FDSC40850 Concepts of Nutrition and Healthy Eating

Academic Year 2023/2024

Responding to the societal and consumer demand for
nutritious, healthy, safe and sustainable food requires an
understanding of what ‘nutritious’ and ‘healthy’ actually means,
a fundamental knowledge of nutritional science and knowledge
of the evidence supporting current healthy eating guidelines.
Diet is the biggest single risk factor for preventable diseases in
the world and despite what may appear to be an ever changing
nutrition landscape with conflicting messages, there is a well
established consensus on what a healthy diet looks like. This
module is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the
role of food and nutrition in health maintenance, promotion
and disease prevention, exploring the concept of a healthy diet.
It aims to demonstrate how the nutrient requirements for good
health translate into the foods that people should eat and
addresses the questions: What should consumers be eating
and why? How much of each nutrient do they really need? How
does this change for different groups of consumers based on
their current life stage? What are the current recommended
healthy eating guidelines? How can a healthy diet contribute to
a healthy environment? What actions are being taken at a
national, EU and global level to encourage healthy diets? What
are the consumer trends and understanding around diet and
health? The module will also offer the opportunity to discuss
controversial questions such as: Is there a role for sugar in a
healthy diet? Are there ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fats? Is a plant based
sustainable diet more nutritious than a traditional diet? Is
organic a healthier option?
Completing this module will equip professionals with this
fundamental knowledge enabling them to identify and address
opportunities to apply nutrition concepts practically in their
field such as for new product development, improved
communication, education or guidance development.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the module, learners should be able to
1. Explain the basic principles of nutrition concepts for
health maintenance, promotion and disease prevention.
2. Understand the scientific principles underpinning
nutrient recommendations, dietary guidelines and
recommended food intakes.
3. Have a fundamental knowledge of the essential nutrients
needed for a healthy diet, their main food sources and
the nutritive value of the main food groups.
4. Compare and contrast the recommended nutritional
requirements throughout the different life stages to
promote, improve or maintain health.
5. Discuss consumers understanding of the concept of a
healthy diet and how this influences food choice.
6. Balance different perspectives on relevant topics by
critically evaluating the evidence relating to food and
nutrient intake and the associated health consequences.
7. Reflect on how to apply nutrition concepts in their own
field of work to help consumers eat a healthier diet.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

20
Tutorial

10
Specified Learning Activities

20
Autonomous Student Learning

100
Online Learning

50
Total

200
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This is a 12-week fully online module in which pre-recorded
learning materials will be available for self-directed
independent learning. There will be directed online work such
as engagement in discussion boards and 4 live one-hour online
tutorials ((which will be recorded to enable flexibility). These
tutorials will focus on interpreting the evidence around industry
relevant/consumer related controversial topics and will develop
critical analysis skills by critiquing relevant literature and
debating. Students will be requested to engage in preparatory
readings or activities so as to enable maximum engagement in
the synchronous online tutorials and asynchronous discussion
threads.
Learners will be expected course to spend approximately 200
hours workload during the Trimester which will include
autonomous learning (weekly lecture materials and additional
reading, revision for MCQ assessments, completion of
prescribed reading materials and associated continuous
assessment activities) and in addition participation in tutorials
and discussion forum and associated directed preparatory
work. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Continuous Assessment: 1. MCQ’s which will be a mixture of standard and context based questions.
2. Written activities throughout the module based on prescribed materials (eg recorded webinars , research papers).		 Throughout the Trimester n/a Other No

100

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Discussions during tutorials on written assignments Written activities, end of module MCQ grade visible in Brightspace MCQ grades on completion of each quiz

Name Role
Mrs Angela Brennan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Aifric O'Sullivan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 

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