Offered By

Healthy and Sustainable Foods

University of Michigan

About this Course

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This course focuses on healthy and sustainable foods. After reviewing the crucial role of food for both health and the environment, we first look at the carbon footprint and environmental impacts of multiple ingredients and more complex foods. We also detail a health-based approach to quantify the impact of 5000+ individual foods on health, expressed in minutes of life lost and gain per serving. We then analyze trade-offs and targeted changes that can bring substantial health and environmental benefits with less than 10% caloric change. We finally address the health and sustainable performances of various diets, looking at disparities between gender, races and diets.

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Intermediate Level

Approx. 16 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

Environmental Impact Assessment
Sustainability
Environmental Health
Diets

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Intermediate Level

Approx. 16 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Olivier Jolliet

Professor of Environmental Health Sciences

School of Public Health

534 Learners

5 Courses

Offered by

University of Michigan

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week1

Week 1

6 hours to complete

Introduction to Healthy and Sustainable Foods

Welcome! This module will introduce you to our course. The introductory lesson will provide an overview of the topics we will explore and outline the expectations and procedures. You will be introduced to utilizing spreadsheets as a tool for evaluating different types of foods. The module will conclude by introducing methods that can be used to measure the environmental impact of various food choices.

6 hours to complete

11 videos (Total 107 min), 8 readings, 7 quizzes

11 videos

Meet Your Instructors5mCourse Introduction10mIntroduction to Food Sustainability & Health (Part A) 14mIntroduction to Food Sustainability & Health (Part B)10mHow Do We Account for Both Nutrition and Environmental Impacts? (Part A)14mHow Do We Account for Both Nutrition and Environmental Impacts? (Part B)10mEnvironmental Impacts of Foods (Part A)5mEnvironmental Impacts of Foods (Part B)9mEnvironmental Impacts of Foods (Part C)10mHow to Use the $ in Excel: A Tutorial Activity7mHow to Find a Value in a List in Excel: A Tutorial Activity6m

8 readings

Course Syllabus & Roadmap10mPre-Course Survey10mWeek 1 SlidesTask Description: Share a Recent Meal10mTask Description: Environmental Impact Ranking10mHow to Use the "$" Sign in Excel to Calculate Values10mActivity Intro: Carbon Footprint of Meat & Veggie Burritos10mIntroduction to Week 1 Quiz5m

6 practice exercises

Knowledge Check #1 Introduction to Food Sustainability10mKnowledge Check #2 Nutrition and Environmental Impact Framework10mEnvironmental Impact Ranking of 10 Foods30mCarbon Footprint of Meat & Veggie Burritos1hCarbon Footprint of Meat & Veggie Burritos Review30mWeek 1 Quiz30m

Week2

Week 2

6 hours to complete

Nutritional Evaluations and Diet Choices

This module focuses on evaluating the nutritional impact of food on individuals' health and how a combination of multiple evaluations can help us make changes to our diet that will result in positive impacts. You will be introduced to Dietary Risk Factors (DRF) and the Health Nutritional Index (HENI) as usable measurements. We will then move on to discuss the various trade-offs that one should consider when prioritizing a given measurement to inform their food choices. We conclude this module by thinking through how to make targeted changes to our diet to result in better nutritional and environmental outcomes.

6 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 76 min), 7 readings, 8 quizzes

9 videos

Dietary Risk Factors (DRFs) - Part A7mDietary Risk Factors (DRFs) - Part B10mDietary Risk Factors (DRFs) - Part C6mDietary Risk Factors (DRFs) - Part D5mHealth Nutritional Index (HENI) - Part A8mHealth Nutritional Index (HENI) - Part B5mHealth Nutritional Index (HENI) - Part C8mCombined Nutritional and Environmental Performances - Part A11mCombined Nutritional and Environmental Performances - Part B11m

7 readings

Week 2 SlidesTask Description: Nutritional Value Ranking10mActivity Intro: Nutritional Value of Meat & Veggie Burritos30mActivity Intro: Carbon Footprint vs. Nutritional Benefits10mActivity Intro: Compare HENI Ranking and Initial Rankings10mActivity Intro: Constructing Meals at the SHELF Canteen20mWeek 2 Quiz Introduction30m

8 practice exercises

Nutritional Ranking of 10 foods30mKnowledge Check #310mKnowledge Check #4 Health Nutritional Index10mNutritional Value of Meat & Veggie Burritos30mKnowledge Check #510mCarbon Footprint vs. Nutritional Benefits10mCompare HENI Ranking and Initial Rankings10mWeek 2 Quiz30m

Week3

Week 3

5 hours to complete

Analyzing Complex Dishes and Comparing Diets

This final module examines the dietary impacts of multiple foods to then analyze trade-offs and targeted changes that can bring substantial health and environmental benefits with less than 10% caloric change. Then, you will utilize the calculations skills you've practiced to complete the End-of-Course Assessment. This assessment will be similar to the previous end-of-week quizzes, but it will instead cover concepts from the entire course rather than just one week. Lastly, we ask you to reflect on how your meal choices have changed since you began the course. If you elect to do so, you will revisit our initial meal sharing Gallery exercise to share your most recent meal as you complete our course!

5 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 80 min), 5 readings, 5 quizzes

10 videos

Pizza Case Study - Part A5mPizza Case Study - Part B7mPizza Case Study - Part C8mDiet Comparison - Part A: Nutritional Performance of the Average US Diet11mDiet Comparison - Part B: Nutritional Disparities4mDiet Comparison - Part C: Environmental Disparities9mDiet Comparison - Part D: Swiss Average and Vegetarian Diets11mDiet Comparison - Part E: Organic vs Healthy4mDiet Comparison - Part F: Organic & Veggie Diets and Communication7mFood Summary8m

5 readings

Week 3 SlidesKnowledge Check #7 Review10mStylianou et al. (2021)30mEnd-of-Course Assessment Introduction45mPost-Course Survey10m

4 practice exercises

Knowledge Check #6 Pizza case study10mKnowledge Check #7 Diets environmental and nutritional performances10mKnowledge Check #810mEnd-of-Course Assessment30m

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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Healthy and Sustainable Foods

Healthy and Sustainable Foods

About this Course

Skills you will gain