FAQ

The food we eat has a significant influence on our lives. The nutrients we consume contribute to growth, reproduction, health, and disease.

Nutrition is the study of this relationship between food and biological processes. So, if you’re curious about whether you are what you eat, an online nutrition course could be the right choice for you.

For those who already have an understanding of the basics of nutrition, a more detailed course or program might be more suitable. For example, you can learn about using food as medicine in healthcare practice.

By studying the course online, you can also pick your own work hours. Many courses in nutrition require just a few hours of study each week, and you can plan these around your existing commitments.

Nutrition is the study of food and how it contributes to our physical and mental wellbeing, with a particular focus on the different nutrients humans need to be healthy. While studying nutrition, you can look at anything from the scientific processes involved in nourishment to recipes and meal plans that can help you combat certain diseases.

Nutrition courses are a great way to introduce you to the science or help you build your skills and knowledge to supplement practical training. Our nutrition courses are completely online and don’t require any in-person teaching, so you’re free to study whenever suits you. You can also learn from anywhere in the world, as long as you have access to a digital device.

We have plenty of highly-rated nutrition courses available, but if you’re a beginner, you might enjoy our Healthy Cooking Made Easy with BBC Good Food course, where you’ll learn how to prepare nourishing and delicious meals. Alternatively, you could try our CPD-certified course, Understanding Mediterranean and Okinawa Diets.

If you love food, healthy eating, and studying scientific processes, then studying nutrition won’t be difficult for you. In fact, anyone can study nutrition, and the benefits of learning about how to maintain a healthy diet will stay with you for the rest of your life. More scientific nutrition courses will be slightly more challenging for inexperienced learners, but we also have some more general nutrition courses for beginners that anyone can enjoy.

There are several routes into nutrition, and you may need formal training such as a degree, or practical experience to get started, depending on your career choice. Some examples of careers you might consider include nutritionist, dietician, health coach, nutrition writer, and chef.

To help you figure out which aspect of nutrition you’re interested in, you can try one of our online short courses and use the opportunity to learn about fundamental concepts. If you decide you’re serious about a career in nutrition, you can take our nutrition program and use it to help supplement any additional training.

Check out our helpful articles and discover how to work in the nutrition industry or how to become a dietician.

Nutrition is the science of eating well. It’s a subject that covers aspects of biology, chemistry and even mental health.

Having a basic understanding of how healthy eating impacts our lives is important. That’s why a nutrition course can be so beneficial to both healthcare professionals and the general public.

Whether you’re totally new to the subject or already have some experience, you can find a learning opportunity suited to your level of understanding.

Choosing the right nutrition course

Beginners and experienced nutritionists will find a range of courses available to them. An introduction to nutrition is a good place to start if you’re looking to get a handle on the fundamentals of the subject.

You’ll learn some of the basics of nutrition for staying healthy, as well as some of the problems a poor diet causes. More experienced learners or professionals might consider learning about food and our genome.

This course looks at how food and genetics are related, and how this knowledge can help patients. If you’re looking to learn about specific foods, our superfoods course is a fascinating look at the biological and social aspects of superfoods.

Gaining qualifications in nutrition

As well as our short courses (which usually take a few weeks to complete), you’ll find other health and nutrition training. We also offer programs, collection of courses, which take longer and contain assessments.

You can even find accredited online nutrition programs. These provide an academic credential from a top international university.

Why FutureLearn?

Learn anything

Whether you want to develop as a professional or discover a new hobby, there's an online course for that. You can even take your learning further with online microcredentials and degrees.

Learn together

Join millions of people from around the world learning together. Online learning is as easy and natural as chatting with a group of friends.

Learn with experts

Meet educators from top universities and cultural institutions, who'll share their experience through videos, articles, quizzes and discussions.