The Science of Nutrition
Get an introduction to nutritional science. Explore the biology, chemistry and physics of food and how our bodies digest it.
99,586 enrolled on this course
Duration
4 weeksWeekly study
3 hours100% online
How it works
The Science of Nutrition
Explore the nutritional science behind what you eat
Have you ever looked at a food label and wondered what kilocalories really mean? Would you like to know more about fat, protein or carbohydrates, and how our bodies process them?
On this course, you will explore biology to find out how our digestive system and bloodstream process and transport food. You will use physics to work out how much energy food contains, and through chemistry, you will discover the role that acid and enzymes play in digestion. You will also consider the science behind dietary advice, and why we’re facing an obesity epidemic worldwide.
Syllabus
Week 1
The basics of food
Why do we eat and what do we eat?
Find out about the processes in your body which make you feel hungry.
Protein and fat
Delve deeper into the roles that protein and fat play in your body and exactly what the difference is between a saturated and unsaturated fat.
Carbohydrates, salt and fibre
Discover how your body uses carbohydrates for fuel, and the role fibre plays in keeping things moving in your digestive tract.
Week 2
What happens to the food we eat?
Tour of the digestive system
Have a look at the parts of the body and the path that food travels through it.
Inside the stomach
Discover how your body breaks down food in the stomach and carry out a fun experiment using some liver.
Moving on along the digestive system
What does your body do with the food after its been digested? Find out how your body takes the goodness from food and distributes it around the body.
Week 3
What do food labels tell us?
Ingredients
Find out how manufacturers measure and communicate what is in your food. How do people with allergies and intolerances make sure they don't eat the wrong thing?
Energy in food
How is the energy in food calculated? Try a fun experiment to find the energy in a peanut?
Reference intakes
How much of each nutrient does your body need? What advice should you follow? Can you trust a food label?
Week 4
What do people eat?
Healthy eating advice
What balance should you have in your diet? Is 5 portions of fruit and vegetables enough?
Too much food – too little food
Find out about global nutrition issues. What happens when you eat too little or too much?
Some daily diets
Learn about some diets from around the world before taking our end-of-course test.
Take your learning further
If this course has inspired you to continue studying, The Open University offers courses which may interest you.
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Demonstrate and understand how food is processed and then used in the body.
- Describe and know about food allergies and intolerances.
- Apply knowledge to understand healthy eating advice and identify how it varies in different countries.
- Interpret and understand the basic components of food.
- Discuss and be able to make sense of food labels and peform basic calculations of energy in food.
- Describe and understand possible reasons for the current obesity epidemic.
- Demonstrate and to be able to conduct simple experiments using easily available materials.
Who is the course for?
This course is intended for anyone with a general interest in science or nutrition and does not require any prior experience of studying this subject.
What do people say about this course?
"This is a nice beginner course to nutrition: some of the topics go into the chemistry of food, you're given a lot of extra material to explore, and some nice activities to make you think about your own diet. "
Who will you learn with?
I've recently retired from the Open University. I have wide interests across science and make the most of living close to the Lake District
Who developed the course?
The Open University
As the UK’s largest university, The Open University (OU) supports thousands of students to achieve their goals and ambitions via supported distance learning, helping to fit learning around professional and personal life commitments.
Established
1969Location
Milton Keynes, UKWorld ranking
Top 510Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020
Endorsers and supporters
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Ways to learn | Buy this course | Subscribe & save | Limited access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose the best way to learn for you! | $109/one-off payment | $244.99 for a whole year Automatically renews | Free |
| Fulfill your current learning need | Develop skills to further your career | Sample the course materials | |
| Access to this course | tick | tick | Access expires 21 Feb 2025 |
| Access to 1,000+ courses | cross | tick | cross |
| Learn at your own pace | tick | tick | cross |
| Discuss your learning in comments | tick | tick | tick |
| Tests to check your learning | tick | tick | cross |
| Certificate when you're eligible | Printed and digital | Digital only | cross |
Cancel for free anytime |
Ways to learn
Choose the best way to learn for you!
Subscribe & save
$244.99 for a whole year
Automatically renews
Develop skills to further your career
- Access to this course
- Access to 1,000+ courses
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Tests to boost your learning
- Digital certificate when you're eligible
Cancel for free anytime
Buy this course
$109/one-off payment
Fulfill your current learning need
- Access to this course
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Tests to boost your learning
- Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible
Limited access
Free
Sample the course materials
- Access expires 21 Feb 2025
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades) Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply. | |||
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)
Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.
Learning on FutureLearn
Your learning, your rules
- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
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