SUGAR HIGH: Glycemic Index & Better Carb Choices

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

We’ve all heard the comment: "If you are fat, it's because you eat too much and you don't exercise enough" and yet for over 50 years low calorie diets and more exercise have not managed to curb obesity levels. Are you wondering why? In this course for K-12 educators you finally will uncover the secret everyone wants to know, the real cause of weight gain. Enhance student focus and learning by integrating Glycemic Index know-how essentials into your curriculum. When we select a wide variety of low glycemic index foods, students, everyone, can prevent excessive weight gain. Maintaining optimal weight does not mean eating less and exercising more, but eating better, in the lunchroom and at home.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this course, participants will have:

1. Explained and summarized the nutritional paradox to understand why one-third of Americans are overweight/obese.
2. Learned about the relationship between two essential metabolic processes: glycemia and insulin secretion to uncover the real cause of weight gain.
3. Utilized the Glycemic Index and identified the food factors that modify Glycemic Index.
4. Learned how to limit weight gain by selecting carbohydrates based upon their Glycemic Index.
5. Reflected on their own nutritional choices and focused on how to include nutrition in their teaching.
6. Viewed a number of school lunch models that highlight how to eat and cook the low glycemic way.
7. Posed questions concerning nutrition as it relates to influencing students’ motivation, attitudes, and by incorporating Glycemic Index guidelines into school lunches or classroom learning, to influence eating behaviors through healthier choices.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Completion of all specified assignments is required for issuance of hours or credit.  The Heritage Institute does not award partial credit. 

HOURS EARNED:
Completing the basic assignments (Section A. Information Acquisition) for this course automatically earns participant’s their choice of CEUs (Continuing Education Units), Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, or Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours. The Heritage Institute offers CEUs and is an approved provider of Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, and Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours.

UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT INFORMATION

REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
Continuing Education Quarter credits are awarded by Antioch University Seattle (AUS). AUS requires 75% or better for credit at the 400 level and 85% or better to issue credit at the 500 level. These criteria refer both to the amount and quality of work submitted.

1. Completion of Information Acquisition assignments 30%
2. Completion of Learning Application assignments 40%
3. Completion of Integration Paper assignment 30%

CREDIT/NO CREDIT (No Letter Grades or Numeric Equivalents on Transcripts)
Antioch University Seattle (AUS) Continuing Education Quarter credit is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis; neither letter grades nor numeric equivalents are on a transcript. 400 level credit is equal to a "C" or better, 500 level credit is equal to a "B" or better. This information is on the back of the transcript.

AUS Continuing Education quarter credits may or may not be accepted into degree programs. Prior to registering determine with your district personnel, department head, or state education office the acceptability of these credits for your purpose.

ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION

REQUIRED TEXT

Required text Glycemic Index Diet for Weight Loss by Michel Montignac.  2010.  ISBN 978-2-35934-037-2  available from Amazon.com for approximately $1.99 used plus shipping.

None. All reading is online.

MATERIALS FEE

Text, Glycemic Index Diet for Weight Loss by Michel Montignac. 2010. ISBN 978-2-35934-037-2 available from Amazon.com for approximately $1.99 used plus shipping.

ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR HOURS OR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT

A. INFORMATION ACQUISITION

Assignment #1: Introduction.

Describe your current professional situation. State your motivation for enrolling in this course. Use your prior knowledge to explain how and why you think we gain weight.

Send to instructor: kharisma.bora@gmail.com. Subject line to read ‘Sugar High #1.’

Assignment #2: Insulin - The Key to Everything.

In the text Glycemic Index Diet, read the Introduction, pages 9-13.

• Watch this YouTube presentation:
• Insulin Levels are the Key to Everything WellBeingGPS.com:  https://youtu.be/n0zRiiFGGyk

(The presentation is a bit dry but hang in there! Listen for key foundational knowledge you will want to consider when deciding how to change up your meals, so take your time and listen in segments if you must. Toward the end please find action-oriented questions with real answers!)

In a 1-2 page paper: Summarize the 3 nutritional paradoxes and explain the relationship between obesity rates in developed countries vs caloric intake & exercise. Be sure you understand the implications of caloric restriction and how to keep insulin levels controlled through what you eat.

Send to instructor: kharisma.bora@gmail.com. Subject line to read ‘Sugar High #2.’

Assignment #3: The Nature of Food & Insulin metabolism.

