Diploma In Human Nutrition

You have probably heard the cliché that you’re what you eat! Well, I bet this statement will never truly ring the bell to you until you join the thousands of health students optimizing their health with unique education on nutrition and health. Don’t take my words for it consider the volume of literature in the science journals and library that support the fact that an improved knowledge in health and nutrition increases longevity.

Human nutrition is the process by which substances in food are transformed into body tissues and provide energy for the full range of physical and mental activities that make up human life.

What are Nutrients?

Nutrients themselves are defined as the chemical compounds from food that are found in a person’s diet.  Nutrients are essential to life; they play a variety of vital life roles such as in the provision of energy, the promotion of growth and development, and the regulation of bodily processes. There are six main classes of nutrients in food: proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, water.

Foods have very different nutritional densities – this is the nutritional value of food relative to the number of kilojoules (energy) it supplies.  In general terms, foods that have a high nutrient density are a good source of that nutrient relative to its contribution to energy.  To explain, eggs or liver have a high nutrient density as they contribute a great number of nutrients relevant to their kilojoule count, whereas fats and soft drinks provide energy, but have a very low nutrient density as they contain few nutrients (these are often referred to as “empty calorie” foods).

The most essential aspect of nutrition is the volume and variety of nutrients a person consumes in their diet.  All people require the same nutrients during each stage in their life cycle although the volume of each nutrient necessary does vary.
A good diet can be one of the most effective ways of maintaining natural health. This means not only eating appropriate food, but also avoiding inappropriate food, and eating an appropriate quantity of food. Too much or too little of a good thing can cause problems.

The purpose of this course is to help you understand nutrition basics as well as optimise your nutritive content for better health and better performance at work and in life.

At the end of this course, you should be able to;

• Understand the meaning of nutrients and essential nutrients.
• Have a detailed understanding of the Nutrient requirement
• Outline the various types of nutrients
• Have adequate knowledge of nutritional deficiency and excess
• Know what phytochemicals are
• Have knowledge of the human digestive system.

Course Curriculum