Here are more dietary trends for you to choose from. Some of these directly involve protein intake directly, some only partially address protein. Once again, choose one of the following to expand on for your main post and reply to classmates who chose different topics than your own. As usual, after the basic requirements are met, feel free to post additional comments.

Topics

• Supplemental protein shakes, of which there are many varieties (bodybuilders will be familiar with this one)
• Vegan diets (address protein quality plus other issues associated with vegan diets). Compare to vegetarian if appropriate.
• Juice and other types of liquid-only “Cleanses”
• Does a high protein diet have any benefit or can it be risky?
• This last one usually refers to balanced macronutrient intake, but it’s a popular topic: Intermittent Fasting, yes or no?

Post the following information in this discussion:

1) How would a diet high in sodium affect humans for short term and long term intake?

2) What occurs with a diet high in sodium in at least one aspect of body function.

3) Respond to at least two of your classmates posts. Be sure and explain what interests you from their post.

Always include the name of the person you are responding to at the beginning of your response to classmates.

Any one sentence posts or responses to classmates WILL NOT receive full credit. Your posts must offer something substantive, and not profess your agree or just give kudos to them.

How You Will Be Scored:

Original Post – 6 points

Reply # 1 – 2 points

Reply # 2 – 2 points

Compare & Contrast Essay Pre-Writing

Read

The first pre-writing step is reviewing the essay or writing requirements and reading the prompt. For our class essays, you may research and write about a topic in which you are interested, following the structure and elements of an Argumentative Essay.

Decide

Decide on the topic you want to compare and contrastyou can select any topic you want to research. For example, you may want to compare and contrast mindfulness and meditation and prescribed medicine, colleges or universities, public and home schooling, sports, diets, etc.

Prompt

Choose one of the topics below for an essay developed by comparison and contrast using three points of analysis. The topic you decide on should be something you care about so that the examples are a means of communicating an idea; not an end in themselves.

Health Topics

• The American Diet and the Mediterranean Diet
• Eating meals at home and eating meal at a restaurant/fast food
• Nature and health and modern medicine and health
• Community Gardens and Commercial Gardens
• Mindfulness/Meditation to reduce anxiety (or something else) and prescribed medication to reduce anxiety (or something else)

Experience

• Two jobs you have held
• A good and a bad job interview

People

• Your relationship with two friends
• Two relatives

Places and Things

• A place as it is now and as it was years ago
• Two towns or cities.
• Nature in the city and in the country

Education

• A state university and a private university

Your Choice

• If you have a specific topic that you would like to use, send a message through or to Dr. Ames to discuss

Brainstorming

Brainstorming allows you to quickly generate a large number of ideas. You can brainstorm with others or you can brainstorm by yourself, which sometimes turns into freewriting. To effectively brainstorm, write down whatever ideas come to mind. The key is to not place judgment on what you wrote. Dont worry about whether it sounds smart or if it directly connects to your topic. To brainstorm, let your thoughts about a specific topic flow, and list those thoughts without stopping or judging if what you are writing about is any good.

Sometimes it works better to write down each idea on a separate piece of paper. Some people like to type their ideas. The most important part of this process is to be curious about your topic.

It also helps to ask yourself some brainstorming questions:

• What am I interested in? What do I care about?
• What do I know that I could teach others?
• What would I like to change about this issue?

In order to capture more of your thoughts, you may want to brainstorm a few times until you have enough ideas to start writing.

Compare & Contrast Essay Research

Conduct Research

Responsible AI Use

An effective strategy for conducting researchalongside using the library databases and Google Scholaris responsibly utilizing AI to brainstorm topics and locate possible scholarly journal articles. When using AI, clearly specify your research topic and keywords.

For example, if you are comparing the American Diet and the Mediterranean Diet, you might ask AI to help locate scholarly journal articlesonly from library databases or Google Scholarthat address one or more of the following comparison topics:

• processed vs. whole foods
• red meat vs. fish or plant-based proteins
• saturated vs. unsaturated fats
• heart disease
• obesity rates
• family meals vs. social meals
• fiber intake
• cost of fresh vs. processed foods

Important: AI may help you locate sources, but you must verify each article and all quotations in the original source before adding them to your Research Matrix.