Continue reading the Introduction, pages 14-23. 

• Describe in your own words, in three (3) paragraphs, the essential metabolic ideas: Glycemia, Insulin Secretion, and their relationship which is known as the Insulin Response. 

• In another paragraph describe Hyperinsulinism and how it is the cause of weight gain. In a final paragraph describe how the nature of food can decrease blood sugar level. 
• Create a graphic organizer entitled The Nature of Food: Storage or Burning. Use the bullets on p. 14 to illustrate the different factors.

Send to instructor: kharisma.bora@gmail.com. Subject line to read ‘Sugar High #3.’

Assignment #4: Book Review: Glycemic Index.

In the text read about the Glycemic Index, pages 25-33. 

• Go to the Amazon website. Choose Books, type in the search box: glycemic index. 
• Choose three (3) “Look Inside” Books to browse through. 
• Write a Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down review for each book based on whether or not you would want to learn and share more by reading the actual book. 

Send to instructor: kharisma.bora@gmail.com. Subject line to read ‘Sugar High #4.’

Assignment #5: The Weight of the Nation.

In the text read Analyzing the GI Table, pages 35-45. 

• Go to the website: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/weight-nation-children-crisis/
• Click on the YouTube and watch The Weight of the Nation Part 3 Children In Crisis. Start at 30:10 National School Lunch Program and end after the discussion of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. 
• Take a position: Does the Act support what you have learned and know about high and low Glycemic Index carbohydrates? Compose a 1-2 page opinion paper.

Send to instructor: kharisma.bora@gmail.com. Subject line to read ‘Sugar High #5.’

Assignment #6: Why Are the French Slimmer?

Watch on YouTube:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGudF2imcvc   French vs American School Lunch

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLLZazy0R7Y  Why French People Don't Get Fat: The REAL reasons!

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovO18E-hgew    France's Gourmet School Lunches

In a 1-2 page paper, compare and contrast the school lunch information in The Weight of the Nation with that of the French. Use specific examples relating to Glycemic Index to illustrate and support your comparison. What we can learn from the French?

Send to instructor: kharisma.bora@gmail.com. Subject line to read ‘Sugar High #6.’

Assignment #7: GI Factors to Consider .

Read about the Factors That Modify Glycemic Index on pages 47-64. 

• Design a visual presentation to introduce the Factors. See the conclusion on page 62-64 as an overview.
• Explain in age appropriate wording, how the carbohydrate structure changes:

            1) Heating & moisture retention
            2) Hydration & heat
           3) Pastification 4) retrogration 5) degree of ripening & aging 6) acidity 7) particle size.

• WInd up with a few slides that encourage easy to do modifications for cooking and storage of some popular carbohydrates.

Send to instructor: kharisma.bora@gmail.com. Subject line to read ‘Sugar High #7.’

Assignment #8: Lunch Lesson.

Use the information from pages 20-23 and your visual presentation work from assignment #7 to complete one (1) of the following assignment options:

Option A) 
Watch Jamie’s Dream School- Jamie Vs McNuggets   http://youtu.be/RKCYucvop1U

• Develop a lunch lesson to explain why the carbohydrates in a meal: French fries, bun, breading, soda, chocolate milk, ketchup cause weight gain. ( one example is a McDonald’s Happy Meal)

Send to instructor: kharisma.bora@gmail.com. Subject line to read ‘Sugar High #8A.'

                                                            OR

Option B)  
Watch the TED talk: Ann Cooper: What’s Wrong with School Lunches.  https://www.ted.com/talks/ann_cooper_what_s_wrong_with_school_lunches

• Develop a lunch lesson which uses the Glycemic Index to determine whether a favorite school lunch meal will cause weight gain or not.  

Send to instructor: kharisma.bora@gmail.com. Subject line to read ‘Sugar High #8B.’

Assignment #9: School/Personal Lunch Reform.

The Rethinking School Lunch Guide, published in 2004 and revised in 2010, is a downloadable pdf that explains the rationale for reforming school food and explores the 10 pathways that constitute this planning framework. 
Go to   http://www.ecoliteracy.org/downloads/rethinking-school-lunch-guide  Roam around the links and sample some of the readings. 

In a 1-2 page response:

• List and annotate your insights from the guide (a two column format: for example, column 1 Insight column 2 Annotation
• Conclude with a paragraph that answers this question: If you were going to share insights for reform suggestions from these sources with another person, who would that be and what would you suggest as a first step?

