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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Stanford Introduction to Food and Health by Stanford University

4.7
stars
30,888 ratings

About the Course

Around the world, we find ourselves facing global epidemics of obesity, Type 2 Diabetes and other predominantly diet-related diseases. To address these public health crises, we urgently need to explore innovative strategies for promoting healthful eating. There is strong evidence that global increases in the consumption of heavily processed foods, coupled with cultural shifts away from the preparation of food in the home, have contributed to high rates of preventable, chronic disease. In this course, learners will be given the information and practical skills they need to begin optimizing the way they eat. This course will shift the focus away from reductionist discussions about nutrients and move, instead, towards practical discussions about real food and the environment in which we consume it. By the end of this course, learners should have the tools they need to distinguish between foods that will support their health and those that threaten it. In addition, we will present a compelling rationale for a return to simple home cooking, an integral part of our efforts to live longer, healthier lives. View the trailer for the course here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7x1aaZ03xU...

Top reviews

SS

Aug 6, 2020

I really enjoyed doing the course, Very elaborate and informative course. Things are simplified so much that anybody can understand the basics of nutrition which helps in making the wise food choices.

VI

Jan 18, 2021

It was an interesting and informative, at a basis level, course. The information is easy to understand and the new gained knowledges tend to remain in your memory, due to short and interactive videos.

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7201 - 7225 of 8,847 Reviews for Stanford Introduction to Food and Health

By June S

Oct 1, 2018

I think it is a useful course for people who are starting to get information about nutrition and how to eat well. It gives a good overview of what kind of food you should eat and why (with scientific reasons). It also gives great tips to eat better, eat healthier, and lose weight, so even it is really helpful to anyone who wants to do one of these things.

The only reason why I gaves "only" four stars is that I would have liked more detailed about, for example, good food combination for a healthy diet, especially if you are a vegetarian or a vegan.

By Olesya S

May 24, 2017

Very helpful and usable course for those of us who want to understand how to eat more healthy.

There are too many videos, articles and opinions about diets that often work for a really short period of time or do not work at all.

Understanding how our body works and what works for it - that is the key to healthier lifestyle.

I was so inspired after the last week of the course that I just got up and went to the supermarket to get the basic ingredients and also try to cook my first stir fry with veggies.

Thank you so much for (I'm sure) changing my life!

By Rutvin

Aug 3, 2020

I like the pragmatic solution-focused approach of this course, but the density of information is a little low. I was looking for more specific things like an overview of the current research on types of fats and cholesterol; research on meat consumption; specific fads like the high-calorie/high-protein "bulking" diets, keto diet, paleo diet, etc.; and usefulness of alternative cooking strategies like meal prep, smoothies, etc. Still, I would highly recommend to the layperson who is looking for a broad introduction on developing a healthier diet.

By JuNai Z

Apr 12, 2020

Course gives an overview about the food habits and what is best practice to be followed. Very beautifully narrated about the food habits and what is best healthy one for long term. Also described about potential flaws on present trends of food consumption.

But it would have been better if following information regarding food and health are discussed: Nutritional value in various type of Vegetable, Meat, Sea food, Fruits. Also a discussion on food requirement for different category of people like: children, teenagers and old aged would be great.

By Nikolay A

Jul 26, 2020

Добрый день. Данный курс проходить было интересно и познавательно. Однако для себя могу отметить, что придерживаться данных рекомендаций достаточно сложно, т.к. требует волевых усилий. Для большинства людей это не работает. Чувство голода, это древнейший и мощнейший рефлекс, который отключит ваш мозг, какой бы умный он не был. В то же время для себя нашёл интересную информацию по диетам безуглеводным. Это для меня работает. Чувство голода возникает плавно и не сильное. Можно обходиться меньшими порциями и питаться реже.

By Denisse L M

Aug 15, 2018

I would have benefited more from other practical examples on what to substitute for typical unhealthy habits or examples to ' find the time' to make the best choices. I also think there needs to be a broader explanation of what the ' recommended parameters of healthy eating are' (like the 2,000 calorie diet). But in general this course helped me a lot to make more conscious choices to support long term health. I particularly loved the quick way to calculate how make table spoons of sugar any package may have. Thanks!!

