Nutrition

Italy provides amazing opportunities to study nutrition within the context of a culture that values high-quality foods and the role of nutrition in a person’s well-being. No one on earth takes food as seriously as the Italians.

In this study abroad program, students will get the chance to examine nutrition, food science, and public health from multiple perspectives. They will interact with traditional producers of high-end products (such as Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Balsamic Vinegar); they will examine the health benefits of traditional and “high-tech” foods through seminars and lab visits with Italian professors in Pisa and Parma; they will discuss public health policy with scientists and policy makers at the FAO; they will experience (and experiment) the Slow Food philosophy of “good, clean, and fair”; they will investigate the European Union’s role in promoting organic farming and consuming of organic products; and they will speak with health officials about nutrition education and preventative health care in Italy.

Topics include:

  • Traditional Foods in the Italian Diet
  • The Mediterranean Diet
  • Nutritional Properties of Italian Foods: a laboratory perspective
  • Nutrition Policy
  • The Intersection of Nutrition and Health Care in Italy
  • Sustainable Agriculture and Products from a Nutrition Perspective