School of Public Health to offer nutritional science minor
Food is an extremely important aspect of students’ everyday lives. However, many overlook the fundamentals of food in regards to nutrition.
The School of Public Health recently introduced a new nutritional science minor to rediscover the importance of food and nutrition. The minor incorporates elements of human nutrition, food studies, disease prevention, food safety, public health policy, food environment, and food cultures and behaviors.
Anne-Marie Gloster, a lecturer in the School of Public Health, has a keen interest in investigating culinary arts and food science. She teaches NUTR 200 and NUTR 241 at the UW.
“I’ve been a registered dietitian for 25 years, and I went into it because of my love for food. I thought nutrition would be the [scientific] way to be with food forever,” Gloster said. “The kitchen has been my zen place for as long as I can remember.”
Gloster’s passion for food often translates from the kitchen to the classroom. She said she realized the divergence between nutrition and food studies after teaching both classes.
“Students would take my introduction to nutrition class and would understand the impacts of food but would not change their habits,” Gloster said. “But my food science class back in North Carolina taught my students how to eat food, which was the whole purpose.”
Gloster often tells her students that everything they need to learn about life can be taught in the kitchen. She said the minor is a living, learning laboratory.
NUTR 241, Culinary Nutrition Science, will be offered starting this spring and will focus on the intersection between basic sciences, such as physics and chemistry, with sensory physiology, psychology, and nutrition, Gloster said. The goal is to provide students with the fundamentals of food science and highlight the importance of basic sciences in their preparation of food.
Kristin Elko, undergraduate student services coordinator, advises students about minors and majors in the School of Public Health. She encourages students to talk to her about the class, their interest in the course, and about creating a plan for the minor.
Food Studies is becoming an increasingly popular field of interest for undergraduate students, according to Elko. In addition to nutrition courses, many RSOs revolve around food.
Katherine Doughty, a volunteer student farmer, has been part of the UW Student Farm since she realized she had a passion for environmental studies through her participation in service learning.
“The farm allows me to connect with food in an urban space and it made me realize how important it is to be aware of the way we grow our food,” Doughty said.
Doughty said her interest in food was deepened through her experience at the farm, and she is hopeful about the opportunities that will be available for future students who pursue the minor.
“The nutritional science minor is the first step in allowing students to understand a new palette, and we hope to develop the minor into a major at the UW someday,” Gloster said. “I hope to move students away from today’s processed palette.”
Agriculture contributes to 10-20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to other factors like water pollution, pesticide use, and the scale of factory farms, according to Doughty. She said those high numbers highlight the significance of food in the context of political and social issues.
“I think a lot needs to be done to mend our food system, and consequently it will start solving other problems, such as food justice and sustainability,” Doughty said. “People should know that there’s a valuable experience involved in growing your food; it gives a greater appreciation of the food you consume.”
Doughty explained how food is connected to everything in our lives and our planet, reinforcing the minor’s focus on the intersection between food and other fields like chemistry, biology, and physics.
“It’s more than just the organisms, water, and the sun,” Doughty said. “It’s a way of life.”
Reach contributing writer Praphanit Doowa at development@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @prabneeeetdoowa
