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Unit of study_

NTDT5601: Nutritional and Food Science

2025 unit information

Nutritional and Food Science (NTDT5601) takes a step beyond foundational level nutrition science and food science. Important contemporary themes in nutrition and food are examined such as diet quality, dietary patterns, food systems and sustainability, and precision nutrition. Examining these themes from a nutrition perspective explores how changes in the food environment including the five food groups and processed foods, coupled with changes in dietary patterns and consumer trends can impact diet quality and nutritional status. Students will be encouraged to form their own viewpoints with evidence-based positions regarding the themes covered in the unit. Nutritional and Food Science also develops a comprehensive knowledge base of foods and their nutrient composition with respect to Australian evidence-based nutrition and dietary guidelines. Being an expert in “food” is vital for development as a dietitian throughout the Masters of Nutrition and Dietetics (MND) program and is essential for dietary assessment, nutrition communication, medical nutrition therapy, food service management, nutrition research, and community nutrition. In year two comprehensive food knowledge is critical to appraise individual and group dietary intakes of people from diverse backgrounds during professional practical placements. The learning is facilitated by interactive lectures, tutorials and workshops.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Medicine and Health

Study level Postgraduate
Academic unit Nursing and Midwifery
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
None
Corequisites:
? 
(NTDT5602 or FMHU5001) and NTDT5503 and (NTDT5604 or NTDT5504)
Prohibitions:
? 
None
Assumed knowledge:
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None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Apply a highly developed knowledge of food, diets, and nutrition guidelines to effectively communicate and educate consumers and health professionals on nutrition for diverse groups.
  • LO2. Apply knowledge of different food classification and profiling systems with their limitations considered to classify and evaluate nutritional value of foods.
  • LO3. Apply knowledge of different dietary patterns using various diet quality scores and their limitations to evaluate overall diet quality.
  • LO4. Critically appraise and interpret evidence regarding contemporary nutritional and food science issues, such as diet quality, plant-based diets, dietary patterns, sustainability, and precision nutrition.
  • LO5. Explain the concept of food systems and impact on sustainability and nutritional adequacy.
  • LO6. Describe the potential uses and applications of precision and personalised nutrition and future challenges.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.