Note: Please select a topic of interest for your class essay. The example above is provided only as a model.

Watch the following video to conduct research using AI responsibly

Students may also use the WLAC Library databases and Google Scholar to locate scholarly sources.

Watch the videos below for instructions on how to use each site.

Research Articles

This week, locate 34 scholarly articles for each side of the comparison (approximately 68 total sources).

You may use AI to help identify potential direct quotes, but you must verify each journal article and quotation by opening the article and confirming the exact wording and page number.

Add all verified quotes to the Research Matrix.

Research Matrix

This week, you will begin your Research Matrix and submit your progress. The matrix is a working document that you will continue developing as you draft your essay, and you may revise and resubmit this Week 1 assignment next week if needed. For each entry, include the following:

• MLA citation
• Direct quote a quotation written by the article author(s)
• Indirect quote a quotation included in the article in which the article author quotes another author (add this to the Indirect Quote column in the Research Matrix)
• Page number
• Topic
• How the evidence will be used in the essay
• Your explanation of why the quote is important (explain how the evidence supports the paragraph claim)

Compare & Contrast Research Matrix

Research Matrix Spreadsheet

Before writing academically, thorough research is necessary to develop informed claims, support ideas with credible evidence, and understand multiple perspectives on a topic. The Research Matrix will help you organize sources, track important quotations, and prepare evidence for your body paragraphs.

After you decide on a topic, begin conducting research using only Google Scholar and/or the WLAC Library databases.

Add all scholarly sources to the Research Matrix:

or

Not sure how to begin conducting research? Join Dr. Ames during optional Zoom hours or

.

Instructions

• Select a topic for your Compare & Contrast Essay (review the prompt in Compare & Contrast Pre-Writing Strategies).
• Begin conducting research using Google Scholar and/or West Library databases only. You may also use AI responsibly to brainstorm topics and locate potential journal articles.
• Watch the instructional videos below for guidance on using the databases, Google Scholar, AI, and the Research Matrix.
• Add 34 scholarly sources for each side of the comparison (68 total sources) and multiple direct quotes from each source to the Research Matrix.
• Review the Research Matrix Rubric to understand the assignment criteria.
• After watching the instructional video below, submit the completed spreadsheet as a shareable hyperlink.

Rubric: Research Matrix

Rubric: Research Matrix

CriteriaRatingsPointsCompleted Research Matrix Spreadsheet

view longer description

Meeting

The research matrix spreadsheet meets all assignment requirements, including:

68 scholarly sources

sources from Google Scholar and/or library databases

MLA-formatted citations

direct and/or secondary-source quotes

topic or theme for each entry

page numbers when applicable

final column clearly explains how the evidence will be used in the essay

research represents both sides of the comparison

10 pts

Approaching

The research matrix spreadsheet meets most requirements, including:

46 scholarly sources

sources mostly from Google Scholar and/or library databases

citations mostly formatted using MLA

quotes included for most entries

topic or theme included for most entries

page numbers included when applicable

explanation column completed for some quotes

5 pts

Not Meeting

The research matrix spreadsheet does not meet assignment requirements, including:

fewer than 4 scholarly sources

sources not primarily from Google Scholar and/or library databases

MLA citation formatting missing or incorrect

few or no quotes included

topic or theme missing for entries

page numbers missing when applicable

explanation column mostly incomplete

0 pts

/10 pts

Overview:

Protein plays a key role in your bodys function and recovery, but how much do you actually need, and are you getting it from the right sources? In this assignment, you will evaluate one day from your food log to identify protein intake, calculate your needs based on body weight and activity level, and reflect on your patterns. You will also add three new slides to your Nutrition Portfolio, summarizing your findings and proposing potential improvements.

