Learn Practical Skills At Home

Your comprehensive lessons are clear and well-organized; easy to follow, yet challenging and engaging at the same time. Each lesson begins with an introductory note from your instructor, plus a preview outlining the subject matter and study objectives.

Next comes the reading assignment from your beautifully illustrated textbook, lesson book or supplemental references. Practice exercises help you check and review the key concepts you've learned. Then, turn in your open-book exam (available online) for the lesson, whenever YOU are ready.

As part of your course, you'll receive two handy slide guides answering vital questions about good and bad fats, and nutrient content in specific foods.

Enroll online or call 1-800-535-1613 to speak with an Admission Advisor!

Meet Your Instructor

Kathy Carter is the chief instructor of The Professional Nutrition, Diet & Health Science Program. She is a registered dietician with broad experience in health and exercise education.

She'll make sure you progress smoothly through your studies. If you need help or have questions along the way, just write, call, fax or E-mail us 24 hours a day. Our staff of courteous, knowledgeable career tutors will give you prompt, personal guidance.

What You’ll Learn Lesson By Lesson in this Course

Lesson 1, Nutrition: Everyday Choices

Food choices and what influences them; nutrients defined; what nutrients do; required quantities of each nutrient; assessing the nutritional health of the population; individual nutritional health needs.

Lesson 2, Nutrition Science

The science of nutrition; using the scientific method; how to judge nutrition claims; types of nutrition studies; dietary standards; health and disease prevention; tools for planning a diet; the food guide pyramid; exchange lists; food labeling.

Lesson 3, The Human Body: Meals To Molecules

Food into fuel: the chemistry of life; the digestive system; sights, sounds, and smells; the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, and intestines; digestive problems and solutions; how nutrients change as they are absorbed; the cardiovascular system and digestion; hepatic portal and lymphatic circulation; the cell; metabolism; waste elimination.

Lesson 4, Carbohydrates: Starches, Sugars & Fiber

Simple and complex carbohydrates and carbohydrate additives; carbohydrates in the digestive tract; carbohydrate metabolism; abnormal glucose regulation; refined sugars in the diet; recommendations for regulating carbohydrate intake; sugar substitutes; carbohydrates as additives.

Supplement: Time Management Guide

How to study and learn more effectively and increase your productivity, both as a student and in your nutrition career.

Lesson 5, Lipids: Too Much Of A Good Thing

Lipid digestion and absorption; transporting lipids in the body; lipid metabolism—fat for fuel and storage; fatty acids; glycerides; phospholipids; sterols; dietary fat, heart disease and cancer; recommendations for fat intake; tropical oils; saturated vegetable oils; hydrogenated oils; artificial fats.

Lesson 6, Protein: The Privileged Nutrient

Proteins as amino acids; protein structure; protein digestion, absorption, and metabolism; amino acids for synthesis and energy; functions of proteins in the body; protein and health: deficiency and excess; determining your protein intake; proteins in processed foods; amino acids added to foods.

Lesson 7, Energy Balance & Weight Management

Food: the source of energy; energy quantity in foods; basal metabolic rate; physical activity; thermic effect of foods; determining energy needs; those few extra pounds and what they mean; desirable body weight and composition; the roles of genetics and environment in weight; choosing a weight management program; suggestions for weight gain; causes of bulimia, anorexia, and other eating disorders.

Lesson 8, A Vitamin Primer & The Water-Soluble Vitamins

Vitamins in the balanced diet and their function in the body; vitamin deficiencies and toxicities; vitamin requirements; the B vitamins: thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid, B6, folic acid, and B12; Vitamin C in the diet; vitamin C requirements and toxicity; vitamin C supplements: promises and pitfalls.

Lesson 9, Fat-Soluble Vitamins & Meeting Your Vitamin Needs

Vitamin A—eat your carrots; vitamin D—the sunshine vitamin; vitamin E—from fertility to anti-aging; vitamin K—for coagulation; vitamin requirements and toxicities; phytochemicals; ways to meet your vitamin needs; using vitamin supplements properly.

Lesson 10, The Internal Sea: Water & The Major Minerals

Water in the diet and in the body; the role of minerals in nutrition; the electrolytes; electrolyte requirements and deficiency symptoms; electrolytes and hypertension; the roles of calcium and phosphorous; osteoporosis; magnesium requirements and deficiency symptoms; sulfur in the diet.

Lesson 11, Trace Elements

Trace element requirements; the symptoms of deficiency and toxicity; iron; zinc; copper; selenium; manganese; iodine; fluoride; chromium; molybdenum; understanding the need for new trace elements, including: boron, arsenic, nickel, silicon, cadmium, lead, lithium, bromine, aluminum, rubidium, and vanadium.

Supplement: Job Search Guide

Maximizing your employability; ten important steps for organizing and carrying out your job search; how to ace the interview; trends in the employment market.

Lesson 12, Fueling Fitness: Nutrition & Exercise

The health benefits of exercise; an exercise program for you; energy for activity; converting fuels into ATP; which fuels are used; energy needs; food and drink for sport; carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals needed for exercise; the importance of water; meals for competition; nutritional supplements and athletic performance.

Lesson 13, Nutrition For Mothers & Infants

The physiology of pregnancy; nutrition needs before pregnancy; energy, protein, micronutrient, and water needs during pregnancy; maternal health status; substances affecting the unborn child; lactation; nutrient requirements of the newborn and growing infants; introducing solids.

Lesson 14, The Growing Years: Toddlers To Teens

Nutrition and the health of America’s youth; providing for optimal growth and development; reducing the risks of chronic disease; developing nutritious eating habits; meeting the nutrient needs of children from ages one to ten; nutrition-related problems in children; influences from the outside world; the changing body: sexual maturation; meeting the rapidly changing nutrient needs of adolescents.

Lesson 15, Nutrition & Aging: The Adult Years

Life expectancies; extending a healthy life; the role of nutrition in keeping us young; mental and physical changes in aging; nourishing the older adult; malnutrition among the elderly; meeting nutritional guidelines; medications.

Lesson 16, Is Our Food Supply Safe?

Food-borne illnesses; safeguarding the world’s food supply; pathogens and parasites in food; the effects of pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones in foods; contamination from industrial wastes; food additives; processing and packaging; irradiated foods; biotechnology.

Lesson 17, Feeding The World

Undernutrition as a world health problem; the causes of food shortages; quantity versus quality in the diet; aquaculture; overnutrition—a growing problem; solutions to world hunger and undernutrition.