Not all food is created equal. How does the quality of the soil influence plant growth and nutrient content? How do plants transmit these qualities to animals and ultimately humans that consume them? How does our body respond to differences in food quality? In order to explore these questions, we need to know not only about the basic science of food production and consumption, but also basic quantitative skills to understand and analyze various aspects of food science, soil quality and human nutrition.
Throughout history, food and cooking have not only been essential for human sustenance, but also have played a central role in the economic and cultural life of civilizations, with some of the first writing being associated with mathematical tallies of grain. The topics will range from ecological agriculture to the basic biology of nutrition that informs food quality, the coevolution of humans and food, and the science of food including its transformation through the process of cooking.
This program will primarily take a scientific approach to food and nutrition. We will introduce the concept of food quality and nutrient density resulting from various methods of food production. Using the text Understanding Nutrition by Whitney and Rolfes, we will study how our bodies digest and recover nutrients, and consider the physiological roles of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Supporting mathematical topics will include unit conversions, ratios, linear and exponential models, and interpreting statistics that underlie nutritional recommendations.
Students will directly apply major concepts learned in lectures to nutritional assays and cooking experiments in Evergreen’s food-grade Sustainable Agriculture Lab. Experiential activities will help develop the ability to taste and smell, critical to the appreciation of food. Program themes will be reinforced in seminar discussions focused on topics addressed by such authors as Montgomery and Bilké (What Your Food Ate), Van Tulleken (Ultra-processed People), and Silvertown (Dinner with Darwin). Field trips will provide opportunities for observing local food production and processing. Additional texts may include On Food and Cooking by McGee. Open education resource math and statistics textbooks will be available without cost.
Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:
6 - Soil Quality and Food Science with Laboratory
4 - Human Nutrition
4 - Applied Quantitative Reasoning
2 - Understanding Statistics
Registration
Academic Details
$250 fee covers farm and museum field trips ($100), food for food labs and tastings ($100), and a required lab fee ($50).