在…的名单上 一月学期课程, 艾莉森·J. 德雷伯‘s “Nutrition: Food and Fads” is a regular. 德雷伯, director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Science at 全球十大网赌正规平台, has been teaching it –with a few exceptions – for about a decade. 的 j项 course explores aspects of nutrition, including the science of food and popular diet plans. Students develop diet plans for themselves, follow them, and reflect on the experiences. So what makes a successful plan?
How have the food fads changed throughout the time you’ve been teaching this course?
I find that most students 是 interested in eating better, but few know where to start. Moving past all the hype and learning something about the science of nutrition helps. 在某些方面, food fads have changed a lot in this decade – from South Beach and Atkins diets, to miracle-cures and superfoods – but the skepticism with which students view all these interventions and the limited efficacy of these fads have remained constant.
What is your reaction to the latest fad, the ‘secret’ celebrity weight loss drug, and your reaction to medication for weight loss, 在一般情况下?
在我的课程中, I talk about these as short-cuts – in other words, short-duration drastic things one can do to lose weight or regain health 很快, but these 是 seldom a long-term healthy way to live. Except for someone in a dire health condition, weight loss medications and ‘secret’ drugs 是n’t necessary. When a person switches to a super-healthy diet, health conditions resolve and weight drops off 很快. I’ve seen students transform in just a semester once they know what to do. I don’t mean to make it sound easy. 改变习惯, 打破食物成瘾, and addressing the myriad emotional aspects of eating 是 really hard. 但是任何人都可以做到.
What surprises students as they learn about nutrition?
有两件事. 第一个, students 是 surprised at how straight向前 healthy eating is once you cut through all the hype and that healthy eating can also be tasty and satisfying.
Second, students 是 surprised to realize that in the U.S., there is no entity effectively looking out for their health. Food corporations 是 out to sell more food, and they prep是 foods in a way that hijack our brains with 糖, fat and salt and make us want more. 美国农业部, 制定饮食指南, also promotes American agriculture, including strong support for meat, 乳制品, 和鸡蛋. 的 health c是 system treats our illnesses, but seldom focuses on the preventive c是 and lifestyle habits that would help us avoid many illnesses in the first place. 的y’re surprised to find that their health is in their own hands.
One of your assignments is to have students create a diet plan. What is the biggest challenge for them in developing that plan?
的 main challenge is knowing where to start. How can you tell if a food is healthy? How do you know how much you need – how many calories, how much protein? 你需要脂肪吗? 碳水化合物有害吗?? Once we get past all that basic information, figuring out what they need and coming up with a plan isn’t so hard. Sometimes I remind students that nutrition is a lab course – and they 是 实验室!
Talking to someone who teaches about nutrition always begs the obvious question: What type of eater 是 you?
Students always ask me this, and I avoid answering until the end of the course! I eat a whole-food plant-based diet. 换句话说, it’s uber-vegan – only plants, 只有在他们成长的过程中, so nothing processed: no white flour, 糖, 添加的油, 等. I’m not a purist – I eat this way for health reasons, and I don’t suggest that students have to follow my lead. I often say in class that for me, as a middle-aged and mostly-sedentary person, my needs 是 different than theirs! But I do walk students through the data about what different styles of eating beget in terms of health and longevity. I guess I talk a lot about longevity! It’s interesting to me as a middle-aged person, and I wonder if it resonates with students! 足够幸运的是, the same kind of healthy eating that leads to better longevity, 我的兴趣, also leads to better athletic performance, 皮肤病, 心理健康结果, which 是 generally the top student interests.
You cook with the students as part of this course. Can you share one of your favorite class-selected recipes from the past?
埃及红扁豆汤 is something I eat all winter – it heats up nicely for lunch and it’s just packed with nutrition. I made it for my class last spring and it won great accolades even from students whose own eating was as far from this as you can imagine. 对我来说最重要的是, 虽然, was that the student in the class who was from Egypt said that it tasted like something her grandmother would make!
