Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I am taking a somewhat easy term and am enrolled in a 200 level class in nutrition. It was in the chemistry section though with no prereqs I doubt it will be very heavy in it.

I am excited but also nervous. I love talking about the latest diet trends and the SAD abominations. But.. I feel like I am about to enter a very very devout church as an atheist or insert whatever opposite religion. How will I keep the frustration off my face when they try and tell me that the best way to get vitamins is through fortified cereal (instead of supplements). That was taken from a review on amazon for the textbook (someone was complaining about it). How will paleo be received? Will I be forced to memorize tons of facts I know to be utter crap?? The instructor is supposed to be a very well respected researcher from a neighboring teaching hospital. She has a great rep... I dunno Anyone else taken nutrition?

I should mention that I am sure there are plenty of awesome folks who are nutritionists regardless of which theory they believe in. Also I am a chem major so I do enjoy the scientific side of things even if it goes against my common sense wisdom (science can miss the forest for the trees at times). So not hard feelings to anyone!

*pps - Thanks for the responses guys! I should mention that I am not planning on actively advocating paleo (Im not the type that would start an argument just to show how "right" I am) but part of the class is keeping a food journal (we have to buy some comp program for it!). So Im guessing it will come up after I get HUGE red warning signs about my fat intake lol. And my .. uh .. lack of fortified grains..

edited Apr 4 2012 at 4:10

asked Apr 4 2012 at 3:37

ancestral_stars
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Take the class an an opportunity to learn conventional nutritional information, much of which, as you already know, is jibberish. Don't use the class as a forum to pick fights. Teacher's paradigm differs from yours. Evidence doesn't resolve paradigm wars. Master the course, get an "A" and keep moving forward. – Dorado Galore Apr 4 2012 at 16:40

Blossom1 · Answer 1 · 2012-04-04 03:57:28Z UTC

It depends on the instructor. Some are open-minded; some will resist the slightest deviation from official policy. Introductory courses in nutrition will typically cover the roles of various vitamins and minerals and basic digestion/absorption/transport, so you might find those things useful. It will be ancillary comments, as you suggest, that will irritate...a good example of this is a course where we discussed iron and were informed as an aside that you MUST feed babies fortified cereal to meet iron needs. My eyes, they rolled - but I did learn about hemoglobin production in the meantime.

If you're going to try to advocate paleo, there will be contexts where you need to make certain you can do so skillfully. If this prof is a researcher, she will likely know enough biochem to screw with anything you say and don't have the ability to support on a basic level.

This is my n=1 experience as a nutrition student.

Edited to add: just saw your additional comment. If you can, with a chem background, why not try a nutritional biochem course? Anything you cover in introductory nutrition will be very basic.

Starfox92 · Answer 2 · 2012-04-04 04:02:14Z UTC

Well I didn't take one, however my girlfriend and my other friends have taken nutrition classes at least once in their life. They constantly argue the "whole grains, soy, and low fat" thing. It is, typically, very centered on the SAD diet since it usually has to have guidelines to make things similar in all classes.

Essentially, go in, take tests, act like you think you're being told some useful information and what not, pass it, and smile the whole time. You will have to "learn" things, but perhaps with a great instructor, she will be able to see your diet and not shoot it down, but simply listen at the very least. Just remember never argue, and in fact I would say unless asked don't bring up too terribly much about it really.

David Csonka · Answer 3 · 2012-04-04 04:28:12Z UTC

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In my experience, the only thing "higher" about higher education is the cost.

Have a M.S. in information science.

answered Apr 4 2012 at 4:28

David Csonka
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	Here here!!!! Seconded... thirded.. yeah dont get me started #E$!%!#$^! – ancestral_stars Apr 4 2012 at 4:32
	That's a shame you didn't get value out of the education you paid for. It might have to do with learning style: whether you learn best from auditory/lecture or from visual/textbooks. I've also found a huge range of teaching ability at different schools. I was lucky to go to a college with excellent teaching, but the quality of teaching at some of the universities I have attended have been so low as to make the classes worthless. However, the information I learned in college was definitely "higher" than high school, and likewise for grad school compared to undergrad. – Sara S. Apr 4 2012 at 12:54
	My major program was taught 75% by foreign students seeking doctorates, where English was their second language. I ended up having to take most of my course work online because the lecture classes where impossible to understand, due to their poor speaking skills. Still, I found the overall information value of the programs not a fair trade of value in terms of what I paid. I could have learned more by just reading wikipedia every day. Everything useful, important, and relevant in my career and life I've learned on my own through my own research or self-guided instruction. – David Csonka Apr 4 2012 at 13:56

Eric · Answer 4 · 2012-04-04 04:28:18Z UTC

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I like your odds with this from Todd Becker: http://gettingstronger.org/2011/11/obesity-starts-in-the-brain-2/

It might even get you extra credit....

answered Apr 4 2012 at 4:28

Eric
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Thanks for the link Im checking it out now (Im such an info whore) – ancestral_stars Apr 4 2012 at 4:33

You bet! It is really cool info! – Eric Apr 4 2012 at 4:48

Taking a class in nutrition kinda nervous …entering the SAD temple?

4 Answers