Course Outline for Nutrition 204
Mother and Childhood Nutrition

Effective: Spring 2020
SLO Rev: 03/09/2019
Catalog Description:

NUTR 204 - Mother and Childhood Nutrition

54.00 Hours

May be repeated 99 time(s)
Child nutrition issues, from newborn through toddlerhood, to teenager. Methods to encourage positive eating behaviors that promote short and long-term health and prevention of chronic diseases. Topics include basic nutrition principles, breastfeeding, child nutrition, planning healthy meals and snacks, food allergies, food safety, physical activity for children, childhood obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and life expectancy. This is a free of charge, non-credit course with same course content as Nutrition 4, which is a 3-unit credit course. Non-credit courses can be repeated multiple times free of charge to help the student gain mastery of course content.
1306.00 - Nutrition, Foods and Culinary Arts*
Pass/No Pass/Satisfactory Progress
Type Hours
Lecture 54.00
Total 54.00
Measurable Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. Identify nutritional needs for the pregnant mother;
  2. describe methods to lower the risk of common pregnancy diseases following sound nutrition;
  3. identify current health status of youth in the United States;
  4. define preventable diseases that start in childhood;
  5. describe life expectancy and its relationship to childhood health;
  6. describe how adult eating attitudes and behaviors around food affect children’s relationship with food;
  7. define child neophobia;
  8. design strategies to raise good eaters;
  9. identify nutritional myths to support appropriate food choices;
  10. describe the essential nutrients and their importance to child growth and development;
  11. list the most common foods that may cause allergies and food intolerances in children;
  12. describe the relationship between nutrition and preventable diseases;
  13. design balanced meals and snacks;
  14. plan daily age-appropriate physical activity for children;
  15. identify safety concerns of food preparation;
  16. describe the benefits of breastfeeding to toddlerhood;
  17. describe viable options to continue to breastfeed while returning to work;
  18. describe the causes, trends and implications of obesity in toddlers;
  19. evaluate the impact of good nutrition on learning, mood, and academic performance;
  20. describe appropriate interventions to remedy obesity in toddlers and teenagers;
  21. list strategies to decrease the risk of dental decay in children;
  22. describe tactics to decipher food label information;
  23. describe eating disorders and concerns regarding body image affecting children;
  24. plan strategies to healthy eating on a budget;
  25. identify state and national child nutrition and food assistance programs.
Course Content:
  1. Essential Nutrient needs during pregnancy
    1. Macronutrients
    2. Micronutrients
  2. Pregnancy diseases 
    1. Prevention
    2. Outcomes
  3. Current state of health in our young
    1. Statistics
  4. Current life expectancy
    1. Child's life expectancy today compared with past generations
    2. Diseases associated with decreased life expectancy
  5. Eating concepts
    1. Caregivers role
    2. Behaviors associated with sound eating habits
  6. How to raise good eaters
    1. Learning by example
  7. Division of responsibility 
    1. Caregiver's tasks
    2. Child's tasks
  8. Family mealtimes
    1. Importance of food preparation
    2. Importance of child involvement
  9. Principles of nutrition 
    1. Essential nutrients
    2. Myths and facts about carbohydrates, fats and protein 
    3. Dietary supplements for children
  10. Safety of dietary supplements for children
    1. Toxicity
    2. Marketing to children
  11. Dietary Intake Recommendations 
    1. Infant
    2. Children
    3. Teenager
  12. Food allergens and intolerances in children
    1. Difference between allergy and intolerance
    2. Common foods that cause allergies
    3. Common foods that cause intolerances
  13. Breastfeeding
    1. Recommendations for duration
  14. Lactation
    1. Benefits to child and mother
  15. Feeding your infant when returning to work
    1. Challenges and options for continuing to breastfeed
  16. Solids for infants
    1. Safety concerns
    2. Readiness for solids
    3. Methods to introduce solids
  17. Impact of proper nutrition in children
    1. Learning ability
    2. Mood and behavior
    3. Academic performance
  18. Childhood obesity
    1. Causes
    2. Trends
    3. Implications
    4. Prevention
  19. Children eating disorders 
    1. Self-esteem
    2. Body imagine
    3. Prevention
  20. Food labels
    1. Ingredients list
    2. Nutrition facts panel
  21. Physical activity
    1. Daily recommendations throughout childhood
    2. Ideas to incorporate exercise
    3. Screen time in children in the U.S.
  22. Foodborne illnesses
    1. Most common
    2. Symptoms
    3. Prevention
  23. Kitchen safey
    1. When cooking with children
    2. Age-appropriate kitchen tools
    3. Preventing accidents
  24. Shopping strategies to eat healthy on a budget
    1. Making a list
    2. Best/worst frozen foods
    3. Farmer's markets
  25. Child nutrition programs and food assistance programs
    1. WIC (Women Infants and Children)
    2. FMNP (WIC Farmer's Market Nutrition Program)
    3. FFVP (Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program)
    4. SBP (School Breakfast Program)
    5. SFSP (Summer Food Service Program)
Methods of Instruction:
  1. Case studies
  2. Discussions
  3. Lecture/Discussion
  4. Textbook reading assignments
  5. Research project
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
  1. Write a plan that includes best practices for childhood feeding, the dietary guidelines these practices follow, as well as grocery shopping strategies to eat healthy on a budget.
  2. Read chapter on childhood obesity. Prepare for discussion regarding causes, trends, implications, preventative strategies and interventions, as well as the role of family, schools, and community.
  3. Plan healthy snacks for a week for a 5 year old. Include approximate price of each snack, how long it takes to prepare, approximate calories in each snack, and timing to offer snack. Include your rationale for timing and calories provided by each snack. Prepare to discuss your plan with class.
  1. Class Participation
  2. Quizzes
  3. Written assignments
  4. Oral Presentation
  5. Final Examination or Project
Upon the completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. compare how growth patterns from birth through childhood affect nutritional needs and eating behaviors;
  2. apply nutrition knowledge to plan and create simple and healthy meals and snacks;
  3. assess dietary adequacy to decrease the risk for preventable, chronic diseases, and promote health.
Textbooks (Typical):
  1. (Castle, J., M. Jacobsen) (2019). Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters From High Chair to High School (2). Fearless Feeding Press.
  1. Documentary: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan.
Abbreviated Class Schedule Description:
Mother and child nutrition, from conception, through pregnancy, newborn through teenager years. Methods to encourage positive eating behaviors that promote health and prevent disease. This is a non-credit course.