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HCM134

Food And Nutrition

This course introduces the fundamental concepts of food and nutrition. It explores the meanings of food, the components of foods, and the importance of good nutrition for overall health. The course covers essential topics such as energy, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, minerals, and vitamins, examining their roles in the body. It also addresses nutritional disorders, food toxicants, and additives, providing a comprehensive overview of food and its impact on human well-being.

About this course

Difficulty
Intermediate
Study hours
120 hours
Maths
Basic
Content
Theoretical
Practical work
No
How it is assessed
  • Assignments
  • Tutor Marked Assignments
  • Final Examination

One paragraph, so you can see how it reads

HCM134 · UNIT 1: FOOD AND NUTRITION — AN OVERVIEW

This unit is the first unit in the course HCM 106: Food and Nutrition. The unit introduces you to Food and Food Components, nutrition, Importance of Good Nutrition and Uses of Food. The content of this unit forms the basis upon which the other units on components of foods, digestion and metabolism of foods will be based.

What you should be able to do

  1. Define key concepts in food and nutrition.
  2. Identify the major food groups and their nutritional contributions.
  3. Explain the processes of digestion and absorption.
  4. Analyze the effects of food processing on nutrient content.
  5. Recognize common nutritional disorders and their causes.
  6. Apply dietary standards to plan balanced meals.
  7. Evaluate food labels and make informed food choices.

What it prepares you for

Careers
  • Dietitian
  • Nutritionist
  • Food scientist
  • Health educator
  • Catering manager
Where it is applied
  • Healthcare
  • Food manufacturing
  • Catering
  • Education
  • Government health agencies

Where it gets hard

The units students slow down on, and what makes each one heavy.

  • Module 1: Food and Nutrition

    Unit 4: Lipids

    Requires understanding of complex metabolic pathways and chemical structures of nutrients.

  • Module 2: Digestion, Absorption, and Food Composition

    Unit 8: Digestion and Absorption

    Involves detailed knowledge of enzyme functions and gastrointestinal processes.

A suggested way through it

Suggested

13 weeks, about 28 hours in total. Yours will differ.

  1. Week 1Module 1: Food and Nutrition
    • Unit 1: Food and Nutrition · 2 hours

      Read the introduction to food and nutrition.. Define food and nutrition.. List the components of foods.. Explain the importance of good nutrition.. Identify the uses of foods..

  2. Week 2Module 1: Food and Nutrition
    • Unit 2: Energy · 2 hours

      List the forms of energy.. Calculate the energy content of a given food item.. Measure energy expended.. Discuss the energy requirements of man..

  3. Week 3Module 1: Food and Nutrition
    • Unit 3: Carbohydrate · 2 hours

      List the classes of carbohydrates.. List the sources of carbohydrates.. List the functions of carbohydrates.. Discuss the consumption of carbohydrates..

  4. Week 4Module 1: Food and Nutrition
    • Unit 4: Lipids · 2 hours

      Explain the composition of lipids.. List the classes of fats and oils.. Differentiate between fats and oils.. List the roles of lipids in the body.. List the functions of lipids in diets.. List the sources of fats and oils.. State the requirements of fats and oils..

  5. Week 5Module 1: Food and Nutrition
    • Unit 5: Proteins · 2 hours

      Explain the chemical composition of protein.. Differentiate between essential and nonessential amino acids.. List some sources of protein.. List some functions of protein.. Define some determinants of the quality of protein.. Explain the Denaturation of protein..

  6. Week 6Module 2: Digestion, Absorption, and Food Composition
    • Unit 6: Minerals · 2 hours

      Explain the classification and body composition of mineral elements.. List the functions of Mineral elements.. Discuss some macro elements in relation to their importance to the body.. Discuss some micro elements or trace elements in relation to their importance to the body..

  7. Week 7Module 2: Digestion, Absorption, and Food Composition
    • Unit 7: Vitamins · 2 hours

      List the Classes of Vitamins.. List the Functions of Vitamins.. Discuss the Deficiencies of Vitamins.. Discuss fat soluble vitamins under sources, functions, requirements and deficiencies.. Discuss some water soluble vitamins under sources, functions requirements and deficiencies..

