Nutrition

Nutrition majors study food and its effect on people’s health. The major is at times offered alongside food science or dietetics (how a person’s diet affects their health). They study the scientific concepts behind a healthy diet, such as how the body absorbs nutrients from food and why certain foods have greater nutritional value than others. Courses you may encounter in a nutrition major might include: Food Service Sanitation & Operations; Nutrition through the Life Cycle; and Nutrition Education. Nearly all nutrition majors participate in a food science lab in which they study the breakdown of foods in their essential components. It is also common for nutrition majors to learn to put together recipes, complete menus and create special diet meal plans, such as gluten-free or low-fat diets.

If you are interested in how certain foods and changes in diet can lead to a healthier person, than the nutrition major is for you. The major can also prepare you for a variety of careers. For instance, nutrition majors can go on to become nutritionists and dieticians, who create meal plans and special diets for people with certain diseases and disorders, such as diabetes or Celiac disease. Others may find employment at weight loss clinics, where they work to help clients change their diet in order to lose weight. Still others plan menus for large food service operations such as school or hospital cafeterias. The major is especially useful when combined with culinary or nursing training.