Nutrition 10

Contemporary Nutrition

DeAnza Collete

Spring 2024

a late-start 8 week course (May 6 - June 27)

Please watch this  short video to get started.And then explore this and the other pages in this syllabus.

         Welcome!

I am Anna Miller, your instructor for Contemporary Nutrition.

This class will undoubtedly affect how you think about food, diets and health. 

My hope is you will be able to apply what you learn in this course to your professional and personal life. 

I look forward to meeting you online soon!

                          Cheers, 

                                Anna Miller


You are welcome to call me AnnaPronouns: she/her/hers 

About this Syllabus

This syllabus contains essential information to help you. It is provided as a website so you can easily access it from the internet. Bookmark it on your phone or computer so it's easy to find when you need to.

If you would like to read, save and/or print the syllabus in a more traditional format (all text, no photos, videos or graphics) click on the button below.

You Are What You Eat!

woman about to eat a burger
Photo by Szabo Viktor on UnSplash

The links between diet and health and disease are undeniable 

If you eat high quality fuel (i.e. healthy foods) you are more likely to be healthy.  If you eat unhealthy food, you are more likely to experience health problems and lack energy and stamina, especially as you age

But eating a healthy diet is not always easy to do! We often have complex relationships with food and may approach the topic of nutrition with trepidation and bias. 

I invite you to have an open mind as you explore this dynamic and powerful topic.  

Below are a 2 short, fun and informative videos to whet your appetite for learning about food and nutrition (pardon the pun!).  Watching is optional.

How This Course Works

(More information is found in the next section of this syllabus Course Essentials)

An Overview 

How To Get Into the Course

Sign In

To access Nutrition 10 on Canvas you will sign into MyPortal. This class will open Thursday  Jan 5  

Need Help with Canvas?

If you have trouble signing in or experience technical issues with Canvas, click the button below for support services.

10 Top Tips for Success in Nutrition 10 

Every Friday and Monday you will receive an announcement with a weekend or week's TO DO list. Use them to help you stay on task

Not reading announcements will seriously disadvantage you. Lots of useful, important and valuable information is communicated in them. Read them; don't skim!

(or print the pdf version and keep it handy) 

Refer to it regularly to answer questions you may have, to be clear what's going on and to know what's due when

Download the Pronto app on your phone so you will see last minute reminders and announcements without logging onto Canvas. And read what your classmates ask and the answers posted. 

Set your Preferences on Canvas to turn on at least some e-mail or push Notifications on Canvas. Selecting Submission Comments means you will be notified as soon as a grade comment has been left for you. Sometimes a comment will be telling you your submission is not complete and action needs to be taken. That is information you need to know ASAP.  Selecting Conversation Message means you will be notified when you have a message in your Inbox.

Yes, you might find yourself confused, but help IS here!

How to Get your Questions Answered

Post your Questions on Canvas or Pronto

Pronto is an online messaging tool that we will be using in this class.  Post your question in a Chat on Pronto. The is the BEST place to ask questions.

You can also post your questions on the Canvas Discussion called Have a Question? Ask it HERE.  It is located in various places on Canvas (on the Nutrition 10 Homepage, in the module Your Course Toolkit, in the Orientation Module)

Ask ALL questions about the course content, quizzes, exams, the diet assignment, nutrition, etc.  on one of those places.

Message me Only For private questions  

You can message me through:

I usually reply within 24 hours (on Pronto, often within the hour)

Please do NOT message me with questions about the course content, nutrition, worksheets, tests, the diet assignment, nutrition etc. Those questions should be asked in a  chat on Pronto or in the Canvas Discussion Have a Question? Ask it HERE 

Here's How You Can Reach Me

Zoom Office Hours 

Mondays and Fridays 11 am - 1 pm (Drop in) and by appointment on other days/times. Use THIS LINK to see me during my Zoom Office Hours and when prompted, enter the passcode Healthwins

FYI: I will not be in my office on campus this quarter and I don't check voicemail messages

Direct Message me  

I can be reached on Pronto, via e-mail: milleranna@fhda.edu or by using the Canvas Inbox. (I prefer that you message me on Pronto)

Please ONLY direct message me for private, personal questions. Questions about the course and nutrition should ONLY be posted in a Pronto Chat or on Canvas in the Have a Question? Discussion.

The Big Picture

I know that students in this class are here for a variety of reasons.  Some of you are on a clear academic path, working towards your well defined goals. Some of you are not sure where you're headed and you may be at DeAnza College because your parents expect you to be in college. Some of you aspire to go to nursing school and this course satisfies a prerequisite (FYI: It does NOT satisfy the DeAnza Nursing School prerequisite. They require Biology 45 Introduction to Human Nutrition). Others of you may be super interested or curious about nutrition and are highly motivated to learn how to clean up your diet. Perhaps there are athletes among you who want to eat a healthy diet to optimize your athletic achievements.

You ARE a diverse group of students. 

Whatever your reasons for taking this class, without a doubt, I wish you well in your path towards the goals you hold for yourself. And if you don't yet have those goals, there is a lot to learn in this class that will be personally relevant and practically useful to you.

My goal in teaching this class is to expose you to the fascinating yet complex (and sometimes confusing!) world of food, nutrition and health.  There's much more to nutrition than "Fruits and veggies are good for you and junk food is not".

A Glimpse Into My Teaching Philosophy 

I do not value the practice of regurgitating information.  I do value the ability to synthesize information and apply that information to "real world" situations, in an intelligent and meaningful way. 

I strive to provide learning experiences which will motivate you to master the course material.   We all learn differently. I have designed this course to provide students with a variety of ways for understanding new information and making sense of it all. 

My role as your teacher is to help YOU make yourself aware of the incredible power of food and nutrition.  I strive to give you tools that will enable you to evaluate whatever future nutrition trends become popular long after this course is over. 

My ultimate hope is that you'll be able to apply what you learn in Nutrition 10 to achieve good health, stamina and vitality as you move through the lifecycle. 

Expectations!

What you can expect from me

What I will expect from you

Quick Links

If you are/have ever battled an eating disorder and this course/the diet assignment has the potential of setting you back in your recovery process, please feel free to discuss your situation with me. I will understand. Some accommodations are possible.

I very much want you to stay within your comfort zone.

I would like to express my gratitude to Michelle Picansky-Brock for her workshop How to Create a Liquid Syllabus. I also acknowledge the many sources of inspiration from the numerous examples of Liquid Syllabi I viewed.  And I thank Prof Kelley -- your youtube video How to Build a Liquid Syllabus using Google Sites was immensely helpful.