Course Title: Introduction to Food as Medicine
Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: Introduction to Food as Medicine
Credit Points: 12.00
Important Information:
To participate in any RMIT course in-person activities or assessment, you will need to comply with RMIT vaccination requirements which are applicable during the duration of the course. This RMIT requirement includes being vaccinated against COVID-19 or holding a valid medical exemption.
Please read this RMIT Enrolment Procedure as it has important information regarding COVID vaccination and your study at RMIT: https://policies.rmit.edu.au/document/view.php?id=209.
Please read the Student website for additional requirements of in-person attendance: https://www.rmit.edu.au/covid/coming-to-campus
Please check your Canvas course shell closer to when the course starts to see if this course requires mandatory in-person attendance. The delivery method of the course might have to change quickly in response to changes in the local state/national directive regarding in-person course attendance.
Terms
Course Code |
Campus |
Career |
School |
Learning Mode |
Teaching Period(s) |
OHTH2132 |
Bundoora Campus |
Undergraduate |
150H Health Sciences |
Internet |
Sem 1 2008, Sem 2 2008, Sem 1 2009, Sem 2 2009, Sem 1 2010, Sem 2 2010, Sem 1 2011, Sem 2 2011, Sem 1 2012, Sem 2 2012, Sem 1 2013, Sem 2 2013, Sem 1 2014, Sem 2 2014, Sem 1 2015, Sem 2 2015, Sem 1 2016, Sem 2 2016 |
OHTH2132 |
Bundoora Campus |
Undergraduate |
173H School of Health and Biomed |
Internet |
Sem 1 2017, Sem 1 2018, Sem 1 2019, Sem 1 2020, Sem 1 2021 |
Course Coordinator: Prof Stephen Bird
Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7257
Course Coordinator Email: stephen.bird@rmit.edu.au
Course Coordinator Location: 202.04.019
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
This course is a University Student Elective or identified Program option and is thus available to students from various disciplines. There are no prerequisites, however students without adequate computer and English language literacy skills may find it difficult to meet the demands of the course.
While a background in nutrition or science may assist, it is assumed that many students will not have such a background. Therefore any required nutritional or scientific concepts will be introduced as part of the course content.
Course Description
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, said ’Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food’. We all eat, and food can be used not only to nourish but also to heal the body.
In this course, students with an interest in ‘food’ and ‘medicine’ will gain an overview of the use of ’food as medicine’ to promote health and wellbeing and treat and prevent disease. Topic areas will include: the historical and modern uses of ‘food as medicine’; the role of phytonutrients in explaining the medicinal properties of food; common uses of food (functional food) for the treatment, maintenance and prevention of health concerns; factors that impact on the quality of food such as farming and production techniques; food regulation issues such as labelling; traditional medicine approaches to food selection and issues pertaining to the social factors that affect food choices.
Introduction to Food as Medicine is not intended to provide you with the direct skills to practice any complementary therapies. It will however provide you with concepts and ideas that can be used for personal benefit, allowing you to make more informed food choices for enhanced wellbeing. The course may also be a useful supplement to the practice of current or future health practitioners.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
This course is offered as a University Student Elective or identified program option to undergraduate students from various disciplines.
On successful completion of the course, you should be able to:
- Make informed choices about healthy food options.
- Describe the origins, philosophies and basic principles of food as medicine.
- Locate and evaluate information on the therapeutic benefits of foods, nutrients and phytonutrients.
- Discuss the emerging field of functional foods and how food can be utilised to enhance wellbeing and complement conventional treatment approaches in common diseases.
- Review the basis for the regulation of foods and the factors involved in assessing food quality, safety and therapeutic claims.
- Explain the issues relating to the wider social context of food production and consumption.
Overview of Learning Activities
Course delivery is entirely online via the course Canvas site, with no face-to-face contact required. The assessments are also conducted entirely online. It is therefore suitable for students who live remotely or have limited time to spend on campus, provided they have an appropriate internet connection.
Each week students will be directed to the course Canvas site to a series of readings/presentations and will then be asked to complete self-assessment quizzes or activities to consolidate their learning. These tasks will provide the foundational knowledge required to complete the online assessments.
A variety of online learning experiences, both individual and group, will be used to help you reach the learning outcomes listed above. Group work will occur through online discussions facilitated by staff, and students will be encouraged to discuss their personal experiences with food. Some practical activities that can be undertaken at home, or other suitable environment, are also integral to the course.
Overview of Learning Resources
Students will have access to course materials via Canvas. These include: a detailed learning guide, self-assessment questions, links to digitised readings, external internet links, and access to RMIT library and databases online (http://rmit.libguides.com/wellness). Hardcopy resources are also available in the RMIT library.
Overview of Assessment
This course has no hurdle requirements.
Assessment Tasks
Assessment Task 1: Online Discussion Topics
Weighting 45%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
Assessment Task 2: Online Quizzes
Weighting 15%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
Assessment Task 3: Recipe and evidence-based report
Weighting 40%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6