Nutrition course

4 the course themes

1. evidence-based and non-judgmental knowledge translation/nutrition/exercise messaging

2. Nourish the body and soul (physical/mental health)

3. All food fits and how you eat is as important as what (Whole food approach; no 1 best diet; therapeutic approach)

4. Grace and kindness

Instead of being judgmental about food we should be…

curious

what is the definition of nutrition?

The study of the nutrients in the food and required by the body

All interactions between food and the body including the social, cultural, economic and behavioural ones

Where do we get nutrition info from?

evidence based reliable sources

name the 4 major sources of info

online, the news, registered dietitians, and books or guides

online is not the best place to get information because…

anyone can write anything. Be weary and if you can’t tell who wrote it of if they are a nutrition expert = be suspicious. Especially if they use things such as": empathetic language, capitalizing words, exclamation marks, no references or phrases like send this to everyone you know and you’ve never heard this before.

An online source is reliable when…

It answers the who, what , when , where why and what questions. This provides credentials, ensure info is up to date, identifies where info is coming from, identifies if site is trying to spread information or promote a product.

Be weary of news and nutrition info because…

writers have limited understanding of nutrition and are usually on tight deadlines so its hard to be thorough. THey typically present findings from a singe and recent study. Have lots of “new surprising findings” which is ok because its a fairly new science, and things can contradict each other and but context is often missed.

A registered dietition is..

• Registered with their province and Dietitians of Canada

• Have an Undergrad degree and 1 yr internship

• Taken exams to become registered

• Clinical and community practice

• also have RD Masters degree option

• they are nutrition professionals and can be covered by health insurance

• They are recognized and regulated profession

Examples of other nutritional professionals

• Phd in Nutrition - degree with research in a specific area of nutrition

• Naturopathic physician - have lots of training for natural, body health but still give supplements

• RD is or phd or specialist for best response

Other specialties

• IOC Sport Nutrition

• Eating Disorders,

• Diabetes

• Educator

• Registered holistic nutritionist

are athletes, celebrities and influencers nutrition experts ?

No! They are usually sending nutrition info as a way to promote products like supplements or diets - ex AG1

Are physicians nutrition experts?

No, they typically have very little training in nutrition

Red flags online to be weary of

• the satisfaction guaranteed that gives consumers promises

• All natural - doesn’t mean it’s necessarily better or safer

• Quick and easy fixes - treatment takes time

• Time tested - then why not publicly disclosed ?

• Personal testimonials - not evidence, just what ppl say

• Medical jargon - terms that hide lack of scientific proof

Dietary trends in today’s society that all contribute to chronic diseases and illnesses

• more meals away from home bc busy

• Fast food restaurants

• Larger portions - more bang for your buck

• More pop and sweet beverages

• Energy dense and nutrient poor foods

• Lots of snacks

• Less physical activity

• Rising costs of food

• Specific diets and media tactics like telling to lose weight when really need to change eating habits instead of

• Weight loss focus in society

Challenges of nutrition research ?

• hard to control in a population bc of many other factors

• Epidemiology

• Sometimes get false data bc of judgement around food

Recent nutrition focuses include:

• health and chronic disease

• Nutraceuticals

• Nutritional genomics

• Specific nutrients

• Obesity

• Food sustainability and environment

• Food security and rising costs

What are most diseases the consequences of?

Poor lifestyle choices. e.x. lack of exercise, smoking, poor nutrition

Nutrition’s connection to immunity

Nutrition is key to a strong immune system and acts like an umbrella shielding us from disease. because with malnourishment it causes a comprised immune syst, so properly nourishing ourselves helps us get all the nutrients for a healthy immune system

What do top leading causes of death like cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes all have in common?

All of them are very nutrition related

What is the number 1 leading cause of death in Canada?

it is Cancer and over 1/3 of all cancers are nutrition related and a greater portion are partially nutrition related.

What is a nutrition or dietary analysis?

it is a helpful to to gather information about an individual or populations diets and help make the proper changes improve your life and nutrition.

Steps to collecting a dietary analysis

• Dietary records (1, 3, 7 day)

• Dietary recall

• Pictures before and after

• Food weighing

• Interviews

• Food frequency questionnaires

Dietary analysis tests and measurements

Tests included : blood, urine, hair and nail analysis, DXA ( measures bone density), health records.

Measurements include: height, weight, BMI, bone, breadths, skin calipers, circumferences

what is the purpose of measuring food purchases like disappearances, import and export?

It shows the dietary trends across a population and what people are buying more of during a specific period of time especially.