Skip to Main Content

Research Guides

FCS 205: Concepts in Human Nutrition : Course Information

Course Objectives

By the end of the semester you will be able to...

1. State the nutrients, their functions, deficiencies, and toxicities (if applicable).

2.Evaluate sources of nutrition information

3. Apply the principles of nutrition when selecting your diet.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of digestion and absorption.

5. Demonstrate an understanding of metabolism and energy balance.

6. Gain knowledge of the influence of nutrition during physical activity and across the life cycle

7.Develop a positive attitude toward nutrition and health for a lifetime.

8. Identify food sources of nutrients discussed in class.

Product Fact Sheets

Apply what you have learned in class by creating a fact sheet on a dietary supplement or functional food.

Create a two-sided fact sheet targeted to consumers age 18-25.

Include the following information on your food or supplement:

  1. Name of food or supplement- Common and scientific
  2. Description of food or supplement
  3. Claims made about food or supplement by the media (consumer) or companies selling the product
  4. What the research has found ( peer-reviewed literature, non-profit, and government agency)
  5. Relevant research- cite at end of factsheet (at least 1 from each source described in #4).
  6. Pictures and or graphics to make visually appealing

This optional extra credit assignment is worth 35 points.

Please credit an original fact sheet. If your fact sheet is the same as another class member's fact sheet you will not receive credit. Do not cut and paste materials found on the internet or created by others, this is plagiarism! Cite your sources!

Below are additional examples of product fact sheets.

Consumer Publications vs. Peer Reviewed Literature

  Consumer Peer-Reviewed
Content General interest or opinion pieces; may discuss research studies, but do not contain original research Original research and inquiry 
Purpose Share news, general information, and entertainment; for profit Share research to expand knowledge base in a discipline
Audience General Public Professors, researchers, professionals, experts, students
Author Journalist, professional writer, or someone writing on behalf of a company, who are not experts or specialists in a field.  Sometimes no author name or credentials are given. Experts in the field. Name, credentials, and affiliations are provided. 
Article Structure Structure varies.  May have titled subsections, but they will rarely be the same labels as a scholarly work.  Do not have abstracts or reference lists. Includes clearly labeled parts such as abstract (article summary), and references (bibliography, works cited).  May also include and introduction, background, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion, notes, appendices and more.
Citations Rarely. Sources will often be referred to, but rarely have full citations.  No reference/works cited list. Yes. Other sources will be cited in text and will have full citations/references in footnotes or reference/works cited list at the end of the paper.
Publishing    Articles are generally reviewed by an editor before publication. There is often not extensive fact checking involved.  Before publishing, articles are submitted through a peer-review process. This is when an article is sent to a group of experts in the field and accuracy is evaluated. Reviews are commonly double blind.
Advertisements Yes. This type of publication usually looks engaging with many colorful advertisements. Rarely. If so, they are small, discreet, and subject related