assertion-Evidence.   Both can be adapted and edited to meet individual instructor’s style and learning goals.    You can also read more about this approach at www.assertion-evidence.com.  ... View more

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At the conclusion of each semester, I created and posted an anonymous survey in our LMS to assess how well students believed the overall course goals from the syllabus were met.   The university generated evaluations provide valuable feedback but input specific to a course and its success beyond student performance has proven to be valuable.   I’ve modified the survey over several semesters from a narrative answer to a scale to a combination of both.  And maybe more importantly, reviewing the course goals at the conclusion of the semester allows students the opportunity to reflect upon and consider what they’ve learned – and hopefully feel good about that!  A link to the survey is shared via email with a message encouraging completion and how their anonymous feedback will assist in improving the course and its components for future students.  Reading student feedback provides another opportunity for instructors to evaluate the course design and components in alignment with course goals.  Here are the course goals from the introductory nutrition course: At the end of the course, the student will be able to: Appreciate the scope and complexity of the evolving science of nutrition. Discuss the role of each of the six classes of nutrients in the maintenance of health.  Describe how dietary recommendations for Americans are established, evaluated, implemented, and applied to meet individual dietary needs, promote health, and prevent chronic disease – and how they compare to food-based guidelines from around the globe. Describe the fundamental role of nutrition and food choice in prevention and treatment of select diet-related chronic diseases. Discuss factors that affect nutrition and health status of individuals across the lifespan with corresponding intervention strategies. Analyze controversies or claims surrounding one or more contemporary nutrition issues based on scientific evidence and nutrition theory. Identify ways individuals can assess, evaluate, and implement strategies that promote a healthy and safe diet. Discuss how all foods can fit within an overall healthful diet.  A goal of this course is to lessen and lighten food related "rules" and dogmatic thinking surrounding dietary practices and approaches through a better understanding of nutrition principles and application.   ... View more

Was delighted to welcome teaching colleagues and co-host our latest “Coffee with Nutrition Authors” with my co-author and friend, Steve Nizielski, and our Senior Marketing Manager, Nancy Bradshaw on March 23.   Attendees were able to get a behind-the-scenes look at Nutrition for a Changing World’s new digital update and online platform Achieve.   Nancy previewed a pre-built course that includes pre-class, in-class, and post-class activities and assessments for each chapter and spotlight as well as aligned AnalyzeMyDiet activities and eBook activities.   We were treated to demos of the new interactive Real World Nutrition activities that now accompany every chapter and spotlight.   See a screen shot sample of chapter 4 Carbohydrates pre-built chapter below.  And of course, a look at that our pre-graded AnalyzeMyDiet within Achieve has to offer!   Even as an author of the text, I benefitted greatly from a one-on-one demo with one of our amazing tech team – so don’t worry if you missed the Coffee hour, you have the opportunity to see for yourself all the new and enhanced features of Achieve and AnalyzeMyDiet unique to the nutrition text and course.   Here’s a few links that I hope are helpful!   Best!   Jamie (feel free to reach out to me as well!  Jamie.pope@vanderbilt.edu or jpopenutrition@gmail.com ) Nutrition for a Changing World Dietary Guidelines and Digital Update Getting Started with Achieve for Instructors online info and tutorials Schedule a one-on-one demo of Achieve and AnalyzeMyDiet for yourself! Find your Macmillan Learning representative to request a review copy of the text (print and/or online version) or for consultation ... View more

Every year the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics sponsors National Nutrition Month in March.   This year's theme is "Celebrate a World of Flavors" with a focus on cultural diversity and exploring tastes and dishes from around the globe.  You can find a NNM toolkit on the Academy's website with a variety of helpful resources including tips for adding foods, spices, and dishes from other cuisines. I gave a presentation to an undergraduate student organization where I shared a few of the resources, but also did a bit of "traveling through taste".   With travel restrictions during the pandemic many people are seeking authentic culinary experiences closer to home by experimenting with new recipes or dining out.   As this group of 100 or more students have diverse ethnic backgrounds we asked students to share a recipe representative of their culture - including different regions of the U.S prior to the meeting.    We also took a look at different countries and regions and how climate, agriculture, the economy, cultural traditions, and more might impact eating patterns and food choice - and even dietary recommendations.   I love photo journalist Peter Menzel's work and his book Hungry Planet - here's a link to some of the images of  a week's worth of food from around the world!  The National Geographic's "How the World Eats" is also an interesting site to explore and discuss!   Here's a link to the slide presentation from that meeting - feel free to use or edit!   Best.   Jamie ... View more