By Militsa T

Aug 1, 2016

I strongly recommend. If you don't have any knowledge about food - this course is for you. However, if you know some basic stuff you won't learn anything new, but still it is good reminder and very strucured. It is very short, could be completed in about an hour and a half. What I didn't like during the lectures - Maya (the lector) was not talking with her normal voice, but kind of slow and unnatural, which for me was extremely anoying. At the end, when she is showing some recepies it is so much better.

By Martin

Nov 10, 2020

A good thorough course that has many good tips on what healthy food and nutrition is. A good down-to-earth Michael Pollan is the expert interviewed and give good additional feedback to the stunning and charismatic Dr. Maya Adam. There are some points that some other nutritionalists and scholars see in a slighly more polarized fashion, but this course definately is helpful. A bit more references to studies and empirical data would have made me give five stars, but after all it was a beginner`s course.

By Emma M

Mar 14, 2016

This was my first course, and I hope all future courses are exactly like this one! Maya has such a nice way of talking. The videos were easy to understand, without compromising substance. I also enjoyed the overall high-quality of the course. My only complaint is that some of the topics seemed a little bit irrelevant, such as the case study of a middle-aged, pre-diabetic man. I feel like that video should've been shortened by sevety-five percent and tacked onto the end of another video as an example.

By Assem A

Jun 10, 2020

That course was really helpful, taking a really healthy, moderate, sustainable approach to anyone who is trying to enhance their dietary lifestyle. I just would have liked it more if it focused a little bit more on the psychological aspect of our relationship with food; because for some reason even though people know all that information and they want to make changes, they still can't pull that off, and are stuck in that loop of unhealthy eating. Thank you very much! it was an enjoyable journey :D

By Jimmy S

Feb 9, 2016

Very good course overall. It gave me some good thought nuggets to keep in mind for the future. At times the course felt more like it was trying to sell the notion of home cooking rather than being about "food and health". Sometimes terms were hastily presented and maybe assumed to be common knowledge, which left me confused in one of the quizzes ("serum triglycerides", for instance).

The course touches on interesting topics that could've been elaborated more on, for instance how transfats are made.

By S R

Aug 5, 2021

I opted for this course wanting to get a more in depth scientific approach into nutrition. It was a lot based on common sense and basic awareness, but some concepts were put forth in a simple and easy to remember manner with reasonable explanations. I enjoyed the course coz I got to know few basic things which I never gave much of a thought to, but would have liked a more in depth dive into nutrition. But it has made me more health conscious and more aware of what I'm eating so I'm happy for that!

By Kalpana B

Aug 5, 2020

The explanations and the descriptions and the visual demonstrations are very good. We got to learn the following in detail

The evolution of fast food and processed food and its ill effect on mankind

The digestion of dietery carbohydrates and proteins and fats. The effects of sugar and transfat on our body and how saturated and unsaturated fats.

How to check the Nutritional value, How to do sensible food shopping

How we can plan and cook simple meals and avoid obesity. Overall it was very interesting

By Olga D

May 24, 2016

it is VERY basic course suitable for people who really struggling to find their way to healthy food and even to its determination. Basic recipes are giving for home cooking. BEAUTIFUL illustrations along the course as well. BUT I hoped to find more scientific information about nutrition and suggestion which products might cause specific diseases. Would be also nice to have lectures from scientific point of view like: why it is unhealthy to eat before going to bad, which products digest slower etc.

By Yolanda

Sep 1, 2020

Me gustó mucho el curso porque se enfoca en la informacion importante que una persona común deberia saber sobre nutrición, haciendonos más concientes de la calidad de nuestra alimentación, sustentado en un conocimiento básico pero muy importante de que debemos comer, cuanto debemos comer y como debemos comerlos. Me quedo con la frase come comida, (comida real, no la procesada), no mucho ( cuidando el tamaño de las porciones), mayormente vegetales (recomiendan en su mayoria frutas y verduras).

