Qualification - Associate Diploma in Nutritional Science

Nutrition Home Study Diploma

"Are you interested in biology and nutrition? What really happens to the food you eat?"

Achieve success with the help of our highly qualified tutors and academic staff who are thrilled to help people do well. When you submit your assignments you will receive quality feedback. Of course you can also email or call your tutor directly for support during your learning of this increasingly popular and fascinating subject.

Some possible career opportunities include working in the food industry, food provision, health care, education and public relations. You might opt for further study to go for a career in clinical nutrition, sports nutrition, community nutrition, public health or clinical studies. A research career and private practice are also possible with further study.

Head for a new career now!

Studying Nutritional Science will teach you an understanding of nourishment of the body in scientific terms by looking at biochemical processes which occur in all living cells.

Biochemistry is the chemistry of organisms and organic compounds. Metabolism is the process by which a body introduces into itself various energy‑rich materials from its environment (food or nutrients), and transforms these materials, with the release of energy, into other substances, some of which are retained by the body and some eliminated.

COURSE STRUCTURE

There are 10 Compulsory Modules, 4 Elective Modules and 100 hours of Industry Meetings.

10 Compulsory Modules - click on them to find out more about the lesson content for each module:

1. Human Nutrition I

The nine lessons are as follows:

1. Introduction to Nutrition
2. The Digestive System
3. Absorption & Enzymes
4. Energy Value and Foods
5. Carbohydrates and Fats
6. Proteins
7. Vitamins and Minerals
8. Water
9. Nutrient Disorders

2. Human Nutrition II

There are eight lessons is as outlined below:‑

1. Cooking And Its Affect On Nutrition
2. Food Processing And Its Affect On Nutrition
3. Recommended Daily Intake Of Nutrients
4. Vitamins
5. Minerals
6. Planning A Balanced Diet
7. Assessing Nutritional Status And Needs
8. Timing Of Meals, And Needs For Special Groups

3. Human Nutrition III

This course is divided into eight lessons as follows:.

1. Problems With Eating
2. Dental Problems
3. Fibre and Bowel Diseases
4. Different Ways of Eating
5. Food Toxicity A
6. Food Toxicity B
7. Detoxification/Body Cleansing
8. Consulting/Giving Advice

4. Biochemistry I (Animals)

There are 10 lessons as follows:

1. Introduction to biochemistry
2. Lipids and proteins
3. Enzymes and hormones
4. Nucleic acids
5. Thermo-regulation
6. Carbohydrate metabolism
7. Absorption
8. Acidity and alkalinity
9. Chemical analysis
10. Biochemical applications

5. Biochemistry II

There are nine lessons in this module as follows:

1. Introduction to Biochemical Molecules
2. Amino Acids
3. Structure of Proteins
4. Protein Dynamics
5. Sugars and Polysaccharides
6. Lipids (Fats) and Membranes
7. Enzymes, Vitamins and Hormones
8. DNA and RNA
9. Labratory Techniques

6. Biochemistry III (Animal Processes)

1. Introduction
2. Glycolysis
3. Movement Through Membranes
4. Electron Transport and Oxidative Phosphorylation
5. Sugar and Polysaccharide Metabolism
6. Lipid Metabolism
7. Photosynthesis
8. Nucleotide Metabolism
9. Enzyme Activity
10. Reproductive Processes in Plants
11. Other Processes

7. Cell Biology

The course contains 10 lessons: 

1. Introduction to Cells
2. Chemical Composition
3. Chemical Processes
4. Genetic Information
5. Membranes
6. Nucleus
7. Protein Structure and Function in the Cell
8. Bioenergetics
9. Cell Signaling/Communication
10. The Cell Cycle and Tissue Formation

8. Anatomy and Physiology (Human Biology 1A)

There are 6 lessons as follows:

9. Statistics

There are 10 lessons as follows:

1. Introduction
2. Distributions
3. Measures of central tendency
4. The Normal curve and Percentiles and Standard Scores
5. Correlation
6. Regression
7. Inferential Statistics
8. The t Test
9. Analysis of variance
10. Chi square test

10. Research Project 1

There are 7 lessons as follows:

1. Determining Research Needs
2. Searching For Information
3. Research Methods
4. Using Statistics
5. Conducting Statistical Research
6. Research Reports
7. Reporting On A Research Project.

100 Hours of Industry Meetings:

Industry Meetings can be satisfied by showing documentary proof of attendance at a combination of seminars, conferences, trade shows and/or committee meetings.

ELECTIVES

You also need to choose a further four (4) modules from the following electives, to suit your needs or to tailor this course to your choice of subject material!

Children's Nutrition

There are 10 lessons in this module as follows:

1. Introduction to Child Nutrition
2. Nutrition for Pre-Pregnancy
3. Nutrition in Pregnancy
4. Nutrition in Infants
5. Nutrition in Childhood
6. Nutritional Concerns
7. Healthy Eating Behaviours
8. Issues in Child Nutrition
9. Childhood Obesity
10. Diet Plans

Sports Nutrition

There are 9 lessons as follows:

1. Introduction to Human and Sports Nutrition
2. Energy
3. Energy in the Athlete’s Body
4. The Training Diet
5. The Competition Diet
6. Fluids
7. The Athlete’s Body Composition
8. Weight Management
9. Training for Size and the Use of Sports Supplements

Nutrition for Weight Loss

There are nine lessons in this course as follows:

1. Understanding Obesity -Causes, genetics, lifestyle, exercise, eating habits, affect of pregnancy, medical conditions, diseases, water, changes at different stages of life (adolescence, menopause, etc). Evaluation of Weight status & Body Composition
2. Nutrition Basics ….revision of the basics, discussion of food sources, organic/inorganic; not just what you eat but how & when you eat…. Healthy digestion,,,,
3. Diets -Fads, Fiction and Fact…. A review of a range of popular approaches to Weight Control – Starvation, Ketogenic Diets, Dieting. Crash diets, supplements, cleansing/elimination diets, Low carb diets, sweeteners, fat substitutes; Dangers
4. Preventing Obesity
5. Treating Obesity
6. Modifying Eating Behaviour
7. Restricting Calorie Intake
8. Medical Conditions: Hormones, Drugs, Eating Disorders
9. Planning a Diet

Theraputic Nutrition

This great new course is still under development, but should be available late in 2009.

Research Project II

There are 6 lessons in this module as follows:

1. Identifying research issues
2. Acquisition of technical information
3. Specialised research techniques
4. Research planning and designing
5. Statistics
6. Conducting research

Bioenergtics (Human Biology 1B)

There are 7 lessons as follows:

1. Energy and Work -
   Explains how energy is used in the human body to create work and power
2. Energy Pathways –
   Looks at energy pathways during rest, work and recovery
3. The Acid-Base Balance -
   Explains the significance of the acid-base balance in the body
4. Osmosis & Diffusion -
   Explains movement of materials in and out of living cells
5. Atmospheric Pressure –
   Examines the affect of changing atmospheric pressure on the human body
6. Temperature Regulation –
   Centres on temperature regulation in the body
7. Ergogenic Aids to Performance –
   Examines ergogenic aids to body performance during activity/exercise

Modules

Note that each module in the Qualification - Associate Diploma in Nutritional Science is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.