Observation
After sitting in class and observing how Professor Hassemer typically asks the class questions during lecture and lectures about topics that directly pertain to college students eating healthier here at UCSB, I realized that any of the conversations between students and the professor in lecture would be about the popular "fads" and the latest in health in the media today. For instance, when a popular health topic came up (using coconut oil vs. regular oil, using margarine vs. butter, or the use of protein supplements) several students asked for Professor Hassemer's opinion on these health topics. The students asked questions which directly affected their own health and it was important to their day-to-day nutrition. The students didn't ask these questions because it would be on the upcoming midterm, but rather they asked these questions because they are generally interested and want to gain more knowledge for their own well being. Students often asked for advice on different types of food intakes and the advice given to them always had a purpose of bettering their nutrition and health.
In response, the professor would use her own anecdotes in order to better answer everyone's question. This would provide a concrete example of what could happen when students ate bad and what could happen when students ate well. Professor Hassemer mentions friends who did not eat the proper foods, she talks about her family's health, and she also mentions a student who was a vegan endurance runner and would need more protein than the average adult. Several times the professor would answer a student's question by referring to the research she has done in the past, referring to the people in her profession, and educating us about the clients in her practice as well. She would use her own clients as an example and it makes her advice more credible and believable since she has first-hand experience.
Overall, the professor's response to each student's questions would be one that advises each student to gain the most balanced nutrition and avoid specific chronic diseases or unhealthy habits. For instance, she answered a students question about whether to use milk or water with protein by saying that sometimes people use milk to relieve sore muscles but water would be the best choice to use. The professor can give great advice to the students but cannot be specific to each individual because of gender, age, or other medical conditions that can affect each person's health differently. She always mentions that the recommendations may differ because each one of us are different and have different needs as human beings. However, she does generalize her answers in order to provide an overall adequate, moderate, balanced nutrition. Overall, she wants to make sure that everyone makes the best of this class, knows their choices to better their health, and find ways to improve their health in all aspects.
Reflection
As a college student who is currently enrolled in the ESS 3: Nutrition/Health course I have a first-hand experience with the health issues that may or may not be affecting college students. At the start of this course I was eating whatever I wanted and did not think anything of it, but soon started changing my eating habits and taking the advice that the professor was giving us about how to cook our food, which choices are better to make, and which foods to increase consumption in. Even if I had continued to keep my bad eating habits, taking this general nutrition course makes you address these health issues, think about them, and consider them in your own life.
For instance, the assignments that are required for this class include a three-day meal and nutrient log. This forces you to analyze your eating habits, see if your intake of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins is within the recommended daily ranges. Another assignment this course requires you to do is compare two cereal brands, compare two protein brands, and discuss which one is better for you. This course teaches you to read food labels and I often found myself reading the food labels outside of class just to see the nutrients provided. The activities done in this nutrition course don't just teach the students the content but makes the students go beyond that by making them speculate, analyze, and make conclusions about their own dietary intake, the amount of exercise they are doing, and about their own spiritual and emotional health.
College students in this course also challenged to practice good spiritual and emotional health when the professor, at the beginning of each class, tells everyone to put down their cell phones, close their laptops, close their eyes, think about their goals for the day, and just breathe. I've realized that by the emphasis on certain health topics, Professor Hassemer is addressing these reoccurring health problems that college students may be facing. The emphasis on consuming more water, more fiber, more fruits, and more vegetables says something about the general adolescent population. Professor Hassemer has her students focus on what foods can prevent chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, gastrointestinal tract issues, and other cancers.
It is obvious to me, Professor Hassemer has mentioned it before, that she teaches this class hoping each student can take something positive away from it. Rather than just talk on and on about polysaccharides and amino acids Professor Hassemer honestly just wants this class to have a beneficial take-away and/or change something for the better in their lives.