1) Poor Nutrition | CDC. 19 May 2023, https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/factsheets/nutrition.htm.

Background: This is a very simple, yet effective piece published by the CDC that goes over both positive effects of a good diet, as well as the negative effects of having a bad one.

How I Used It: Most people are well aware that having a good diet will have positive effects on their health, so I used this data published by the CDC to give context to what I talked about rather than using it as a talking point of its own. The point of my essay is to link having nutrition as a core subject to longer lives, so this data is useful for proving the basic link between nutrition and health.

2) Fadnes, Lars T., et al. “Estimating Impact of Food Choices on Life Expectancy: A Modeling Study.” PLoS Medicine, vol. 19, no. 2, Feb. 2022, p. e1003889. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003889.

Background: This source was a study that was conducted to look at the relationship between diet and life expectancy. The authors of the study conclude that an optimized diet can increase life expectancy.

How I Used It: I used this study extensively to prove the link between diet and an increased life expectancy. The relationship between them is one of the biggest aspects of my hypothesis, and if I am unable to prove a proper link, then my hypothesis will not be able to be proved. This study also talks about the earlier proper diets are introduced, the greater life expectancy can be predicted.

3) Parsons, Lian. “Study Shows That Students Learn More When Taking Part in Classrooms That Employ Active-Learning Strategies.” Harvard Gazette, 4 Sept. 2019, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/09/study-shows-that-students-learn-more-when-taking-part-in-classrooms-that-employ-active-learning-strategies/.

Background: This article reports on a Harvard study that was done which was meant to see in which scenarios students learn best in. The study found that students learned more effectively in lectures that utilized a teaching style called ‘active learning,’ which is a more hands on and intensive style of learning compared to traditional lectures. The students who were taught using active learning scored performed better in class.

How I intend to Use It: A nutrition course has the unique ability to utilize this very effective teaching style of active learning. If students were to be learning nutrition in this active style, then they would take more away from it compared to other subjects. If the students aren’t positively reacting to the subject, then teaching them nutrition would be useless. I can prove how kids would actually benefit from taking the course, which would help support my hypothesis.

4) Narvaes, Anna. “The Importance of Starting Healthy Habits at an Early Age.” Mountain Kids Louisville, 24 Mar. 2017, https://mountainkidslouisville.com/blog/healthy-habits-early-age/.

Background: This article talks about how important it is for kids at an early age to set good habits, and how breaking those habits at a later age is bad. Children are more likely to have their behaviors molded at a young age, and will lose this aspect as they get older.

How I intend to Use It: Citing this article will allow me to establish the need for nutrition to be a core subject. If kids begin to learn about nutrition when they are in Kindergarten, then they are much more likely to actually apply those habits throughout their life. When kids eventually learn about nutrition in health classes later in their lives, it is often too late for them to want to make any changes. By teaching kids nutrition earlier, you are allowing them to get a head start on keeping themselves healthy.

5) Best, Jackson. “Finding Soft Skills in Mathematics Isn’t As Hard As You Might Think.” 3P Learning, 2 Mar. 2020 https://www.3plearning.com/blog/finding-soft-skills-mathematics-isnt-hard-might-think/

Background: This article summarizes how ‘soft skills’ are also used in mathematics, which is something that many people may have not considered before.

How I intend to Use It: I want to use this article to prove how soft skills can be used to promote better learning, and how nutrition is especially rich in soft skills.

6) Lindberg, Sara. “Is Watching the News Bad for Mental Health?” Verywell Mind, https://www.verywellmind.com/is-watching-the-news-bad-for-mental-health-4802320. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.

Background: The article goes over the relationship between watching the news and mental health. The general consensus is that those who watch too much of the news ofter have worse mental health.

How I Used It: I used this article as the basis for my argument that knowledge can cause a certain level of unhappiness. Towards the end of my paper, I argued that despite this, having knowledge is a worthwhile sacrifice because of the better decisions that we can make as a result of it. I use this source to demonstrate this by stating how even though how even though the news can make us unhappy, its still important to keep up because of the value we gain from it.

7) “Serious, Chronic, or Terminal Illnesses – Tips for Patients and Caregivers” | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. https://adaa.org/serious-chronic-or-terminal-illnesses#:~:text=People%20who%20have%20serious%2C%20chronic,for%20experiencing%20anxiety%20and%20depression. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.

Background: This article explains how people living with chronic illnesses tend to experience things like depression and PTSD more than healthy people

How I Used It: I used this article to further prove a link between knowledge and unhappiness. Upon receiving a diagnosis, the symptoms mentioned above are more likely to occur. This shows how simply knowing that you have a chronic illness can negatively impact you mood. In my conclusion, I state how the scary feelings that are experienced are worth it in the long run because its what allowed the patient to actually receive treatment, and get the care they need.

8) ‘Hanson, Oona. “‘Healthy Eating’ Curriculum Can Do More Harm than Good.” CNN, 9 Oct. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/09/health/unhealthy-school-nutrition-lessons-wellness/index.html.

Background: This article argues that establishing nutrition classes in schools could be harmful to students because of how it could give students eating disorders.

How I Used it: This is the article that I will be rebutting against. I will acknowledge the argument being made in the article, and explaining how my argument is better.

9) Eating Disorders by Country 2023. Ranking Eating Disorders by Country 2023 https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/eating-disorders-by-country. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Background: Interactive chart that shows rate of anorexia between countries.

How I Used It: The article I’m rebutting says that nutritional education could result in more eating disorders, but this chart shows how Norway, a country with formal nutritional education has a lower rate of anorexia than the US.

10) Norway Ministry of Education and Research. Curriculum for Food and Health. Ministry of Education
and Research, June 29, 2020. https://data.udir.no/kl06/v201906/laereplaner-lk20/MHE01-02.pdf?lang=eng

Background: A translation of the Norwegian government’s outline of their nutritional education.

How I Used It: I used it in tandem with the above source, to explain how Norway has formal nutrional education.

11) Faberman, Rhea. “State of Obesity 2023: Better Policies for a Healthier America.” Trust For America’s Health, 2023, https://www.tfah.org/report-details/state-of-obesity-2023/.

Background: Overviews some alarming obesity statistics for the United States

How I Used It: I used it to really show just how out of control obesity is in the United States. Establishing this is essential to prove how the benefits of these classes could be.

12) Fryar CD, Carroll MD, Afful J. Prevalence of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity among adults aged 20 and over: United States, 1960–1962 through 2017–2018. NCHS Health E-Stats. 2020.

Background: Overviews some more obesity statistics, specifically the growth of obesity since 1960.

How I Used It: I needed this article to show not only that obesity is still growing (or not getting better) but that the degree of how obese people are getting is also increasing. This was really effective for stating why we need to do something about rising obesity.

13) Smith K, Wells R, Hawkes C. “How Primary School Curriculums in 11 Countries around the World Deliver Food Education and Address Food Literacy: A Policy Analysis.” Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 11;19(4):2019. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19042019. PMID: 35206208; PMCID: PMC8871606.

Background: A study that evaluates the quality of nutritional education in 11 countries.

How I Used It: I used this to show the fact that the US is behind, and that these systems are effective for lowering obesity.