Hi Friends,
Coursera.org is one of the companies that offers free online courses. There is a free online course called Nutrition, Health and Lifestyle that just started. It’s taught by a registered dietician from Vanderbilt University.
The course description says it teaches students to:
1. Identify foods and dietary patterns that meet current dietary recommendations and are associated with reduced risk of chronic disease.
2. Analyze controversies surrounding one or more contemporary nutrition issues and/or dietary supplements.
3. Evaluate nutrition research and theories based upon an evidence based medicine (EBM) approach.
4. Better understand and evaluate nutrition information, advertising, and news in the mass media.
5. Apply nutrition knowledge to personal food choice and dietary patterns.
The course just started yesterday (1/20), but anyone could begin it anytime in the next couple of days. The first assignment is to track what you eat for three days and then analyze it with an online program or an app. There are also video lectures and quizzes.
These large online courses give the freedom to participate as much or as little as you choose. So, at one end of the spectrum, you could pay a fee and get official credit (of some sort) for the course. Or do the free version with all assignments. At the other end of the spectrum, you could just watch the videos and do nothing more. It’s very flexible.
Super_sally had posted last fall about a course offered by Coursera about diabetes. I found the course very informative. It also took me a lot more time each week to do the course thoroughly than the amount of time suggested.
Many people here at TuD have done massive amounts of research and experimentation to find an eating plan that is healthy and works for them. But others of us still need to learn more.
I expect that some of the information in the course will be inappropriate for a person with diabetes. I expect that I won’t agree with all the information offered, but I do expect to learn a lot about nutrition and I’m hoping to get more tools to evaluate nutrition information.
Best wishes!
marty1492