Foundations of Clinical Nutrition

This unit introduces core concepts of human nutrition, dietary assessment, and the relationships between diet and chronic disease. Students will learn to evaluate individual and population nutrition status—focusing on obesity and cancer risk—and prepare to apply clinical assessment and intervention skills in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the roles of macronutrients and micronutrients and compare them to current dietary reference intakes and guidelines
• Apply common dietary assessment methods (e.g., 24-hour recall, food frequency questionnaire) to determine whether an individual’s intake meets recommended standards
• Evaluate epidemiological and global data on malnutrition, obesity, and diet-related disease to identify public health trends and determinants
• Demonstrate interpretation of evidence linking nutrition to cancer risk and communicate basic, evidence-based dietary recommendations for risk reduction