A good introduction to food and nutrition that is readily digestible for anyone. Some historical background without going into potential food industry conspiracies (marketing strategies aren't conspiracy, they are fact) is lightly covered to provide context for the Western diet and food experiences. The tone of the course does not demonize food choices and stays on point to promote eating more whole foods and eating in moderation in general. The basic science behind how humans process food into energy is covered well with simple diagrams and does a good job of using both scientific words as well as layman's terms together to make the information more easily understood. Overall, the course promotes taking an active role in the food we eat in order to support our health.

This course isn't that much of a "course" where you need to study and work a lot, but more of an interactive guide to how we can improve our day-to-day approach to eating and preparing food. For me, many of the things outlined during the course were eye-opening. I've already started applying some of the ideas in real life e.g. substituting processed foods with the natural equivalents, started cooking at home more often. I really loved how the concepts were described in this course - in a comprehensible and actionable way. I will now try to dig deeper some of the topics like nutrients, calories consumption to balance my diet considering that I'm also doing sports. I would recommend this course to anyone who wants treat eating consciously and not as some routine stuff.

Extremely well produced. I would have liked a little more bit information but for a Free Intro class it's well worth it. Being a food professional in the industry over 20 years the challenge is getting others to change their eating habits. Stopping the super sized highly processed food consumed here in America is difficult when many of the people think that is their only choice and for some of the poorest it is. But all of us can and should pass this message on to others.

On a side note, lose the animation of the overweight guy with the flannel shirt and the cutoff sleeves. You've just alienated a demographic you would like to see change in. Kind of elitist in my opinion. Not that I own any flannel shirts :)

Thank you for a great course!

Jon M. Costedoat

Los Gatos, CA

In this course, I learned that knowledge and skills about food and nutrition can be absorbed swiftly and efficiently by watching videos and online materials as well as some quizzes which can enhance my memory and review what I had learned in every section. After learning this course, I assume I will begin to optimize the way I eat and think of a way to better protect my health through more healthy food made by myself at home and less burdensome food with minimal ingredients bought at grocery stores. This course provide some very practical tutorials, recipes and hacks about how to make healthy food and dissect the nutrition and ingredients that we consume. After this course, we surely will have the tools that we need to maintain a healthy body condition.

Excellent course loved the info and the way it was presented. Quick to the point and on par. I wouldn't mind seeing a little more info on seafood and fish in general I've read a few studies and as far as i can tell at this point in the game we've poisoned our oceans tremendously and theres been scientific studies that have found large quantities of highly toxic chemicals in the fish's blood and meat. so thats about the only thing id like to see is going a little deeper into the actual health risks associated with the damage humans have caused to the food we eat from the oceans to GMO's. These seem like hot topics in todays day and age. But like i said i really enjoyed the course and look forward to taking additional courses on nutrition and food prep.

Первое, что хотелось бы отметить, это невероятно приятные рассказчики. Небольшие видео по 3-5 минут, в которых без воды выжали всю основу нутрициологии, подача материала идёт легко, поймёт АБСОЛЮТНО каждый, вне зависимости от возраста.

Конечно, те, кто хоть немного интересуется питанием, нутрициологией, 50% материала точно знает, но это ни в коем случае не отменяет его полезности. Повторение и ознакомление с деталями никогда не бывает лишним.

Я считаю, с этим курсом необходимо ознакомиться каждому человеку, кого интересует как минимум его здоровье. А также неплохо бы посоветовать это людям, которые ещё не осознали ценность питания в их физическом здоровье.

Коротко, информационно, интересно.

Спасибо большое Coursera за предоставленную возможность.

There are plenty of important and useful information of food and health. By studying this course, I have learned the value of food, how to choose the right food and how to enjoy the real food. Such are truly helpful for me to spend my food budget wisely on food that will both support my good health and enjoyment. The examples raised in the courses are very vivid and easily understood. The explanations are friendly and easy to grasp. I can't agree more with the propose and solution inside this course: make time to cook at home and maximize the value of food. I've started to take time to cook at home and even track my homemade food by using online food blog since last month. Food is essential and I sincerely recommend this course to everyone.

This course is very useful because brings good and interesting information in a simple way, so, you can learn and remember the tips easily. In a short period of time, you have meaningful information that you can use in your daily live to improve your habits and the habits of people around you. I think that if you apply this knowledge your health will improve for sure. Este curso es muy útil porque te brinda información buena e interesante, así que, puedes aprender y recordar los consejos fácilmente. En un corto periodo de tiempo, tienes información significativa que puedes usar en tu vida diaria para mejorar tus hábitos y los hábitos de las persona que te rodean. Creo que si aplicas este conocimiento tu salud mejorará con seguridad.

