Fall 2022
Food and Nutrition in Health and Well-Being
Rachele Pojednic PhD, Assistant Professor, Health and Human Performance, Norwich University
Students examine evidence-based relationships between nutrition and the promotion of long-term health and well-being. They become familiar with food-related policy and recommendations, including the US dietary guidelines, FDA food labels, and evidence-based nutrition programs, and gain practical skills to make healthful dietary choices. Moreover, students learn health promotion strategies to help influence other people's food choices and apply these strategies to specific modifiable chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. After successful completion of this course, students are able to identify the fundamentals of a healthy eating pattern; recognize associations between dietary behaviors and non-communicable diseases and identify evidence-based dietary interventions for those diseases; understand barriers to healthful eating, including cultural, environmental, and social; utilize validated tools to encourage healthful food choices; provide practical advice to improve dietary behaviors; and become adept at accessing evidence-based resources to maintain the most up-to-date knowledge, skills, and tools to promote good nutrition.
Spring 2023
Nutrition as Lifestyle Medicine for Brain Health and Performance
Stephanie Peabody PsyD, Founding Director, Brain Health Initiative - Shelley H. Carson PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University - Uma Naidoo MD, Director of Nutritional and Metabolic Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School - Barton Seaver AB, Chief Education Officer, Coastal Culinary Academy
We have heard the expression you are what you eat, but have we really thought about it? This course introduces the science of a brain (and body) healthy diet and the concepts of the neuropsychology of eating, and offers practical applications of the science that you can adopt to support your own brain health and that of those you care for. It is not just what you eat, but how. Eating mindfully means choosing foods that balance blood sugar and provide adequate levels of brain-boosting nutrients like essential fatty acids, lean proteins, and a rainbow of antioxidants. The nutrients extracted from food enter metabolic pathways that are manipulated, modified, and molded into molecules that the body can use. This nutritional psychiatry course includes opportunities to ask questions of the faculty, experience live cooking demonstrations, and engage with other members of the brain healthy community for inspiration from similarly motivated individuals. When it comes to diet, most people's concerns involve weight loss, fitness, cardiac health, and longevity. But what we eat affects more than our bodies; it also affects our brains. Now more than ever our food is something we can control. Foods can boost our immunity which is also linked to levels of depression and anxiety; studies also show a link to insomnia, dementia and beyond. This course guides students through the principles from Dr. Uma Naidoo's cutting-edge book, This Is Your Brain on Food, Barton Seaver's books American Seafood: Heritage, Culture Cookery From Sea to Shining Sea and Two If By Sea: Delicious Sustainable Seafood, and National Geographic's Foods for Health: Choose and Use the Very Best Foods for Your Family and Our Planet, and then goes even deeper with professional lessons, resources, recipes and insights. This course also provides action steps and resources to take control of your own brain health, performance, and wellbeing, and to support those you care for and about with every brain-healthy food choice.
Spring 2023
The Science of Physical Activity for Health and Well-Being
Rachele Pojednic PhD, Assistant Professor, Health and Human Performance, Norwich University
Exercise is medicine and fundamental to good health. Given the current epidemic of disease related to sedentary behavior, it is imperative to train future healthcare providers to understand the relationship between physical activity and health. There is also a need to educate healthcare professionals on the benefits of prescribing exercise to their patients. While the benefits of exercise are widely known, healthcare practitioners, including health and wellness coaches, do not always have the necessary training to counsel their patients on how to incorporate exercise and physical activity into their daily routines. Students may not take both NUTR E-1036 and PSYC E-1036 (offered previously) for degree or certificate credit.