Welcome to Nutrition
Welcome to Nutrition
I hope that all of you have had a good winter and are enjoying the spring and the sunshine and have found some good relaxing, recharge time. I am excited for us to be starting class soon and I wanted to welcome you all and pass on some information before we get started with our actual course material. You will all find that I absolutely love the subject of nutrition and health. Nutrition is a really unique science because it is 100% useful and practical and applies directly to everyday life and health. Whether we are aware of it or not, all of us connect with food and nutrition every single day.
Another important note regarding the subject of nutrition is that it is a completely personal journey and personal subject. We all like and dislike different foods, we all have different experiences, preferences and upbringing which influence our food choices. These are topics that we will expand upon moreso throughout the semester but I feel it is critical to acknowledge this from the start and for all of us to keep this in mind as we move forward.
A Bit About the Professional Me-
I have two undergraduate degrees from the University of New Hampshire, Anthropology and Botany. I studied ethnobotany which is the study of how different cultures use plants for food and medicine. This work led me to the path of looking at different cultures’ food choices and the role that food plays for people in their health. Food has always been an incredibly important foundation for people all around the world and human connection and its significance were of utmost importance. This then led me to my Masters of Science Degree in Clinical Human Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport. I have taught nutrition classes for 22 years and have taught at Vermont State Colleges for 19 years. I have had a clinical nutrition practice in St. Johnsbury, Vermont since 2001 where I meet with people to help them develop an understanding of the role that nutrition plays in their personal health and also to help them implement a realistic action plan to incorporate good nutrition principles and nourishing food into their lives. I have closely witnessed the role that food and nutrition play in people’s health and lives in general and that when the connection is conscious and established, this can truly allow people to thrive and both prevent and successfully reverse certain health problems that may arise on the journey.
My Intention
I also wanted to share my primary intention in teaching this class to you all. In the course description, you will see the objectives of our nutrition class as a science. By working through these objectives, it is my intention and my hope to be able to provide a solid foundation of nutrition information for you. There is so much misinformation and confusion regarding nutrition today and through this class, I want to be able to sift through all of that to establish a clear solid framework of nutrition information so that if you choose to use this information personally and/or professionally, that you will be able to work from this foundation at all points on your journey. Once this framework is there, then at any point in your life, you will have the knowledge to know if the choices you are making for yourself, your families or in some of your cases for your patients, are nourishing and constitute good nutrition or not.
In my opinion and experience, both the study of nutrition and a clear understanding of good nutrition are vital today in order to prevent chronic disease, promote optimal health, and encourage healthy wellness and self-care practices. Also, in our current situation today regarding COVID-19, the more we can keep ourselves healthy and strong and nourished, the safer we will be. This information is highly relevant to our individual personal health for our entire lives.
COURSE BASICS-
Name/Section of course- Introduction to Nutrition -BIO- `1030- VO02
Start Date- 5/25/2021
Course Length- 13 weeks -5/25/2021- 8/16/2021
CCV portal link-https://portal.vsc.edu/ccvhome/Pages/default.aspx Links to an external site.
Course Textbook- Nutrition Concepts and Controversies-By Sizer and Whitney,
Cengage Publishing, Student ISBN-978-1305627994
Please note that this is a Fully online course.
Campus office Contact- 802-295-8822
Instructor contact- awd03090@ccv.vsc.edu
Phone numbers- 802-748-1487
Cell phone/text- 802-424-5310
Please feel free to contact me at any point. Email, phone calls and texts are all fine. I encourage you to reach out with any questions at any point.