Culinary Nutrition and Wellness
Course Outline
Course Fee: $165
ACF Approved CEH: 30 Hours
CBDM Approved Hours: 30 General CE
Subject Area: Nutrition and Wellness
Course Approved by: The American Culinary Federation, Certifying Board for Dietary Managers
Mandatory Course: Required for all initial ACF Cook and Chef Certification levels.
Instructor: Amber Johnson
The fee for this course includes access to all online course materials and an official certificate of completion from chefcertification.com. Once your course is completed, your course completion will be authenticated, and a certificate of completion will be generated. This official certificate of completion will be uploaded to your account, and available through the course dashboard for this course.
Introduction/Course Description:
The main goal for the Culinary Nutrition Course is to offset the complexity of nutrition by making it fun and interesting. During this course, we guarantee that you will be enjoying nutrition instead of dreading it! We will not make you a prisoner to the old ways of counting, recording, analyzing and...well...basically needing a masters of science to understand the course!
Course Objectives/Program Outline
Module One-Introduction to Nutrition
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the various definitions related to general nutrition and energy.
- Describe the important aspects of the nutrition facts section of a food label.
- Define various nutritional claims that appear on the average food label and how laws influence chefs/restaurant owners.
- Explore the Nutrition and Labeling Education Act and how it has affected Chefs in the foodservice setting.
- Explore the MyPlate Food Guidance System requirements and identify ways to modify or highlight your recipes.
- State ways to modify or highlight your recipes to meet the requirements of the USDA Dietary Guidelines and the Exchange System.
- Illustrate the importance of nutrient density.
- Identify common food allergies or individual food restrictions and suggest appropriate substitutions.
Project 1:. Your Food Service Establishment Menu
Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.
Module Two-Carbohydrates and Sugars
Learning Objectives:
- Define what a carbohydrate is and how the different types of this energy source affect the body.
- Identify the importance of carbohydrates in the diet and their functions.
- Illustrate the importance the USDA dietary guidelines and ChooseMyPlate for contributing adequate carbohydrates and sugars.
- Practice ways to reduce simple sugars from recipes and diets.
- Discuss the fads vs. the facts about carbs and sugars, what affect carbs and sugars have on our bodies (especially diabetics) and how moderation can help.
- Define and illustrate the importance of fiber and ways to increase the amount in foods consumed/served.
- Identify the most nutrient dense sources of carbohydrates, sugar and fiber to maximize health and wellness of body.
Project 2: Tracking Your Carbs and Fiber
Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.
Module Three-Fats
Learning Objectives:
- Define and classify all the types of fats and oils. List examples of food sources of each type of fat.
- Compare nutritional values of saturated and unsaturated fats.
- Describe and explore the benefits of essential fats, a critical element of the human diet.
- Understand the intricacies of fat and its function within the human body.
- State the functions of fats in cooking.
- Describe how fats influence your health and state recommendations made by USDA Dietary Guidelines with regards to fat intake.
- Prepare substitutions for lower fat alternatives of 5 entrees on your current menus.
Project 3: Evaluating High-Fat Menus
Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.
Module Four-Protein and Vegetarianism
Learning Objectives:
- Identify what protein is and describe the importance of protein in the body.
- State protein recommendations by USDA Dietary Guidelines 2015.
- Define amino acid and differentiate between nonessential and essential amino acids.
- Identify protein complementation and its applications in food service setting.
- Determine your protein needs, including listing the increased protein requirements for pregnancy, breast-feeding women, athletes and children.
- State the impact of excess protein on health and practice ways to reduce intake of protein.
- Define vegetarianism and various types of vegetarians and illustrate points of a complete vegetarian diet and how to put it together.
- Describe recent trends in vegetarianism and compare nutritional needs different to vegetarians, and meat-eaters.
- Practice ways of consuming and providing more healthful offerings on the menu, to include healthier vegetarian items that meet protein requirements for balance of nutrients.
Project 4: Reducing Protein Portions
Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.
Module Five-Vitamins and Minerals
Learning Objectives:
- Identify key vitamins and minerals and their impact on our overall health, and list increased nutrient needs for specific populations.
- Demonstrate cooking, storing, purchasing techniques for maximum retention of nutrients.
- Define antioxidants and explain their role in disease prevention.
- State the trends surrounding the term "functional foods" and what their future role in food service might be.
- Describe the differences nutritionally of non-organic versus organic foods and benefits of sustainability.
- Identify the importance of water to health.
Project 5: Increasing Nutrient Density
Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.
Module Six-Exercise and Wellness
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss how diet relates to risks associated with heart disease, diabetes, cancer and hypertension.
- Describe the psychological and physiological aspects of obesity and state the significance of body composition.
- List ways obesity can affect health and a few ways to prevent/treat obesity.
- List overall wellness tips for home and work.
- Identify key menu writing skills and staff training for the implementation of a more healthful menu.
- Evaluate the most effective types of exercise for maintaining physical health.
Compare/conclude on all modules the most important points for the chef to utilize in food service establishment.
Project 6: Overall Wellness
Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.
Final Exam
Multiple choice questions taken from each module
Final Learning Statement
Learning statements should be in a narrative format – as opposed to an outline format. Depending on individual writing styles Learning statements should be 1-2 pages. The learning statement can vary according to individual style. Your learning statement should answer the broad question of "what did you learn?". To help get you thinking, here are some suggested questions:
- What are the major concepts of the course that you have learned?
- What new professional language have you acquired relating to the topic?
- Thinking back to your project reflections, were you surprised at the outcomes?
- What new resources did you find in the study of the content?
- As a chef/food service professional, what new concepts will you now integrate into your work?
- Are there any ideas that presented themselves as enlightening and useful?
Requirements for Course Certificate of Completion
The following are the general course requirements for issuing a certificate of completion for this course:
- Student must receive 80% or better on each module quiz as well as the final exam
- Student must complete all course projects as outlined within the course
- Student must complete a Final Learning Statement at the end of this course
