Nutrition and Food Safety

In order to live, we must eat. The kind of food we eat affects how our bodies work. Not eating enough or not eating the right kinds of foods can cause people to have a higher risk of illness and death. Throughout the entire life cycle, good nutrition results in greater cognitive, motor, and social development, educational attainment, productivity, and lifetime earnings. On the other hand, the safety, quality and nutritional value of the food we eat is of fundamental importance to our health and wellbeing. Food safety and nutrition are therefore key concerns for public health. This course is purposed to enlighten the participants on basic principles of Nutrition, health and food safety. They will learn about macro and micronutrients, digestion, food safety and technology and nutrition for an active lifestyle. Participants will also conduct a thorough self-dietary analysis.

This course is highly recommended to community health extension workers working in areas that experience frequent famines and droughts, projects officers in NGO’s, teachers/children care givers, food service professionals and to team leaders of corporate organizations. It is also suitable for anyone wishing to know more about nutrition and those willing to live a healthy lifestyle focusing on lifestyle disease prevention.

After completing this course, the participants shall be able to: - Describe the characteristics of essential nutrients and evaluate the use of scientific research to determine nutrient needs. - Examine the various factors that make a healthy diet and design menus using My Pyramid and Dietary Guidelines. - Outline the functions of (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins) and discuss the effects of deficiency and excess intake. - Assess the importance of water and minerals to the human body. - Describe problems associated with obesity and discuss how it can be treated. - Discuss healthy ways to buy, prepare, cook, and preserve food. - Outline the causes and effects of a few eating disorders and discuss the possible modes of treatment.

• Classes and Sources of Nutrients
• The Need to Eat
• Scientific Research to Determine Nutrient Needs
• Nutrition and Changing Lifestyle
• Appraise the impact of a changing lifestyle on diet and discuss how the problem of under nutrition in the world can be resolved.
• Designing a Healthy Diet
• Nutrition Assessment
• Diet Plans
• Evaluate MyPyramid and Dietary Guidelines as diet planning tools and design a menu using MyPyramid and Dietary Guidelines.

• Cell Biology
• Physiological Systems
• The Digestive Process
• Trace the contribution of the constituents of food to the normal functioning of cellular components.
• Delineate the relationship between nutrition and the functions of each system of the human body.
• Explore the relationship between nutrition and the functions of each part of the digestive system.
• List the common problems with the digestive system and evaluate the possible modes of treatment.

• Types of Carbohydrates
• Carbohydrates in Foods
• Digestion and Absorption of Carbohydrates
• Health Concerns related to carbohydrate intake
• Explain how carbohydrates are digested by the body

• Types of Lipids
• Lipids in Foods
• Digestion and Absorption of Lipids
• Health Concerns Related to Lipid Intake
• Explain the process of digestion and absorption of lipids and summarize its nutritional role in the body

• The Building Blocks of Proteins: Amino Acids
• Proteins in Foods
• Digestion and Absorption of Proteins
• Functions of Proteins
• Trace the formation of proteins from amino acids.
• Explain the various plant and animal sources of proteins.
• Explain the process of digestion and absorption of proteins in the body.
• Outline the functions of proteins and discuss the effects of deficiency and excess intake.

• Classification of Vitamins
• Digestion of Vitamins
• Functions of Vitamins
• Vitamin Supplements
• Identify food sources of fat-soluble and water soluble vitamins.
• Explain the process of digestion and absorption of vitamins in the body.
• Evaluate the nutritional role and deficiency symptoms for each vitamin.
• Evaluate the use of vitamin supplements.

• Water and Minerals
• Functions of Water
• Classification of Minerals
• Functions of Minerals
• State the functions of water in the body
• Classify minerals into major and trace and identify food sources of major and trace minerals.
• Mineral Deficiency and Excess minerals in the body
• Identify and explain problems associated with deficient and excess intake of minerals and recommend appropriate treatment.

• Weight Estimation
• Fitness and Nutrition
• Outline the relationship between nutrition and fitness
• Popular Diets
• Evaluate the consequences of some popular diets.
• Describe the concept of energy balance and explain how the amount of energy used by the body is measured
• Evaluate the various ways to estimate healthy weight and obesity.
• Describe problems associated with obesity and discuss how it can be treated.

• Healthy Attitudes towards Food
• Summarize the importance of cultivating healthy attitudes towards food
• Anorexia Nervosa
• •Outline the causes and effects of anorexia nervosa and discuss the possible modes of treatment
• Bulimia Nervosa
• Evaluate the causes and effects of bulimia nervosa and discuss the possible modes of treatment
• Some More Eating Disorders
• Create a tabular representation of the causes and effects of eating disorders such as binge eating and the female athletic triad.

• Hazards and risks in the modern food chain
• Interpretation of risks, probability and relevance
• Microorganisms in food: good, bad and/or a nuisance
• Qualitative and quantitative principles food safety of chemicals
• Toxicological risk assessment
• Microbiological risk assessment
• Ways to reduce risks in food
• Discuss healthy ways to buy, prepare, cook, and preserve food.