Anyone who wants to know how food affects our health and well-being needs to take this course. The professors are very smart and explain the material in a way that keeps you interested from the beginning to the end.

The course covers a wide range of topics, from the basics of nutrition to o how different foods affect certain health conditions. The interactive quizzes help you remember the ideas and make sure you know everything there is to know about the subject.

I found this class to be very useful and full of useful information. It has helped me choose better foods and get healthier overall. Anyone who wants to take charge of their health and well-being as well as their families should definitely take this course.

I had the pleasure of completing Stanford University's Introduction to Food and Health course, and I cannot recommend it enough. The course provided a comprehensive foundation in understanding the intricate relationship between food and overall well-being. The engaging video lectures, comprehensive materials, and insightful guest speakers made the learning experience truly captivating. The practical assignments and interactive discussions allowed for the application of knowledge and a sense of community. The fair assessment structure and user-friendly online platform enhanced the overall experience. I am grateful for this knowledge-rich journey that left a lasting impact on my understanding of food and health.

From this course I came to know about effects of highly processed foods how they are harmful to our health.I got an idea that cooking is one of the best way of refreshing our mind.It gathers whole family members while eating.It is beneficial for consuming green leafy fresh frozen vegetables rather than meat in our meal.This course gives the knowledge about healthy eating habits.This course is not only essential for students, it is also essential for whole people in the world.It encourage people about limiting food quantity while eating, about healthy diet.The whole course explain the topic in a easy way.I encourage my other friends to gain the knowledge from this course which is essential for our entire life.

Recommended for beginners to nutrition, especially those wanting to learn about common modern dietary-caused diseases. My mom was a dietician and I think it rubbed off on me: I was able to score highly on quizes without any preparation. That said, the level of info was high enough to slightly challenge my rational thinking about nutrition, which had perhaps gone a little cloudy in our infotainment-media-polluted world. The course clarifies scientific basics of dietary-caused health problems, and how to eat a simple healthy diet, gimmick free. The recipe video series at the end is great fun if you have time for it (it's not quizzed); the practical real life recipes from a doc are smart indeed!

This course is very well organized and easy to understand. It includes the perfect balance between auditory and visual information. The information covered in this course is extremely important for everyone to know, and can easily be put into practice. Dr. Maya Adams & author Michael Pollan do an excellent job in explaining critical information regarding FOOD and Our Health, and the benefits of realizing that simple informed changes can make all the difference. This is a course in looking at our own mindset concerning food & our health. I would highly recommend this course to anyone interested in using food to improve their own health and well-being, and the health of their family.

Amazing course. I learnt everything I wanted (and needed) to know about the basics of good nutrition. I loved how the course doesn't just give you general information but also practical tips to shop, cook and eat better. I feel that I gained knowledge but also the ability to apply this knowledge in my everyday life, which is very empowering. As a social scientist, I appreciated the effort put in addressing socioeconomic factors affecting people's diet. To me, the course was complete and thorough its its objectives, and the great quality videos were very enjoyable to watch. I could tell that there was a team of professionals who put their passion and skills behind each one of them.

I have studied nutrition and dieting for a long time and had quite a deep knowledge as for a normal person only taking care of my own health. However, there still were some gaps which I could not understand despite all my researching. This course structured all my knowledge and clarified all things that I could not understand. It is so clear and so influential, that I even started to translate it into Ukrainian and Turkish, both of which are my mother tongues, to make it accessible for more people. I am going to convince all of my relatives and friend to take the course because it is crucial for happy and healthy living. I want to thank everyone involved in creating this course!

Unfortunately, I had a failing grade in Sport and to catch up and get my credits, my schools registered me to this "class". At first I was septic about it because i wasn't interested but when I really started reading the materials, I really learned a lot. Life changing information, I tend to really eat until i am full and mostly with processed food, by now i will eat until i'm not feeling hungry anymore and with natural fresh foods.

Now I know how to be healthy by doing shopping and .i am someone who hates to cook and just order food, with the videos, my mind has changed, I will try to cook by myself at home so that i can control what i am eating and be healthier.

Thank you

Excelente curso online com informações extremamente relevantes, com uma perspectiva internacional e que agrega bastante com os meus conhecimentos prévios. Visto que tenho acesso a estudos específicos devido ser graduanda de Nutrição.

