Venue: Western Gateway Building, Room G13, UCC

This 8-week course will explore nutrition concepts that take centre stage in the media and become hot topics of conversation among those interested in food and health.
We will learn about fat, sugar, protein, vitamins and minerals as they relate to health. We will explore the scientific basis of some hot topics and alternative diets in nutrition (e.g. paleo diet, organic food, and the recent rise in orthorexia). We will also examine the link between nutrition and common Western diseases and discuss issues like overweight and obesity, food labelling and allergies. Practical activities will include studying food labels, calculating calorie requirements and learning how to accurately take height, weight and blood pressure measurements.
Underpinning all this is a grounded nutritional science perspective from experienced UCC tutors who look to the scientific evidence for answers. We hope this course will help participants separate nutritional fact from fiction, and give them the confidence to make healthy food choices in their own lives going forward.

As the course content is partly determined by the interests of the course participants, the series of lectures may change slightly from year to year. Typically, the 8 lectures comprise:

Week 1 (LK): Fat and sugar – friends or foes?
Week 2 (LK): The role of vitamins and minerals in health
Week 3 (LK): Nutritional needs from infancy to old age
Week 4 (CoN): Western diseases: Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease and Type II Diabetes
Week 5 (CoN): Physical activity and introduction to sports nutrition
Week 6 (CoN): Obesity and overweight (including physical measurements)
Week 7 (CoN): Food labelling and food allergies/intolerances
Week 8 (CoN): Hot topics in nutrition (nutrition in the media)

This short course consists of one class per week class (2 hours duration) taught over an 8 week period. Classes are lecture-based, with accompanying presentation slides. Open discussion is encouraged. Classes include practical activities where possible to encourage student participation and enhance the learning experience.

Short courses are non-assessed

Dr Colette O Neill, PhD, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, UCC
Colette has a strong background in nutritional sciences [BSc (Nutritional Sciences); PhD (Nutrition)]. She has completed her PhD in 2015 in the area of nutrition, healthy ageing and cardiovascular disease at the University of East Anglia, UK. She is currently carrying out research in the area of vitamin D at UCC.

Laura Kehoe, MSc, ANutr, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, UCC.                                                                                                      Laura possesses a strong background in nutrition [BSc (Nutritional Sciences); MSc (Nutrition) and is a Registered Associate Nutritionist. She is currently working with the National Dietary Surveys Research Group in UCC who in recent years, have completed a number of comprehensive national nutrition surveys. The information collected during these surveys are used to develop effective nutrition policies and health promotion campaigns throughout Ireland.

Regina Sexton, Short Course Co-ordinator
E. r.sexton@ucc.ie
T: 00353 21 4904700

Marian O’Keeffe, Short Course Administrator
E: marian.okeeffe@ucc.ie
T: 00353 4904739/4904700

Students register and pay fees before course commencement. The closing date for applications is Monday 18 September 2017. Application fees are listed in each course description. Students can apply in a number of ways:

1. Students may register and pay online by clicking the Apply Now button below.  Course commencement is subject to sufficient enrolment. In the event of a course not commencing applicants will be informed and their fees will be returned.
2. Payment may also be made by cheque, postal order or bank draft made payable to UCC and these should be returned together with a completed application form to Short Courses, Adult Continuing Education, UCC. Application forms are available from the office or they may be downloaded from the link below.
3. Students may also hand in completed application form to the office at ACE between 9:15am and 5pm each day prior to the closing date.

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