24219 - Applied Nutrition

Learning outcomes

At the end of the Course the Student is able to:

- calculate nutritional needs and apply qualitative and quantitative food analysis techniques;

- understands and knows how to apply the interaction between diet and physical activity;

- understands the metabolic effects of physical activity; - is familiar with eating disorders;

- is aware of the motivational aspects of changing diet and physical activity;

- is able to collaborate with other professionals in the integrated treatment of obesity.

Course contents

Healthy Eating in the General Population

• Macro- and micronutrients (general principles)
• Water
• LARN: Italian Dietary Reference Intake Levels
• Guidelines for healthy eating
• Food groups: subgroups and food types, characteristic nutrients, and consumption recommendations
• Standard portion sizes and daily meal distribution
• The Mediterranean diet: definition and health-related characteristics; dietary sources of bioactive compounds
• Practical exercise: my diet
• Standard meal plans for the general population

Diet, Health, and Sports Activity

• Assessment of nutritional status in physically active individuals
• Energy requirements and energy balance
• Heat balance
• Hydration
• General principles of nutrition for sports and exercise
• Principles for adjusting dietary intake before competition, during competition, during recovery, and on rest days, with reference to endurance, power, skill-based, and intermittent sports
• Post-injury recovery
  

Other Dietary Patterns in Sport

• Vegetarian diets
• Low-carbohydrate and ketogenic diets
• Fad diets

Principles of Sports Supplementation

• Vitamin and mineral supplementation
• Fluid, electrolyte, and energy supplementation
• Protein and amino acid supplementation
• Ergogenic substances
• Antioxidant and immunomodulatory substances
• Prebiotics and probiotics

Feeding and Eating Disorders in Recreational and Competitive Athletes

• Definition
• Risk factors
• Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, RED-S
• Principles of prevention of eating disorders
• The role of the coach within the multidisciplinary team involved in the management of eating disorders

Principles of Nutrition for Adapted Physical Activity

• Parkinson’s disease
• Sarcopenia and osteoporosis
• Obesity
• Type 1 diabetes
• Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome

Principles of Food Safety in the Organisation of Sporting Events

• HACCP: definition and areas of application
• Coeliac disease and food allergies
• Prevention of choking and the Heimlich manoeuvre

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture notes and materials uploaded to Virtuale.

CREA (Centro Ricerca Alimenti e Nutrizione) Linee Guida Italiane per una Sana Alimentazione, 2018.

Di Giulio A, Lorenzini A, Malaguti M. Alimentazione per lo sport e il benessere. Vol. 1: Principi di nutrizione.

Di Giulio A, Lorenzini A, Malaguti M. Alimentazione per lo sport e il benessere. Vol. 2: Nutrizione applicata per lo sport e la salute ( chapters 3, 5-7, 10, 13

Teaching methods

Lectures with slides and videos
Quick class surveys
Guided self-assessment of student's own habitual diet

Lecture recordings will be made available (upon request to the instructor before the start of the course) - limited to students with recognized status as "student athlete," "student worker," or "student caregiver" - using the Panopto system (video lessons).

Students with learning disabilities (LD) or temporary or permanent disabilities: please contact the relevant University Office in advance at https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it. The Office will advise the students concerned of any adaptations, which must be submitted to the Teacher for approval at least 15 days in advance, who will evaluate the appropriateness of the adaptations, also taking into account the course's learning objectives.

This course participates in the University's educational innovation project.

Assessment methods

At the end of this course unit, students will take an oral examination covering the topics addressed during the lectures, after registering through the AlmaEsami platform.

An in-course multiple-choice test on healthy eating in the general population is also provided. This test does not contribute to the final grade, but it is a prerequisite for taking the final examination and may be completed independently by the student.

In order to register for the examination session, students must first have completed the in-course test and achieved at least the required minimum score, and must have discussed with the lecturer the assigned exercise, completed according to the methodology that will be published on Virtuale.

The purpose of the oral exam is to assess the student's ability to apply their knowledge and make the necessary
logical-deductive connections.

Final grade:

- Very limited preparation on the syllabus topics and analytical skills that emerge only with the instructor's assistance; overall correct language use → 18-19;

- Limited preparation on the syllabus topics and independent analytical skills only on purely executive questions; correct language use → 20-24;

- Extensive preparation on the syllabus topics, ability to make independent critical analysis choices, mastery of specific terminology → 25-29;

- Substantially comprehensive preparation on the syllabus topics, ability to make independent critical analysis and connection choices, full mastery of specific terminology, and ability to argue and self-reflect → 30-30L.

Teaching tools

English-speaking students are encouraged to apply for the Course: specific learning aids will be provided to them

The following are made available on Virtuale:

- Lecture notes

- other teaching materials  for self-study.

Individual exercises are conducted under the supervision of the Teacher.

The course is part of the University's teaching experimentation project.

 

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) or temporary or permanent disabilities are advised to contact the relevant University Office well in advance: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en . The Office will propose any appropriate adjustments to lectures and examinations for the students concerned. These adjustments must, however, be submitted to the lecturer for approval at least 15 days in advance. The Teacher will assess their suitability, also in relation to the learning outcomes of the course unit.

The Teacher encourages the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a useful learning tool, provided that it does not interfere with students’ ability to reason logically and to retrieve information independently through bibliographic research.

Office hours

See the website of Maria Letizia Petroni