So if you vaguely remember, one of my integrated disciplines is nutrition. I chose to study things that were less theory based because I want to learn things that I can apply to in life. One of the more interesting courses that I took this term was FNH 355: International Nutrition, taught by Dr. Judy McLean. She’s a great prof. Knows her stuff, very caring towards students, and passionate not only about the course subject but also humanitarian work (she went to Rwanda to test some micronutrient package trials to prevent major deficiencies!).
So you’ve probably heard all about how there are African kids starving and as a kid you’ve probably carry those small orange UNICEF boxes during Trick-or-Treat to help them. But do you know how they are being starved? The kind of common symptoms of malnutrition that appear? The diets that cause those symptoms? It’s definitely an eye-opener.
There IS a difference between the two
The left is a plantain, the right is a banana. I learned of the plantain’s existence from this class, and decided to buy one and taste it myself. It’s definitely less soft than a regular banana and less sweet, almost bland. I think most of you will prefer your regular banana over a plantain. Apparently plantains lack a lot of the essential amino acids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. But they are rich in starch.
But did you know that in some countries, plantains are the ONLY things people, including the kids, will eat? You’ll get all sorts of symptoms and diseases like kwashiorkor/marasmus, developmental problems (both physical and mental), apathy, anemia, rickets, immune system suppression, diarrhea, list goes on and on… They really only eat nothing but this. Well, maybe with the exception of wild cabbage or flowers because they want to fill their stomachs with something, but has no nutritional purposes.
Anyways, if you want to learn about courses like this and get tested on REAL case studies of nutrient deficiencies, I highly recommend this course. But be warned; this course is very… heart breaking. I remember Dr. McLean said a student dropped her course because it was too sad. And my friend ended up crying during a video…