Asynchronous Academy

Nutrition & Healthy Eating

Suggested Duration: 1.5 Hours

"I'm a big believer that you need to be aware of these things. I think you need to listen to your body. You eat, and when you're not hungry, stop eating. Your body will let you know when you have had enough."

Georges St-Pierre, Canadian UFC Champion & Athlete

Fueling your body is a skill, not just a habit. In this module, you will break down the science of what you eat into manageable parts (i.e. calories and macronutrients) and explore professional strategies for maintaining a diet that supports your energy levels and physical goals.

The Energy Equation (Calories)

Calories are the "fuel" for your body’s engine. Whether you are sleeping, studying, or playing sports, your body is constantly burning energy. Understanding calories is the first step toward making informed choices, which is why they are the most prominent feature on every nutrition label. Watch this video to learn how calories work.

While "calories" tells you how much energy is in food, "Macronutrients" (or Macros) tells you where that energy comes from. Your food is made up of three main building blocks: Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats. Learn what each macronutrient does for your body and how to balance them in this video.

Reflect: How does your activity level today change the amount of "fuel" your body needs?

Flexibility in Eating (IIFYM)

One of the most sustainable strategies for maintaining a healthy diet is "If It Fits Your Macros" (IIFYM). Unlike restrictive diets, IIFYM focuses on meeting specific nutritional targets while allowing for flexibility in the foods you choose.

Digital Tracking & Practice

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Maintaining a food journal is one of the most effective ways to see the reality of your eating habits versus your goals. It helps you identify patterns, like "mindless snacking" or not getting enough protein on workout days.

While some people prefer pen and paper, most people find it much easier to use an app. These tools do the math for you, looking up calorie counts and macro splits instantly.

  • Explore: Check out this list of top-rated food tracking apps or find one on your own that you enjoy using.
  • Action Task: Download an app and practice logging everything you eat today. Pay close attention to how your energy levels feel in relation to your physical output (e.g., did you eat enough before your workout?).

Food Tracking Log & Reflection Assignment

Task: For this assignment, practice tracking your food for one full day using a digital tracking app or a written log. Write a short reflection (approximately 250 words) in a Markdown (.md) file answering:

  1. Your Daily Log: List what you ate for one full day, including the approximate calories and macronutrient breakdown (carbs, protein, fats).
  2. Energy & Activity Analysis: Explain how your food intake aligned with your physical output. Did you have enough energy for your activities? Did you notice any patterns (e.g. lack of protein, high sugar)?
  3. IIFYM & Flexibility: Discuss how you could apply a flexible eating strategy like IIFYM to maintain your diet long-term without feeling overly restricted.
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Tracking Tip: When using a food tracking app, don't worry about being perfectly exact down to the gram. The goal is to develop awareness of your general calorie intake and macro balance, not to obsess over the numbers. Consistency is more important than perfection.

Deliverable:

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Food Tracking Log & Reflection

Submit your completed food tracking log and reflection as a Markdown (.md) file using the course app submission portal.

Assessment

Pre-Submission

Before you submit, please complete the Pre-Submission Self-Assessment.

What to Turn In

  • 📤

    Food Tracking Log (.md file)

💡 A Different Way to Learn

Async Academy courses are inquiry-based. There are no rote answer keys or multiple-choice worksheets here. You learn by exploring, questioning, and building projects you care about.

Because your discovery path is completely unique, you need a human sounding board. Enroll to submit your projects and get personalized video feedback from an Ontario Certified Teacher to guide your work.

Learning Goals

We are learning to:

  • 🎯

    Develop personalized strategies to achieve dietary goals and maintain nutritional balance

  • 🎯

    Understand the relationship between calorie intake, macronutrients, and physical output

  • 🎯

    Utilize digital tracking tools to monitor eating habits and assess energy needs

Success Criteria

I can:

  • ✅

    Identify and explain my macronutrient needs and how they fuel my physical activities

    Expectations Covered: C2
  • ✅

    Create a strategy to have the diet I want using tools like IIFYM and food journaling

    Expectations Covered: C2
  • ✅

    Log my daily food intake and analyze how it connects to my physical output and energy levels

    Expectations Covered: C2
  • ✅

    Identify areas in my physical environment that make it difficult to eat well and propose improvements

    Expectations Covered: C3

Rubric

Category Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1
Understanding Calories & Macronutrients (Knowledge / Understanding)
How clearly does the student explain calorie and macronutrient requirements and their role in fueling the body?
 Consistently and clearly explains calorie and macronutrient needs with high clarity and detail Explains calorie and macronutrient needs with clear detail Partially explains calorie and macronutrient needs Explains calorie or macronutrient needs with limited clarity
Analyzing Energy Balance & Tracking Data (Thinking / Inquiry)
How effectively does the student analyze their logged daily food intake in relation to physical activity and energy levels?
 Demonstrates thorough, critical, and insightful analysis of logged intake and energy patterns Demonstrates clear analysis of logged intake and energy patterns Demonstrates basic analysis of logged food intake with some gaps Demonstrates limited or vague analysis of food logs
Selecting Flexible Strategies (Application)
How practically does the student apply nutritional strategies (such as IIFYM/flexible eating) and food journaling to achieve goals?
 Develops highly practical, realistic, and flexible strategies to manage nutritional targets Develops clear, practical strategies to manage nutritional targets Develops basic strategies with some effectiveness Develops limited or unrealistic strategies
Organizing & Formatting (Communication)
How clearly and appropriately is the food tracking log and reflection organized and presented in Markdown?
 Formats the tracking log with a high degree of clarity, professional organization, and correct formatting Formats the tracking log clearly and with appropriate organization Formats the tracking log with some organization and clarity Formats the tracking log with limited organization or clarity
Understanding Calories & Macronutrients (Knowledge / Understanding)
Criteria: How clearly does the student explain calorie and macronutrient requirements and their role in fueling the body?
Level 4

Consistently and clearly explains calorie and macronutrient needs with high clarity and detail

Level 3

Explains calorie and macronutrient needs with clear detail

Level 2

Partially explains calorie and macronutrient needs

Level 1

Explains calorie or macronutrient needs with limited clarity

Analyzing Energy Balance & Tracking Data (Thinking / Inquiry)
Criteria: How effectively does the student analyze their logged daily food intake in relation to physical activity and energy levels?
Level 4

Demonstrates thorough, critical, and insightful analysis of logged intake and energy patterns

Level 3

Demonstrates clear analysis of logged intake and energy patterns

Level 2

Demonstrates basic analysis of logged food intake with some gaps

Level 1

Demonstrates limited or vague analysis of food logs

Selecting Flexible Strategies (Application)
Criteria: How practically does the student apply nutritional strategies (such as IIFYM/flexible eating) and food journaling to achieve goals?
Level 4

Develops highly practical, realistic, and flexible strategies to manage nutritional targets

Level 3

Develops clear, practical strategies to manage nutritional targets

Level 2

Develops basic strategies with some effectiveness

Level 1

Develops limited or unrealistic strategies

Organizing & Formatting (Communication)
Criteria: How clearly and appropriately is the food tracking log and reflection organized and presented in Markdown?
Level 4

Formats the tracking log with a high degree of clarity, professional organization, and correct formatting

Level 3

Formats the tracking log clearly and with appropriate organization

Level 2

Formats the tracking log with some organization and clarity

Level 1

Formats the tracking log with limited organization or clarity