Course Project: Nutrition Claims and Digestive Health
Part 1—Analyzing a Popular Nutrition Claim
In Module 2, you learned how to evaluate popular claims and determine their credibility. You then practiced your detective skills in a discussion with your peers. In this part of the project, you will put your own example of a claim made about the digestive system to the test.
Instructions:
1. Select an article or news story that makes a claim about the digestive system.
2. Evaluate the claim by filling out the following chart.
Paste the link to your article here:
Describe the claim made in the article you’ve chosen.
Current: How long ago was the article published/ updated? What does this date tell you about the article’s credibility?
Relevant: Explain how the article relates to the digestive system.
Accurate: Are there references included? If so, do they appear credible? Why or why not?
Authority: Identify what gives the author(s) the authority to make the claim.
Purpose: Why do you think the article was published? Are there any obvious conflicts of interest?
Do you think the claim is credible? Explain using the concepts and terminology you learned in the first two modules of this course.
Part 2A—Tracking Nutrient Consumption
In this part of the project, you will keep a food diary for three days in order to better understand your own digestive health. Follow the instructions below about what to track. Note that it is not necessary to track on three consecutive days.
Instructions:
1. Use the “Food” column in the chart on the next page to track your food intake for three days. Here’s some helpful guidelines:
a. Be sure to include everything you eat and drink—don’t forget beverages, condiments, snacks, etc.
b. If you eat an item with multiple ingredients, it is easiest to list each individually. So for instance, if you eat a turkey sandwich for lunch, you may want to track wheat bread, turkey, tomato, and mayonnaise on separate lines.
c. You will not be graded on how healthy you eat. Recording your intake faithfully is in your best interest, as it will allow you to draw the most accurate conclusions for your health.
2. Record the fiber content of each food in the “Fiber” column. Two items have been added to the first column as an example. If there is no nutrition label on your item (e.g. fresh produce), use the “Search Food Data Cental” feature of the USDA’s Food Data Central or the nutrition tracking app of your choice to find out how much fiber is in it. Be sure to calculate the correct serving size: for example, if you ate half a banana, only record half the fiber. You may find it easiest to do this as you go.
3. At the end of each day, add up the grams of fiber you recorded in that day’s column and enter the total into the bottom cell of that column.
DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY3
Meal Food Fiber (g) Food Fiber (g) Food Fiber (g)
Breakfast Banana
Greek Yogurt
3
1
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks
Total Fiber (g): Total Fiber (g): Total Fiber (g):
Part 2B—Analyzing Your Food Intake
Instructions:
Using the food diary you created in Part 2A, answer the following questions about your fiber intake and digestive health.
1. First focus on your daily dietary fiber intake. Experts say that women should consume about 25 grams of fiber per day, and men should consume about 38 grams of fiber per day.* Based on this estimate, did you meet your recommended amount? If so, what dietary choices contributed to your success? If not, how might you change your eating habits to include more fiber?
2. Select one food from your food diary that may adversely affect the digestive system. Why do you think so? Explain the mechanism that would cause digestive distress.
3. Select one food from your food diary that may positively affect the digestive system. Why do you think so? Explain the mechanism that would cause digestive benefits.
*This is an average only and may not be right for everyone. Many factors can contribute to digestive and overall health. Consult your physician before making any dietary changes.
To submit this assignment, please refer to the instructions in the course.
