Gingerjo’s Blog

Before the course started it said that you should read Study Periods 1-3 (there are 18 in total) to get a feel for how quickly you want to work through the course. Well I did that and decided it was so interesting that I’d read the whole thing quickly (to get a good overall picture) and then I’d work my way back through everything more slowly, to properly digest it (pardon the pun). This seems to be working.

I’ve now worked back through Study Period 1 again in more detail. I’ve retained a surprising amount of info from the first read through which is good as I’ve always struggled with book-learning. I learn much better from listening than reading. So far I’ve learned the real definition of nutrition - it’s more than just nutrients in the body - it’s about the whole relationship of people with their food. This doesn’t just include what you eat, but why you eat and how you choose your food according to your social, economic, psychological and cultural background. It’s a truly multi-disciplinary subject. Which is good - I wanted more than just the science of food.

There are multiple ways of tracking how much we eat and our general nutritional status, both at an individual level and as a nation. Regular national surveys help the Government assess whether the population’s nutritional needs are being met and how this affects our health - informing policy making for nutritional advice, food production, etc. This population information, along with scientific research into the effect of nutrients on the body, allows them to give clear advice on what makes a good diet. It’s obvious that in the UK many of us, myself included, are ignoring this advice, or have simply never heard it. We are strongly influenced by the media who give us conflicting, misleading or incomplete information about the components of a healthy diet.

I’ve discoverd that both my Body Mass Index (BMI) and Wast:Hip ratio are way too high and that I’m at risk from heart disease, diabetes and various forms of cancer. In fairness I knew that already - this is one of the reasons I wanted to take the course - to see if a better understanding of nutrition would help me make better food choices. I’ve kind of become numb to the ‘you’re obese and you’ll die young’ message though - I think I need to understand the obstacles to changing my diet before I can do anything about it.

Because the OU doesn’t have a wishlist like amazon.com’s very handy little tool for reminding you of all the things you want to buy but can’t afford, I feel the need to make a list of the courses that I’m interested in as it’s a pain having to hunt through their course search every time.
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They’ve arrived, my textbooks for SK183 Understanding Human Nutrition. I’ve decided I’m going to read through them quickly first, then study them carefully week by week as suggested. I’ve read the first couple of chapters already and it looks really interesting. I don’t think I’ll find the chemistry sections challenging, but then I do have an advantage over many students - I have studied it before. I’m sure there’ll be loads I’ve forgotten though so it’ll be great revision. And also great practice for when I do the CIM Professional Diploma which is very textbook heavy. Hopefully the two courses won’t overlap too much timewise. I’m hoping to submit the ECA for SK183 in October, but there’s still the January deadline if I fail miserably. I’ll just have to see how it all goes. If only work didn’t get in the way of my educational aspirations….

I couldn’t help it. I tried to resist because I’m hoping to do the CIM’s Professional Diploma in Marketing this year which will take up a lot of my spare time. It didn’t work. I’ve signed up for another OU course. This time its SK183 Understanding Human Nutrition.

Although I know a lot about the basic composition of food - carbs, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, etc - I still have serious problems with my attitude towards food. I’m hoping that a fuller understanding will help me make better food choices and perhaps help me understand why I’m prone to eating comfort food. I’m really interested in the sociological and psychological aspects of food and I’m hoping this course will help me there.

Fortunately there are two submission dates for the coursework - I can take 5 months with this course if I want so there’s no pressure to complete it all within 10 weeks. November usually isn’t a good month for me, but I should be alright to make the end of January.

If I like this course I’m thinking of doing the full Certificate in Contemporary Science and studying astronomy, earthquakes and fossils and things as well. I just like learning stuff.