Developed by William D. Evers, PhD, RD and Carol Bell, RD.
Department of Foods and Nutrition, School of Consumer and Family Sciences,
Purdue Cooperative Extension Service
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Thanks to the following for helping review the materials and "star" in the videos: Jay Burgess, Joan Crow, Lisa Jackman, Jim Lehman, Marci Levine, Tom Tittleback and Olivia Wood. Funded in part by the Purdue University Multimedia Instructional Development Center.

Description

This interactive series of lessons will help you develop the scientific thinking skills needed to evaluate nutritional claims in scientific literature or popular media. You will practice with simulations of legitimate and unreliable health claims. The interactive activities will help you develop the knowledge and ability to separate nutrition fact from fads, fallacies, and exaggerations, whether they appear in print, on TV, or on the Internet.

Objectives

This module should help you:

1. Learn how to make nutritionally sound choices about health using scientific reasoning skills.
2. Learn how to distinguish factual nutrition information from quackery.
3. Learn where to find reliable sources of nutrition information

How to proceed through the module

• The module contains 7 lessons.
• You may do as many lessons as you like at one time. You can return to the web site at a later time to complete the assignment.
• The lessons are designed to be used in the order shown.
• You may repeat any lesson at any time.
• Within the lessons, you need to respond to all of the questions in each lesson and check the Authors' Answers.
• Video clips in the simulations may take a few seconds to load. This pause may seem like no activity is occurring. Please be patient.
• Headphones or speakers are necessary to hear the video and audio clips on the module.

To begin the lessons, go to Lesson 1.