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Nutrition: 1,154 Free Flashcards

A complete introductory college nutrition course built from the University of Hawai'i "Human Nutrition" text and checked against current authorities. It opens with basic concepts (the nutrient classes, energy density, how to judge nutrition claims), the body and digestion, and water and electrolytes, then works through the macronutrients (carbohydrates, lipids, protein), alcohol, and energy balance and weight, with worked math for kilocalories from macronutrients, BMI, Mifflin-St Jeor energy needs and percent Daily Value. The middle of the course covers vitamins, major minerals and trace minerals, then how to apply it all: the Dietary Reference Intakes, the Dietary Guidelines and the Nutrition Facts label. The last units cover nutrition across the lifespan, performance nutrition, food safety, and nutrition and disease. The U.S. guidelines changed in January 2026, so every guideline card names its edition (2025-2030, 2020-2025 or 2015-2020) instead of assuming one. No images: every formula and process is described fully in words. Cards are text only.

1,154cards
16units
88chapters
38sources cited

What's inside

Basic Concepts

5 chapters · 68 cards

Human Body and Digestion

7 chapters · 85 cards

Water and Electrolytes

5 chapters · 51 cards

Carbohydrates

6 chapters · 85 cards

Lipids

6 chapters · 85 cards

Protein

6 chapters · 85 cards

Alcohol

3 chapters · 34 cards

Energy Balance and Weight

7 chapters · 85 cards

Vitamins

6 chapters · 101 cards

Major Minerals

6 chapters · 68 cards

Trace Minerals

5 chapters · 51 cards

DRIs, Guidelines and Labels

5 chapters · 85 cards

Nutrition Across the Lifespan

6 chapters · 101 cards

Performance Nutrition

5 chapters · 51 cards

Food Safety

4 chapters · 51 cards

Nutrition and Disease

6 chapters · 68 cards

Try a few real cards

Copied straight from the course. In the app, each wrong option also gets its own explanation.

Card 1Which compound is the active hormone form of vitamin D, made in the kidney?

  1. Cholecalciferol
  2. Calcitriol
  3. Ergocalciferol
  4. 25-hydroxyvitamin D
Show answer

Calcitriol. Calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D) is the hormone that raises calcium absorption; it is not vitamin D3.

Card 2The Dietary Guidelines 2015-2020 recommended fat-free or low-fat dairy. What does the 2025-2030 edition recommend?

  1. Fat-free dairy only, in place of milk
  2. Avoiding all dairy products
  3. Full-fat dairy with no added sugars
  4. Low-fat dairy with added sweeteners
Show answer

Full-fat dairy with no added sugars. The 2025-2030 edition names dairy a foundation food and shifts to full-fat versions without added sugars.

Card 3What is the USDA safe minimum internal temperature for ground beef?

  1. 145 F
  2. 165 F
  3. 180 F
  4. 160 F
Show answer

160 F. Ground beef, pork, lamb and veal need 160 F because grinding spreads surface bacteria through the meat.

Questions

Is the Nutrition course really free?

Yes. Create a free Encodr account and all 16 units and 1,154 cards are yours to study, with spaced repetition scheduling your reviews.

Do I need a science background?

No. High school biology is enough. Every nutrition and physiology term is taught from scratch, in the order it is first used.

Which Dietary Guidelines does it teach?

The current 2025-2030 edition, released in January 2026, plus the 2020-2025 and 2015-2020 editions for contrast. The textbook behind the course was written before the 2025-2030 edition, so cards on guidelines, added sugar, alcohol and protein name their edition in the question.

How much math is in this course?

A modest amount: kilocalories from macronutrients, BMI, Mifflin-St Jeor energy needs, percent Daily Value from the Nutrition Facts label, and protein per kilogram. Every numeric card states its rounding rule, and all of them were independently recomputed before publishing.

Does it include images or diagrams?

No. Every process (the digestive path, lipoprotein transport, the food-safety steps) and formula is described fully in words instead.

Where does the content come from?

The University of Hawai'i "Human Nutrition" open textbook (mostly CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), checked against the Dietary Reference Intakes, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheets, FDA label rules and the Dietary Guidelines. The cards are rewritten in plain language, not copied.

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