The science of nutrition and healthy eating

Are we really what we eat? How do we know what is in our food? Does it need to be difficult to follow a healthy eating pattern? This free course, The Science of Nutrition and Healthy Eating will help you to answer these questions.TranscriptYou’ll look at the science behind nutrition, covering aspects of biology, chemistry and physics as well as gaining insight into healthier eating. Reading food labels, choosing healthier foods, hydrating appropriately and understanding how we taste food will allow you to be more informed about the choices you make for the food you eat.

You’ll also investigate how information about healthy eating differs around the world. The biology part of the course will focus on the digestive system and how the body uses the elements in our food to function. It is important to understand the macro and micronutrients in the foods we eat and how our bodies use them. Some people follow food restrictions due to choice or religious observation. Malnutrition is not just a concern for developing countries – it can mean overnutrition as well as undernutrition. Sometimes certain components of food can be an enemy rather than beneficial, so special diets have to be followed.