Overview of Course

In this dynamic upper-division course you will take a deep dive into the fascinating, and often controversial, world of food and its impact on health and disease. We will begin by examining how scientific research helps us connect what’s on our plates to our overall health and well-being. You'll learn about the three major hidden drivers of chronic disease—inflammation, oxidative stress (accumulation of harmful molecules), and dysbiosis (an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in our gut), and discover how our food choices can either fuel or fight these contributors to heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and other chronic diseases. As the modern diet shifts from traditional, ancestral food practices to more highly processed food options, the pros and cons of these transitions will be investigated, as well as how some aspects of the modern human diet may be at odds with our evolutionary biology—and compromise our health today. Specific popular dietary patterns (Mediterranean, Paleo, Vegetarian, Keto, etc.), as well as unique dietary practices and local food traditions uncovered in our voyage to countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe, will be evaluated based on scientific evidence. We will learn how to critically assess the health claims made for various foods, spices, herbs, etc. that we encounter, evaluating their benefits based on scientific evidence and our understanding of how these dietary components function in the human body. This course is ideal for students excited about nutrition, health, and how food choices impact our current and future well-being!