By Shailesh S

May 21, 2017

4 stars for many aspects of this course I thought were excellent - concise, breadth, presentation, videos, short conversations, animations, variety of topics covered, quality of quizzes, resources shared.. All Good. One missing star is for not having enough depth, at times I felt the lectures and content was a bit short. In any case, I appreciate the work and efforts of Dr. Maya Adam for sharing her knowledge with passion and I thank everyone involved in making this course available to us.

By Marion J

Sep 2, 2021

easily understood course with relevant examples. some area which i personally felt could change would be reduced use of single use plastics in the form of covers or foils while cooking, this is from a pandemic perspective, where wastage has to be accounted for, for example parsley stems can be blitzed too in a marinade or the skins of cardamom can be added to tea... just a perspective coming from a space where the availability of produce is something that is not as certain as before.

By Tarik E A

May 2, 2017

Thank you Dr Maya and her team for this excellent course, covering the basics of a healthy food nutrition. I loved the chapter where you show how to evaluate labels on packaged products and the cooking tutorials. I really hope there will be an advanced course, exploring in-depth specific topics like food categories (nutrients and benefits), student diets (food for brain power), athlete diets, food lifestyles (vegetarian/vegan...), food and disease prevention (Alzheimer, aging...)

By Anu N

Oct 5, 2017

The course provides practical and simple nutritional advice for the general public and encourages to make lifestyle changes which is great. Even for those who have studied nutrition and lifestyle, taking this course can be a way to examine their own cooking habits and commiting to making small changes. The videos are short, so the course can be easily completed in just a few days. However, it is lacking for someone looking for more extensive, scientific data on the subject.

By Jordan P

Sep 27, 2016

It's not a challenging course, but it is very informal at the same time. The interviews with the journalist throughout the course were my favorite parts because David was very detailed when it came to explaining how important food is a whole, compared to focusing just on nutrition individually. It's an introductory course, so I expected it to be an easy pass. Just take simple notes along the way, and you will pass the quizzes with no problem.

Thanks Coursera and Stanford!

By Matt S

Jun 18, 2016

I really enjoyed the first two weeks. It was all stuff I kinda already knew but was presented very concisely in a way that was easy to understand.

The second two weeks weren't so useful and I completed them very quickly but I can see how someone who isn't too confident with cooking at home could benefit from them.

Overall, a very interesting course that tackles an incredibly important subject in a succinct way. This kind of food education should be compulsory for everyone.

By Andrew B (

Apr 7, 2021

It was a little too simple, maybe because I have done my own research for years. Plus, I paid $39 so I could receive a certificate of completion when I passed the course. All I was provided was the ability to download my "certificate" on regular paper on a copy machine I don't own. I would think for $39 they could afford to send me a nice raised letter actual certificate. I feel like they scammed me on that part. So, I guess they did teach me not to trust everyone!!

By Dario C

Mar 2, 2016

Someone really put some work into this! Great if you (like me) do not have any clue on how to eat healthy.

Somehow superficial treatment though, if someone asked me what i took out of this course i would say to best eat half vegetables and half meat/carbohydrates. I hoped for more answers on "why" questions, like "why are vegetables necessary?", or "what vegetables are needed for what body function?".

Still, nice, flashy videos and great commitment of the editors.

By tommaso b

Apr 11, 2018

Honestly, I believe that this course is specifically directed to population not accostumed to cook food at home (e.g. North americans). I am mediterrenean, hence I am accustomed to cook myself since I was 18 years old, and possibly most of my friends as well. That is, the course was definitely interesting, although the part I enjoyed more was the first week, where I learned a lot, while all the others were just basically listening to well known facts. Thanks

By R F

Feb 14, 2016

I enjoyed this course and learning, specifically how to adapt a healthier diet and the evolution of food in the US. The videos were interesting and the information was insightful and applicable to daily life. The only thing I might change in the course is having the professor incorporate definitions to some of the terms (i.e. nutrient dense, , metabolic abnormalities) in the videos, or as a supplemental document.

I would recommend this course to others.