Entretanto, isso não impede a compreensão. Os conceitos e aulas são abordados de maneira leve, com uso de exemplificação, o que acaba tornando mais fácil o entendimento. Outro diferencial se dá por conta de que o curso possui tradução para o português e outros idiomas, auxiliando ainda mais na acessibilidade das informações.

Sou agradecida pela oportunidade de fazer um curso internacional e agregar mais expertises ao meu arcabouço acadêmico.

It was really nice listening to Mrs. Adam ! I really enjoyed your course, even if, for me, since I am Italian, I already enjoy cooking and eating healthy food. I just want to try to loose some weight, that's why I started and completed the course. I really liked the videos, they look really professional. I am just sad about so many people in the world who cannot afford nice and healthy food, like 13 millions of Americans live in so-called "food desert" with no fresh food at all. I hope that more whealthy people will become aware of good nutrition and so can choose wisely what and how and when to eat and more poor people that can afford the healthy food. Thank you so much!

This course is very useful for people willing to learn about food and nutrition. I feel very glad for having an opportunity to do this course.

The course is absolutely amazing. And this course is an true example that learning can be enjoyable and interesting.

All the hardwork of editing, filming, making, etc of these videos of this course is truly appreciable.

This course also helps people who want to keep their control over food and nutrition and stay fit and healthy.

Apart from learning and reading, this course is going to help me practically in my real life, If ever I got onto the control of food, I know that the knowledge from this course is going to help me out.

😊

A great course for building foundations of food and health. I've been obsessed around diet for the last couple of years and have been to numerous dieticians. After a lot of research, I decided to learn the basics of food & nutrition so as to better work out my diet. This course has been phenomenal in helping me understand the basics. The content delivery is very good and the course is very engaging.

I would recommend everyone who wants to make the most of their life to follow a healthy diet. It allows you to live up to your true potential. This course will help you understand the basics and should be done by anyone who wants to follow a healthy sustainable lifestyle.

MAYA ADAM is an outstansing professor who has an exceptional knowledge of healty and nutritional eating. She provided much valuable information and was extemely inspirational and motivating. The same goes with Michael Pollen. Both professors are passionate about educating people about the benefits of staying healthy by choosing the right foods to consume. I was so impressed with the lectures that I completed the course much sooner than expected. I also enjoyed viewing all the recipes that Professor Maya Adam shared. I highly recommend this course to those that need a jumpstart on improving their beverage and food choices and improve their health and well being.

This is really great course for beginners like me and helps you with at least fixing your food habits and this also helps you understand what to look in processed food like the simple pro-tip the less number of ingredients the better it is and also foods with no labels are always the best like the whole foods. This also breaks another myth which most people even me believed that your plate should be built around protein which is not the right thing instead it should be around vegetables that your plate should be designed. Instructor Maya has been really great at teaching all the basics. Thanks a lot for putting together a super helpful and knowledgeable course

Thanks for the great course! I really enjoyed it a lot even though I couldn't get all of the theoretical background (chemistry stuff). However, it changed my mind about cooking and shopping especially. I used to beleive that those products which have rich ingridents on the labels are good for my health, but I found out that it's completely opposite. As a lazy person who cooks the same dish (usually pasta) every evening, now I am thinking of buying more vegetables and other products to make my dish cooler and look better (of course healthier). Thanks again. I will try the recipes given at the end of the course (Wish me luck not to make a fire in the kitchen).

I would like to emphasize that it really is a beginner's course, since many things are kind of intuitive if you've already been in the food, nutrition, or health communities/industry for a while. However, there is still very valuable information provided. I especially appreciated learning about how to discern nutrition labels, habits of the average consumer behavior, and food marketing tactics to avoid falling into them. If you were expecting in-depth information about nutrition, macronutrients, etc. this course doesn't look too deeply into it, but it covers it. I do recommend it though, it's easy to follow and the explanations are very clear and concise.

I signed up for this course because of health issues - my triglyceride level was a bit to high on my last blood analysis. Even though I felt, and still feel, that this course is more specifically aimed at people who are inexperienced in the kitchen and maybe even overweight, it has helped me and my family improve some of the aspects of our lives that could still be improved. Furthermore, i think this is a course that everyone should take for themselves and especially for their families, since the person who cooks is the one influencing everyone's diet and therefore their health.

Maya, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom (and your recipes) with us!