1.

Demonstrate knowledge of human nutritional needs and the role of nutrition in

improving individual health and the societal economic impact of food choices.
If you have a well-balanced diet you can get all of the nutritional requirements your body needs
i.e. an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals to prevent disease and promote a well-
functioning body. Often times an individual’s socio-economic status can greatly impact their
nutrition and access to healthy foods. Often those with lower income have poor nutrition as they
rely on cheap calorically dense foods. These foods are often full of sugar and lacking in
vitamins. There is a great need to make healthy foods more readily available to all socio-
economical classes.

2.Relate technological advancements in medicine and food production to the

advancement of the science of human nutrition.
As science has progressed, we have been able to more accurately measure the effect food has
on our body. In particular, how processed food effects our body. It also goes the other way, the
advancements in medical technology have allowed us engineer food.

3.Explain the impact that the food industry has on human food choices and the
subsequent relationship to health and disease at the individual, societal, and
environmental level.
The food industry has drastically impacted the health of our country. There is a lot of money to
be made in this industry, and often companies are looking out for profit versus the health and
wellbeing of the general populace. For example the sugar industry makes a lot of money by
adding a lot of sugar to food, which often makes them more addicting. They continue to do this
despite the increase of obesity and diabetes in the US.

4.Provide examples of past and present nutrient and diet trends in modern society and
the positive and/or negative implications on human health and the earth’s resources.
A past nutrient trend that has really affected the current health of the nation, is low fat. Back in
the 70’s in order to prevent cardiovascular disease they decided excess fat in foods was the
cause and removed as much fat from food products as possible. This made to food taste
terrible, so in order to combat that, they added more sugar. This has caused in increase in
obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Doing this one thing to our foods has had a detrimental
effect on the human health today!

5.Provide examples of positive and negative interactions of humankind with

microorganisms regarding sickness, health and food production.
Humans interact with microorganisms every day, in fact we are filled with them! This has a great
impact on our food and the transference of disease through our food. Often times our food is
produced from centralized farms or production plant. If one outbreak of, for example e-coli, is
spread through one farm, it can affect thousands of people throughout the country! There is also
the preparation of food to consider as well. Most of this is done by a human, which being said
there is human error in all things we do. Nobody is perfect a washing their hands, or making
sure to perfectly cover a sneeze when around food. This can cause disease to spread through
prepared food. These are all negative interactions humans can have, there are some positive
things we can do to affect our food and the spread of disease. There are multiple ways of
sterilizing our food that have recently been used. For example irradiation of food. This kills all of
the bacteria and prevents any more from growing, all while not changing the food at all. Doing
this can prevent the spread of many diseases like listeria.
6.Address diet and nutrient issues and concerns for weight control, disease prevention,
physical activity, food availability, and biotechnology.
The biggest contributor to weight gain is over nutrition, or excess caloric intake. Limiting our
caloric intake to that which our body needs to survive will allow us to keep a healthy body
weight. However when doing this, one needs to make sure to eat a well-rounded diet to insure
the adequate intake of micro and macronutrients. Doing this will prevent most weight and
vitamin deficient diseases. There are some challenges associated with this, as healthy food is
not always available. There are programs put into place that are trying to eliminate that
roadblock to healthy living. Another way to prevent disease and promote a healthy body is
making sure to get the recommended daily physical activity (150 minutes of moderate intensity
exercise spread throughout the week). Biotechnology can also help with these concerns in
many ways. One way is the fortification of regular foods. For example, fortifying breakfast
cereals with the majority of your vitamin and mineral needs. This can help children (especially
those picky eaters) get their daily nutrients to have a healthy body.