GSU 1010
Nutrition Module Syllabus
Instructor:
Graduate Nutrition Students
Contact
Division of Nutrition, GSU at (404) 651-3085 or Dr. Mildred Cody,
Information: Chair of Nutrition Division at (404) 651-1105
Time Frame: 1 hr, 15 minutes
Module
Overview:
Students use the results of a personal dietary assessment to focus
on areas for dietary improvement. The module provides freshmen
students with nutrition survival skills necessary for their success and wellbeing, including the benefits of breakfast, dietary hazards of super-sizing,
and nutritious but effortless meals that can be prepared in a matter of
minutes.
Module
Objectives:
When you have completed this module, you will be able to:
(1) Analyze the quality of your diet using the USDA’s MyPyramid Tracker
and describe verbally the specific dietary changes you would make to
improve your results.
(2) Identify the healthier food choices within each MyPyramid group.
(3) Recognize an appropriate portion of food based on MyPyramid
and discuss the hazards of super-sizing.
(4) Identify the benefits of eating breakfast and provide examples of
healthy breakfast choices.
(5) Differentiate between more and less healthy food and snack
choices available on and around campus in dining halls, cafeterias,
vending machines, and fast food and other types of restaurants.
(6) Describe quick, affordable, and nutritious meals that can
be prepared in a dorm room or apartment.
Module Assignments and Activities:
Assignment Prior to Class: What Did I Eat?
Analyzing what you have eaten can help you see changes you can make to have a
healthier diet. It can be surprising! In this assignment, you will conduct your own dietary
analysis. You will record everything you ate and drank for a 24-hour period (one day).
This means everything you consumed from the time you got up to the time you went to
bed. Once you have the feedback from the analysis, you will interpret your findings and
decide what kind of changes you can make to improve your diet. Bring the printouts to
class. There will be an in-class discussion about what you have learned from the
assignment and how you can improve your MyPyramid results.
Directions: MyPyramid Tracker
 Go to the USDA’s MyPyramid Tracker, at http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/
 At the bottom of the screen, click: New User Registration
 Complete registration. When finished, click “Save today’s changes” before entering
food.
 Click “Proceed to Food Intake”
 Enter all the food and beverage items you eat and drink for a 24-hour period (oneday). You will enter a choice and then click search. Try to choose the food or
beverage that most closely matches what you ate or drank. Enter all the foods first
and then select quantities. Be sure to enter the accurate amount. Example: apple –
the serving size is medium (because my apple was medium) – the number of
servings is 1. The next item: milk – the serving size is 8 oz – the serving size is 2
because I had two glasses of milk.
 Be honest!
 After you enter all the foods and quantities, click “Save and analyze”.
 First select “MyPyramid Recommendations”. You will see different colored bars on
this page. Print this page.
 Next, click “back” on your browser. Then select “Meeting 2005 Dietary Guidelines”.
Select either “Maintains your current weight” or “Leads you to gradually achieving
and maintaining a healthy weight” & hit “Go!”. Print this page.
 Bring both printouts to class.
 For questions about using the site, go to http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/FAQ.asp.
Directions: In-class Assessment/Reflection
 Using your MyPyramid printouts, briefly describe the overall quality of your diet.
 How would you improve your MyPyramid Tracker? What specific changes would
you make? What are examples of types of foods would you add to your diet or
reduce in your diet?
 Briefly describe what you learned about your food and beverage selections from
MyPyramid. Which areas of your diet do you need to improve?
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Selected Web Sites for Nutrition Information:
MyPyramid. http://www.mypyramid.gov
This is the United States Department of Agriculture’s official web site for MyPyramid and
it outlines what to eat each day based on current dietary guidelines.
Facts About Dietary Supplements. http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/supplements/intro.html
This site is the National Institutes of Health consumer information page on vitamins and
dietary supplements.
The American Dietetic Association. http://www.eatright.org
The Food and Nutrition section of this site features reliable and objective food and
nutrition information. The web site can help you achieve a healthy lifestyle and can
answer your nutrition-related questions.
Student Recipes. http://www.yumyum.com/student/
This site has good information for students interested in cooking and it contains over
20,000 recipes. You can browse recipes by category, including vegetarian and
ethnic/regional.
Cook it Quick! University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension.
http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciq.htm
This web site is packed with ideas on how to prepare healthy foods in a hurry. It
features how to get organized in the kitchen, tips on cooking meals quickly, food safety,
and fun food facts.
Nutrition Data: Nutrition Facts and Calorie Counts. http://www.nutritiondata.com/
This site provides fast food facts for more than 30 fast food restaurants. It presents a
nutritional summary for each food and suggests better choices from the menu of each
fast food chain.
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