There were ten classes that I had to complete to obtain my Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin. Three of these classes covered core nutritional topics such as Macronutrients, Micronutrients, and Molecular Nutrition (gene expression and protein translation). With a heavy emphasis on developing an evidence-based approach to nutritional science, two of the other core classes emphasised Research Design and Skills that laid the foundations for my ability to discern higher-quality studies from which I can translate important findings into practical advice and actionable protocols.
For the other five classes, I chose the Functional Nutrition elective route that equipped me with the knowledge and skills pertaining to nutrition in the realms of nutrigenomics (how nutrition and our genes interact), the immune system, as well as cancers. Another Functional Nutrition class was Nutrition as Medicine, where I focused on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and did a deep dive into the research on the efficacy and functional dosages of various foods that have been found useful in preventing and reducing the risks of hypertension (high blood pressure), and in particular atherosclerosis (clogged arteries).
The Nutrition as Medicine class was project-driven and intensive. One of the deliverables was a 5-min video that could be used for educating a general population on CVD, the foods that were found to be helpful for the condition, as well as simple recipes to incorporate these foods. In the video, I used the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet as the reference diet, but as you will see, all healthy diets such as the DASH diet and the Portfolio diet have many areas of overlap.
Below is the video that I produced. It is a bit rough around the edges, but I had fun making it. It is definitely a precursor to my YouTube videos, but hopefully it will give you some additional ideas on including foods commonly found in Asian cooking that could help you and your loved ones reduce the risks of developing hypertension and atherosclerosis, and ultimately the risks of suffering CVD events such as heart attacks and strokes.