Do you assign a diet analysis project as part of your nutrition course?   More than 20 years ago I had students using food composition books and product labels to examine food and nutrient intake by hand - then not so very long ago, students were able to use online databases for assessing intake while completing worksheets or written projects.  Grading these projects - sometimes for hundreds of students - required many hours of instructor and teaching associate time to check answers and provide feedback.  AnalyzeMyDiet is not only auto graded, but provides answer specific feedback if a student makes a mistake.   Instructors also have access to visual analytics and student's entries in real time.    Nutrition for Changing World offers AnalyzeMyDiet through its online Achieve platform. Updated with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025, Nutrition for a Changing World, Second Edition is available in Macmillan Learning’s breakthrough online platform, Achieve—a comprehensive set of interconnected teaching and assessment tools co-designed with instructors and students using a foundation of learning research and rigorous testing.    Why do instructors like AnalyzeMyDiet?  It provides both a diet tracker and personalized, auto-graded diet analysis activities, freeing instructors from hand-grading diet analysis projects.  Our database of over 50,000 USDA and brand-name foods makes it easy for students to track their intake and physical activity. A comprehensive set of reports includes an all-in-one “Combination Report” with all data in one file for easy use. New auto-graded AnalyzeMyDiet activities are now further enhanced: Ability for students to make initial data table edits/corrections. Ability to have students perform a numerical calculation on the auto-graded activity. Answer-specific feedback on questions; now, if a student makes a mistake, they can get feedback to send them in the right direction. And much more!   You can learn more about Achieve and see all that AnalyzeMyDiet can do for you and your students -  schedule a one-on-one demonstration here!  Scroll down to Achieve Demo for Nutrition.    ... View more

In anticipation of National Nutrition Month (NNM) 2022 which has a culturally diverse theme of Celebrate a World of Flavors, I’m sharing a previous post below with info and links for an engaging and informative activity or assignment that explores food-based guidelines from around the globe.  Its also the featured "Bring It Home" activity for Chapter 14 in the text and in online resources.  Be sure to check out all the NNM resources available to you at the Academy’s website.  What are some ways you might take your likely diverse group of students on a journey to a variety of cultures, flavors, and food practices?   Please share your ideas here with “Reply” or email me at jpopenutrition@gmail.com.   In discussing food practices and influences as well as dietary guidelines around the globe, I posted an assignment for students to visit the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to access a listing of countries from around the world with their corresponding Food-based Dietary Guidelines and graphics. More than 100 countries worldwide have developed food-based dietary guidelines that are adapted to their nutrition situation, food availability, culinary cultures and eating habits. Students were to choose one country from the listing, review the information regarding that country's guidelines with special note of the section "Messages". They were to summarize the key messages and to compare to what we'd covered about the DGA - taking note of common recommendations, but unique cultural or cuisine aspects. A fun resource!   Check out Ecuador's Food Guide wooden spoon graphic below!    ... View more

Where do you get answers for your health and nutrition questions?   Surveys show that almost 90% of respondents initially turn to online resources and websites – usually found through a popular search engine like Google.   The number of results and links can certainly be daunting, but more so which sites you can trust to provide credible, up to date, and evidence backed information.   Nutrition related information and claims on the web is abundant and quite frankly, overwhelming.   So how do you know what info to trust?  This is a question often asked by students – many future health professionals – and one that I hope they leave a nutrition course better equipped to evaluate.  Chapter 1 in our text addresses how and where to find credible sources of nutrition information and provides an activity that engages students in evaluating results from an internet search.  I was interested in this bulletin from the National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Medicine that provided guidance for how to evaluate accuracy of online health information.   Along with other helpful advice on social media and health apps, they suggest asking these five questions about online sources – a good place to start and a good basis for a class discussion.        Who runs or created the site? Can you trust them?     What is the site promising or offering? Do its claims seem too good to be true?     When was the information written or reviewed? Is it up to date?     Where does the information come from? Is it based on scientific research?     Why does the site exist? Is it selling something?   ... View more

Early each January U.S. News and World Reports releases its "Best Diets" report ranking 40 popular "diets" and commercial programs in terms of nutritional adequacy, healthfulness, disease prevention, impact on longevity, and sustainability (ability to follow and sustain over time). For the fourth year in a row plant-based diets top the list with the Mediterranean Diet ranked as #1 “Best Diet Overall” followed closely by the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating pattern and the Flexitarian diet, both tying for second. Keto, Whole 30, and the Dukan diet all fall at the bottom of the rankings on all the variables considered.....   In addition to Best Diet Overall, the Mediterranean diet beat out contenders in other categories, including Best Plant-Based Diets, Best Diabetes Diets, Best Heart-Healthy Diets, Best Diets for Healthy Eating, and Easiest Diets to Follow. You can read more about the "best" diets categories, the diets evaluated and how the rankings were determined.  In a face-to-face class I've written the several dozen different "diets" on slips of paper and had individual students or pairs draw one to read about and share the ranking and a few basics with the class.      Remember, "going on a diet" is rarely advisable - rather focusing on a wide variety of nutrient-dense, primarily plant-based foods while moderating intake of highly processed foods, added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium. Indeed, the highest ranked diets align with these core principles.    ... View more

Over the past twenty plus years I’ve had the honor – and challenge – of stepping in front of a new group of faces 43 times for the first day of the semester.   Recently online.    My classes have tended to be large ones averaging 150 or more students from diverse majors and backgrounds that have chosen to take introductory nutrition often as an elective.   My goal for this first interaction is not only to introduce myself and the course, but to ignite their 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!   1.  Project a recent nutrition news story on the screen as students arrive.  For example, a recent study in JAMA found that kids and teens consume almost 70% of their calories from ultra-processed foods.  This 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.    2.  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 does walk 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.   3. 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! 4.  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!).  5. 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.   Also see my last post about food trends for 2022 - that might generate good discussion as well!    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