  8. Week 8Module 2: Digestion, Absorption, and Food Composition
    • Unit 8: Digestion and Absorption · 2 hours

      Identify the features of the gastrointestinal tract.. Discuss digestion of food in the mouth, stomach and small intestine.. Know the enzymes that are involved in the digestion processes.. Discuss the absorption of amino acids, simple sugars, fatty acids and glycerol..

  9. Week 9Module 3: Food Commodities and Nutritional Disorders
    • Unit 9: Cereals and Cereal Products · 2 hours

      List the various kinds of cereals.. Describe the structure of wheat grain.. Discuss the milling of wheat.. Describe the composition of wheat flour.. Describe the process of bread making.. List some other products from wheat..

  10. Week 10Module 3: Food Commodities and Nutritional Disorders
    • Unit 10: Raising Agents · 2 hours

      List the types of gases used as raising agents.. Describe both the chemical and the biological production of Carbondioxide.. Describe the production of yeast..

  11. Week 11Module 3: Food Commodities and Nutritional Disorders
    • Unit 11: Milk and Milk Products · 2 hours

      Describe the characteristics of fresh milk.. Describe the composition of milk.. Discuss spoilage of milk.. Discuss various treatments on milk.. Distinguish between various milk products..

  12. Week 12Module 3: Food Commodities and Nutritional Disorders
    • Unit 12: Meat, Fish and Their Products · 2 hours

      Describe meat structure and composition.. Describe meat quality, digestibility and nutritive properties.. Describe changes in meat during cooking.. Discuss offal and sausages.. Discuss fish and sea foods..

  13. Week 13Module 3: Food Commodities and Nutritional Disorders
    • Unit 13: Eggs and Egg Products · 2 hours

      Describe the structure of an egg.. Describe the composition of eggs.. List the uses of eggs in food preparation.. Discuss storage of eggs.. Describe quality tests for eggs.. Explain spoilage of eggs.. Discuss preservation of eggs..

    • Unit 14: Fruits and Vegetables · 2 hours

      List the classes of fruits with examples.. Discuss the nutritive properties of fruits.. Discuss some changes in fruits during ripening and after harvesting.. List the classes of vegetable with example.. Discuss the nutritive properties of vegetables Discuss some of the chemical changes and changes in composition after harvesting and during cooking..

Preparing for the exam

What to do
  • Create a study schedule allocating specific time slots for each unit, focusing on key concepts and definitions.
  • Use flashcards to memorize essential nutrients, their sources, and functions.
  • Practice calculating energy content of different food combinations using Atwater factors from Unit 2.
  • Develop diagrams illustrating the digestive process, highlighting enzymes and absorption sites from Unit 8.
  • Review common nutritional disorders, their symptoms, and treatment strategies from Unit 18.
  • Focus on understanding the effects of different processing methods on nutrient retention, as covered in Unit 19.
  • Create mnemonics to remember the classes and examples of food additives from Unit 17.

Questions students ask about this course

What is HCM134 about?

This course introduces the fundamental concepts of food and nutrition. It explores the meanings of food, the components of foods, and the importance of good nutrition for overall health. The course covers essential topics such as energy, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, minerals, and vitamins, examining their roles in the body. It also addresses nutritional disorders, food toxicants, and additives, providing a comprehensive overview of food and its impact on human well-being.

How many units does HCM134 have?

HCM134, Food And Nutrition, has 20 units across 2 modules, over 184 pages of course material. You can read it one unit at a time.

Is HCM134 hard?

HCM134 is rated intermediate level, with basic mathematical content. It is mostly theoretical work.

How long does HCM134 take to study?

About 120 hours of study, spread across its 20 units.

How is HCM134 assessed?

HCM134 is assessed by Assignments, Tutor Marked Assignments and Final Examination.

What can I do with HCM134?

Dietitian, Nutritionist, Food scientist, Health educator and Catering manager.

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