1. Find a food product that has nutrition claims and/or health claims on it. List the name of your product, and the various claims on it. Who do you think they are advertising your product to? (Note g

1. Find a food product that has nutrition claims and/or health claims on it. List the name of your product, and the various claims on it. Who do you think they are advertising your product to? (Note graphics, too- ie- the use of a heart shaped bowl on a product stated to lower risk of heart disease, or a measuring tape to suggest weight loss...) (Remember: the claims are also useful marketing tools for the company- after all, they want you to buy their product).Next- check out the Nutrition Facts label on your product. (See your text for an example of the Nutrition Facts label).  Do you think the portion size on your product is reasonable? Or too small?  (If this is the case, then the person would actually be eating more total kcals and fat kcals than is stated.... ) 

Data for carbohydrates, fat and protein is given in grams on the label. You can convert grams to kcals by doing the following:

Calculate the kcals from Total fat, Total Carbohydrates and Protein (convert from grams to kcals; see Math Tips in this week's Module and You Do the Math (Chapter 1). Add these up to get total kcals. Then compare your value for total kcals to "Calories" listed on top of the Nutrition Facts label. Any difference? 

Now calculate the percentage of total carbohydrate, total fat and protein (divide each kcal value you calculated by total kcals-- again, see Math Tips in the Module).

Also check out sodium (no calculations here :)- your thoughts: high? Low? (most of the sodium in the American diet comes from processed and fast foods).

Last, look at the ingredients. These are listed in order of weight (most to least). On your ingredient list: how many times is sugar, in all of its different forms (i.e. sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey, etc.) listed? (The food companies will often use different forms of sugar multiple times so "sugar" isn't listed first on ingredients. Another marketing tool). Are there any partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats)? (Even if a product says 0 grams trans fat on the front of the package or under Nutrition Facts, there can be a small amount allowed... ditto with fat. ("Fat free" can have less than 0.5 g/serving; with lots of servings, this can add up.) So check to see how the ingredients mesh with the claims on the package. Are there any food additives? What are they for? How safe are they? Check https://cspinet.org/eating-healthy/chemical-cuisine (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for a guide to safety of additives. (Note: sugar and salt are considered additives, as are vitamins and minerals.....) 

2. Find a YouTube video on digestion and share it with the class. Briefly review the video, pros, cons, and include the link.

Also-- In spite of the body’s incredible work, things can still go wrong. Like everything else, we need to take care of the health of our GI tract. Based on what you have read and personal knowledge; What do you think of probiotics? What are probiotics? What does they do to help promote a healthy GI tract? Are they necessary? What foods are a good source of probiotics?

What is the role of prebiotics?) Look up prebiotics; find an article/link on the topic and discuss; include your link.

3. What do you think about the role of food and diet in relation to digestive disorders such as food allergies, ulcers, celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea/constipation, etc.? Do you think diet makes a difference or medication is the way to go.... or both? Discuss..... What about the relationship between stress and diet and these disorders?