Nutrition Perspectives

Choose a book or documentary from the following list:

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Diet for a New America by John Robbins
Go green, Get lean by Kate Geagan
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan
Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
The Flexitarian Diet by Dawn Jackson Blatner
What to Eat by Marion Nestle
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
Why We Get Fat…and What to do about it by Gary Taubes
Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink
The End of Overeating by David Kessler
Food Inc. by Robert Kenner
Supersize Me by Morgan Spurlock
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead by Joe Cross and Kurt Engfehr

Write a paper that includes the following:

Information about your book/documentary. Use the heading Background for this section. (20 points)

Who is the author and what are his/her credentials? When was the book written or the documentary produced?
Give a brief summary and tell about the central themes of the book/film?
Are the themes still applicable today? Why or why not?

Choose three nutrition concepts (i.e., serving sizes, caloric intake, etc.) from your book/film to discuss. Entitle this section Nutrition Concepts and compose at least one paragraph for each concept. (45 points)

What does your textbook say about each concept?
What does a scholarly source say about each concept? You must use at least three scholarly sources other than your textbook. (please refer to “Websites: Tips for Finding Reliable Health Information” below for a list of acceptable sources)

Tell what you learned about nutrition from this assignment. Entitle this section What I Learned. (15 points)

How did the book/documentary change your point of view? What did you find most interesting about this book/documentary?
Discuss the validity of the book/documentary based on what you’ve learned about reliable research this semester. What makes this good or poor research?
Will you incorporate the ideas you learned about into your own life? Why or why not?

Use of proper grammar and style (20 points)

Did you use proper grammar, spelling, and sentence structure?
Did you cite your sources with parenthetical citations in the body of your writing? You must document your research. Parenthetical citations must be used throughout your paper. Even if you put into your own words the information you have learned from your research, you must document from whom and where you found the information. This is done by putting the author’s name at the end of a sentence or paragraph with the page that the information was found and enclosing it in parentheses. An example of this would be as follows: The six classes of nutrients are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water (Wardlaw 5).
Did you include a works cited page referencing all the sources you used in your paper (i.e., film/book, your textbook, additional sources from part 2)? Give enough information for the reader to find the source you cited.
Is your paper at least 3 pages in length, double spaced, 12 pt. font?

Web Sites: Tips for Finding Reliable Health Information:

The following suggestions may help when you are surfing the Web for health information.

Domain names

Choose sites with domain names that end in .gov or .edu, whenever possible. Many sites with a domain name ending in .org also are good sources of information. Although many domains ending with .com are reliable sources of information, this varies widely by site, and consumers should use good judgment when determining the validity and accuracy of information found on these sites.

Mission statements

Look for a mission statement that describes the organization and what its values are.

Credentials and affiliations

Look for the author’s credentials. Registered dietitians (RDs) are the best sources of nutrition information. People with the designations of master of public health (MPH) or certified health education specialist (CHES) also are reliable sources of information. Note that the designation “nutritionist” varies by state and does not always imply a formal education. Also research the author’s affiliations to determine if any conflict of interest exists.

Updates

Look for a recent date of last update to ensure that the information is timely.

Peer-reviewed content

Look for peer-reviewed information. This means that the article was checked for accuracy by a team of other well-educated professionals.

Reliable Web sites will provide an e-mail address for questions and feedback.

References

Articles should include references, as well as other reliable sources of information.

Claims

Beware of unrealistic claims, and remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Never trust a Web site that implies that you can replace the nutrition of whole foods with supplements. Do not believe any claims that ask you to eliminate an entire group of food from your diet (eg, all carbohydrates or all dairy).