Assignment: Evaluating Nutritional Claims

Assignment Summary

For this assignment, you will read two articles about dietary supplements and evaluate the accuracy of the claims as shown in the background section of this assignment. Following the reading, you will complete a series of short-answer questions.

Background Information

"Always choose the organic food option whenever possible." "Choosing a food or beverage that is 100% all natural is a healthy alternative." "Ginkgo biloba is a great supplement to improve memory and blood circulation." Each of these statements is a claim commonly circulated throughout media outlets. From television shows to magazine ads, there are many different health claims about processed foods and dietary supplements. It is scientifically supported that nutrition and health are intimately related. Unhealthy choices about food and nutrition directly affect health outcomes.

Materials

a) Student resource document containing the following two articles:

i. "Processed Foods: What's OK and What to Avoid"
ii. "Should You Take Dietary Supplements? A Look at Vitamins, Minerals, Botanicals, and More"

Assignment Instructions

For this assignment, you are expected to submit:

a) Summary responses

Step 1: Prepare for the assignment.

a) Read through the assignment before you begin so you know the expectations for this assignment.
b) Read the claims presented in the background section of this assignment.
c) If there is anything unclear to you, be sure to ask your teacher.
d) Read both articles
e) Think about the following as you read:

i. Consider how each claim relates to the connection between nutrition and health outcomes.
ii. What is the author's purpose of writing the article?
iii. How valid are the points the author presents in this article?

Step 2: Complete the assignment.

a) Respond to the short-answer questions.
b) Make sure responses are free of punctuation, grammatical, and spelling errors.

Step 3: Evaluate your assignment using this checklist.

If you can check each box below, you are ready to submit your assignment.

- Did you read all of the claims in the background section?
- Did you read both articles?
- Did you respond to all short-answer questions and prompts completely?
- Did you complete the short-answer questions?
- Are your short-answer responses complete sentences?
- Are your short-answer responses free of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors?

Step 4: Revise and submit your assignment.

a) If you were unable to check off all of the requirements on the checklist, go back and make sure that your assignment is complete. Save your assignment before submitting it.

b) When you have completed your short-answer questions, return to the Virtual Classroom and use the "Add files" option to locate and submit your assignment. Ask your teacher for assistance if necessary.

c) Congratulations! You have completed your assignment.

Short-Answer Responses

For this assignment, you will respond to each prompt with 2 to 3 complete sentences free of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors.

a) Select one claim from the background section of this assignment. Discuss whether you are in support of or against the claim and why.

b) Explain the evidence you used from either article to support your argument about the claim.