Instructions:

Add to your Nutrition Portfolio by addressing the following:

Slide 7: Identify All Protein Sources For a Day in Your Food Log

• Identify all protein sources (animal and plant) and estimate the amount of protein in each food.
• Create a chart or visual showing the protein sources from that day.

Slide 8: Calculating Intake and Needs

• Calculate your total protein intake for the day from your log.
• Compare your intake to your recommended intake.
• Basic Protein Intake Requirement Formula: Protein (grams/day) = Body weight (kg) x protein factor (g/kg)
• Step-by-Step:
• Convert weight to kilograms (kg): Weight (kg) =
• Choose your protein factor (based on activity):
• Sedentary Adult: 0.8 g/kg
• Recreational Exerciser (light activity): 1.0 1.2 g/kg
• Moderate Exercise (3 5 days/week): 1.2 1.4 g/kg
• Endurance Athlete: 1.4 1.6 g/kg
• Strength Athlete or Intense Training: 1.6 2.0 g/kg
• Older Adults (>65 years old): 1.0 1.2 g/kg
• Pregnant Individuals: 1.1 1.5 g/kg

Slide 9: Reflect (400500 words)

• Are you getting enough protein?
• Are you spreading protein evenly across meals?
• Do you get enough variety?
• What could you add, reduce, or substitute?

rewrite it. The evaluation of food products using descriptive sensory terminology revealed clear differences in texture, flavor intensity, and aroma among the samples. One notable finding was that products with lower moisture content, such as crackers or dry baked items, were consistently described as crisp and brittle. This result is consistent with food science principles, as reduced water activity increases structural rigidity and promotes fracture rather than deformation during biting. In contrast, products with higher moisture levels were perceived as softer or more cohesive due to plasticization of starch and protein structures by water.

Another observation was the variation in aroma and flavor intensity among samples that appeared visually similar. This difference can be explained by the presence of volatile flavor compounds that are released during chewing and warming in the mouth. According to sensory science literature, aroma perception contributes significantly to overall flavor, even when visual characteristics remain unchanged. These findings were consistent with expectations outlined in the introduction, which emphasized that sensory perception depends on multiple physical and chemical properties rather than appearance alone.

Color differences observed in some products may also be attributed to non-enzymatic browning reactions such as the Maillard reaction or caramelization during processing. These reactions occur when reducing sugars interact with amino acids under heat, producing brown pigments and complex flavor compounds. Products exposed to higher processing temperatures or longer heating times therefore exhibited darker color and more pronounced flavor characteristics.

The information gained from this experiment has important applications in food science and product development. For example, manufacturers can adjust moisture content, processing time, or ingredient composition to achieve desired texture and sensory qualities in products such as baked goods or snack foods. From a practical standpoint, understanding sensory attributes also supports quality control, ensuring product consistency and consumer acceptance. In nutrition and food safety contexts, sensory evaluation can help identify spoilage or quality deterioration, such as off-odors or texture changes caused by microbial growth or moisture migration.

Last week you learned about how to manage weight. Sometimes people use intense diets including “Fad” or sometimes extreme diets. You will choose a fad diet, research information on it, write a minimum 2 page, double-spaced paper (with references), and a cover sheet. Remember to use the skills you learned when finding reputable sources of information. The following are some diet you can consider: Atkins diet Paleo diet Ketogenic diet Cabbage Soup diet The Zone diet The Dukan diet The 5:2 diet South Beach diet Low Fat Ornish diet LEARN diet Blood Type diet Vegan diet, and the Vegetarian diet Or any other one you can think of In your paper, answer these questions: 1) Who came up with the diet? What are their credentials? Are they qualified to give diet advice? 2) What is the diet? Explain it in detail: what is increased, decreased, timing, foods included, food excluded, etc 3) What is the purpose of the diet? Who do you think is the target audience? 4) Does the diet seem to work? Why or why not? 5) Is this diet sustainable (meaning: are individuals able to keep it up long term?) Why or why not? 6) Do you see any problems with following this diet long term? Any deficiencies that could happen or excesses? 7) For what patient population would this diet be contraindicated? 8) What are your final conclusions or views on this fad diet?