Learn how nutrition needs change from pregnancy and infancy through childhood and older adulthood. Drawing on content from Jamie Pope and Steven Nizielski, authors of Scientific American Nutrition for a Changing World, published by Macmillan Learning, this course applies nutrition principles to the needs and health considerations of different life stages.

You will examine nutrition before and during pregnancy, nutrition-related pregnancy concerns, breastfeeding, infant formula, and infant feeding. Childhood topics include growth, nutrient needs, feeding practices, food allergies, and childhood obesity. You will then study how aging affects nutrition status and dietary needs. Topics include physiological changes, chronic disease, medications, food access, and the nutrition concerns of older adults. Through readings and practice activities, you will compare life-stage needs and apply nutrition concepts to feeding and nutrition-support decisions. The course includes approximately eight and a half hours of learning material and builds on foundational nutrition concepts. This course is part of the Applied Nutrition, Metabolism & the Dietary Guidelines in Action Specialization and can also be taken independently.