Lesson 1: Nutrition and Health — What's the Connection?
What we eat profoundly affects our health and well-being. Obesity is at epidemic proportions in the United States and throughout the world. Many of us eat more than we require. We eat when we are rushed. We do not understand how various food elements interact, and we are not as knowledgeable as we could be about various diet types and their effects on our health.
The outcome of this course is for the learner to describe the role of food and health in human history, as well as explain various elements of nutrition and some of the most common types of diets.
Lesson 2: Nutrition, Stress, and Immune Function
Most individuals enjoy sitting down and eating a delicious meal. Food provides an opportunity to socialize and, if the food is nutritious, it also supports a healthy body and mind. However, if individuals are stressed before, during, or after a meal, the nutrients they eat are not utilized as effectively as when people are relaxed. If stress also causes an individual to eat food that is not nutritious, health issues can result. Nutrition, stress, and the immune system are closely related.
The outcome of this course is for the learner to describe the relationship between food and emotions; explain the stress response; discuss the effects of stress on nutrition and health; define mindful eating and methods of eating mindfully; and examine elements of nutrition that support a healthy immune system.
Lesson 3: Obesity in America — A Public Health Epidemic
Millions of adults and children all across the world are overweight or obese. Left unchecked, the effects of this crisis on the world’s health, healthcare costs, and productivity could be catastrophic. In the United States, we are getting more obese every day, many of our children are obese, and our life expectancies are much shorter because of it, despite trying many types of diets, eating less, and moving more.
The outcome of this course is for the learner to describe the extent of obesity in the United States; explain the difference between being overweight and being obese; list the causes of overweight and obesity; examine the health and economic consequences of obesity; and discuss pharmaceutical and surgical options for obese individuals.
Lesson 4: Current Issues in Nutrition
Our diet has a profound impact on our health and well-being as well as the health of the environment, yet many of us are not aware of where our food originated or how it was produced. We eat toxic, irradiated, or genetically altered foods, and we eat more than we need. How can we change our eating habits and become more conscious of what we eat, why we eat it, and how it is prepared?
The outcome of this course is for the learner to provide an overview of the types of toxins found in food and to examine the effects of irradiation, genetically altered foods, and food allergies on our health.
Lesson 5: Spiritual Nutrition — The Global Consequences of Food Choices
Food is a dynamic force that interacts with our bodies on multiple levels: the physical level, the mental-emotional level, and the energetic or spiritual level. Conscious eating involves an awareness of the eating process from beginning to end, and it includes thinking about how dietary choices affect others. Any food choice that is truly good for an individual’s physical health and well-being will also be good for his/her spiritual well-being. Today’s food landscape is dominated by factory farms and food industry practices that may violate spiritual principles, as well as human and animal rights, and impact the health of the planet.
The outcome of this course is for the learner to describe the concept of spiritual, conscious eating, the effects of unconscious eating on the health of humans, animals, and plants, and identify guidelines for individuals who seek to support a lifestyle that includes spiritual nutrition practices.
Lesson 6: Food Labels — Deciphering the Mysteries
An important element of health is the ability to understand what is in the food we eat. Knowing how to read and understand food labels can help individuals make healthier food choices. Many consumers do not fully understand what the labels on their food mean in terms of nutritional value or the way the food was produced, raised, and manufactured. With this knowledge, understanding the labels becomes easier and results in making healthy choices.
The outcome of this course is for the learner to describe how to read a Nutrition Fact label, explain food claims in terms of nutritional value, define what organic means, examine the four organic principles, and identify various food labels in terms of their significance to food products.
Lesson 7: Botanicals, Herbs, and Herbalism
While modern medicine has produced many scientific advances, one of the most important “advances” in health and medicine has been the recognition of the value of botanicals, herbs, and herbalism. After all, nature and plants have been an essential part of everyday life since the beginning of recorded history. Used for medicines, clothing, food, and in religious ceremonies, in many health belief systems plants are considered a gift of nature and valued for their healing effects.
The outcome of this course is for the learner to describe the role of botanicals, herbs and herbalists, herb processing, herbalist training, and current issues regarding the use of herbs and botanicals.
Lesson 8: Natural Sweeteners Healthy Options For Your Sweet Tooth
Most Americans consume far more sugar than they require, and this contributes to obesity as well as many types of diseases. The role of sugar in the diet is an important one, and understanding its effect on the body and its role in inflammation and disease can significantly affect one’s health. Alternatives to refined sugar are numerous, but are they safe and effective? Not all sweeteners are created equal, and it is important to understand which ones are generally accepted as safe and which ones may threaten one’s health.
The outcome of this course for the learner is to describe the historical role of sugar in the diet as well as explain the various definitions of sugar, glucose metabolism, the health effects of too much dietary sugar, the glycemic index, artificial and natural alternatives to sugar, and methods of reducing dietary sugar intake.
Lesson 9: Probiotics — Silent Partners in Health
Probiotics are live microbes (bacteria and yeast) believed to be beneficial for the host organism. They are the same or very similar to bacteria already in the body. The lower digestive tract is filled with a complex and diverse community comprised of millions of these microbes. They are used globally to improve the health and well-being of animals and humans. Sales of probiotic supplements have soared in recent years on the basis of intriguing research that demonstrates potential benefits for many chronic conditions, including cancer. With the rise in interest in integrative health as well as complementary and alternative therapies, this trend is likely to continue.
The outcome of this course is for the learner to describe what probiotics are (and are not), how they affect our health, the various categories of probiotics, the risks and benefits of their use, how to select a probiotic, pertinent regulatory considerations, and the current research on their use.