Send to instructor: kharisma.bora@gmail.com. Subject line to read ‘Sugar High #9.’

ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT

B. LEARNING APPLICATION

In this section you will apply your learning to your professional situation.  This course assumes that most participants are classroom teachers who have access to students.  If you are not teaching in a classroom, please contact the instructor for course modifications.  If you are a classroom teacher and start or need to complete this course during the summer, please try to apply your ideas when possible with youth from your neighborhood, at a local public library or parks department facility,  (they will often be glad to sponsor community-based learning), or with students in another teacher’s summer classroom in session.

Assignment #10: Live Longer the Low-Glycemic Way.

Lower blood sugar levels promote health, quality of life, longevity and weight loss. 
Take a look at your lunches.

• Check and rate the carbohyrates using the glycemic lists (p.75-95.)
• Consider where low GI swaps are possible. 
• Design a lower GI lunch menu for yourself, with some caloric restriction. Eat your super charged lunches for two (2) weeks or longer. 

Share your story in a 1-2 page paper or in a short ppt. show. Conclude with three (3) easy to do suggestions for learners, suggestions that support healthier lunches, anywhere.

Send to instructor: kharisma.bora@gmail.com. Subject line to read ‘Sugar High #10.’

Assignment #11: Develop a Lesson.

Complete one (1) of the following assignment options:
(SEND commentary to Instructor)
Assignment #A:

• Develop a lesson to reflect what you’ve learned in this course.

• Implement your lesson with students in your classroom.

• Write a 2 -page commentary on what worked well and what could be improved.

• Include any student feedback on your lesson.

                                                         OR
Assignment #B: 

• (SEND lesson and summary to Instructor) Use this option if you do not have a classroom available.

• Develop a lesson to reflect what you’ve learned in this course. (Do not implement it.)

• Write a 2- page summary concerning any noteworthy success you’ve had as a teacher with one or more students.

Send to instructor: kharisma.bora@gmail.com. Subject line to read ‘Sugar High #11 (A or B.)’

Assignment #12: (500 Level ONLY)

In addition to the 400 level assignments, complete one (1) of the following assignment options:

Option A)  
Do We Really Need Grains?  
Learn more about wheat and its impact on weight gain. Watch the two videos below on YouTube:

• William Davis - Wheat: The UNhealthy Whole Grain: http://youtu.be/UbBURnqYVzw
• 10 Reasons To Stop Eating Wheat:  http://youtu.be/Psnn9ttL6A0

Write a 1-2 page paper summarizing your thoughts on this topic. Include how you might integrate your learning into your existing curriculum.  
Send to instructor: kharisma.bora@gmail.com. Subject line to read ‘Sugar High #12A.’

                                                          OR

Option B)  
Eat and Cook the Low Glycemic Way
Another assignment of your own design based on the title theme above.
Send to instructor: kharisma.bora@gmail.com. Subject line to read ‘Sugar High #12B.’

C. INTEGRATION PAPER

Assignment #13: (Required for 400 and 500 level)

SELF REFLECTION & INTEGRATION PAPER
(Please do not write this paper until you've completed all of your other assignments.)

1. What did you learn vs. what you expected to learn from this course?
2. What aspects of the course were most helpful and why?
3. What further knowledge and skills in this general area do you feel you need?
4. How, when, and where will you use what you have learned?
5. How and with what other school or community members might you share what you learned?

Send to your instructor at their email address. Subject line to read  "(put course name here) Integration Paper"

INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS ON YOUR WORK:

Instructors will comment on each assignment. If you do not hear from the instructor within a few days of posting your assignment, please get in touch with them immediately.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING THIS COURSE:

Shaila Bora, M.A. is currently working toward her PH.D. in Philosophy. Courses offered by Shaila are designed to tap into the creative potential and intuitive knowledge that each of us carries within. Through light touch supervision, we will open a dialogue that encourages experimentation with new techniques, and ways of being and doing that are already latent and waiting to be called forth. Nurturing this unique artistic spirit entails reflecting on and acting from your own experiences, observations, suggestions, questions, relationships, and perhaps a gentle nudge from a supportive someone else. So go ahead and choose the adventure that commands your thoughts and liberates your energy. Are you ready to try something new now? Come on, jump in, and let the magic happen.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

SUGAR HIGH: Glycemic Index & Better Carb Choices