Topic outline

  • About this course

    A free online course from the OpenLearn section of the Open University. The link gives you immediate access to begin the course.


    8 weeks study

    No account required. 
    (If you do decide to create an account and enrol for free you receive a free statement of participation.)

    'Are we really what we eat? How do we know what is in our food? Does it need to be difficult to follow a healthy eating pattern?

    This free course, The science of nutrition and healthy eating, will help you to answer these questions. '

    Week 1: The basics of food
    Week 2: What happens to the food we eat?
    Week 3: The importance of hydration
    Week 4: What do food labels tell us?
    Week 5: Energy from food and sweeteners
    Week 6: What do people eat?
    Week 7: Food allergy or food intolerance?
    Week 8: Taste and psychology


    • Learning outcomes

      After studying this course, you should be able to:

      • demonstrate and understand how food is processed and then used in the body
      • apply knowledge to understand healthy eating advice and identify how it varies in different countries
      • make sense of food labels and perform basic calculations of energy in food
      • describe and know about food allergies and intolerances
      • describe and understand possible reasons for the current obesity epidemic.

      • Begin course

        The course can be accessed via the link below. Will open in a new window.
        Good luck!

        https://www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/health/the-science-nutrition-and-healthy-eating/content-section-overview?active-tab=description-tab