Diet and
Health
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
14 August
2025
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START DATE:
1 September
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DURATION:
4
Months
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VALIDATING INSTITUTION:
University of
Portsmouth
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Level 4 Short Course
Dip your toe into the world of nutrition and enhance your own, your family’s, friends’, and colleagues’ understanding of diet and health. This short course offers a holistic approach to diet and health, exploring how food production, processing, guidance, and choices impact human wellbeing. Utilising the latest nutritional science, you will learn about the benefits of food and develop the skills to analyse dietary information and guidelines.
You’ll understand the connections between food and health and discover how informed choices can lead to improved overall wellbeing. This short course empowers you to make better dietary decisions and share your knowledge, positively influencing those around you. Perfect for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of nutrition, this course provides practical insights and scientifically backed knowledge to help you navigate the complexities of modern dietary advice.
On this page
Course background
Course information
Course background
Highlights
- Understand a holistic approach to diet and health
- Build a core knowledge about food, diet and lifestyle
- Learn about the role of food and its elements in promoting and maintaining health
- Explore the food journey, from the soil or sea to ourselves, and its impact on food quality and health
- Explore issues affecting healthy eating choices
- Appraise guidelines and the latest nutritional evidence
Assessments
The Diet and Health Credit Bearing Short Course is assessed by a written essay comparing the advantages of a vegan versus omnivorous diet.
Lecturer's view
“Our Diet and Health short course is where students start to build their understanding of how nutrients work in the body, how they affect health and disease, and how wider factors — like lifestyle and environment — shape what people eat. I think this course is such an important starting point because it gives you a strong, research-based framework for thinking about the relationship between nutrition, health, and disease.”
Amani Kaite
DipIHS, mNTOI, mFTNP
Lecturer, Module Coordinator
Your benefits
At ION, we are dedicated to supporting your success throughout your studies. As a student with us, you’ll gain access to a range of benefits designed to enhance your learning experience. Your benefits include:
University of Portsmouth Student Union membership*
Job notifications and graduate placements
Discounts at health food shops, supplement and testing companies
Exclusive discounts on select ION offerings and products
University of Portsmouth library access*
Pastoral support and guidance from level leaders *
Dedicated academic support*
Progression
Upon successful completion you can receive RPL (Recognised Prior Learning) for this short course and join the second module in the Cert HE Personalised Diet and Health or the BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy.
Course information
Entry requirements
Requirements for this course are:
Qualification
Minimum requirement
- Candidates with level 3 qualification, who may also have health sciences
OR
- Qualifications in holistics, social care, personal trainer or coaching
OR
- Equivalent experiential learning in nutrition or health sciences
Study pathway
This course provides you the following pathway
Minimum requirements
Diet and Health
Cert HE OR BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy Level 4
BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy Level 5
BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy Level 6
Nutritional Therapist
Masters degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Fees
Fees for this course are listed below. Fees for subsequent years may increase in line with inflation. Fees do not include BANT student membership.
Course facts
Award
Credit bearing option
Credit bearing short course
Credit bearing option
No award
Credits
20 (Level 4)
Study mode
Online
Entry dates
Credit bearing option
September, February
Non-credit bearing option
September, February
Duration
Credit bearing option
6 months
Non-credit bearing option
2 year access to materials
Course code
Credit bearing option
N3410SCD
Non-credit bearing option
D3410SCD
Course bodies
Awarding body*
Institute for Optimum Nutrition,
Validated by*
University of Portsmouth
Accredited by
Nutritional Therapy Education Commission (NTEC)
British Accreditation Council (BAC)
Registered with
Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)
British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT)
Good to know
You can take the Diet and Health short course either for academic credit (Credit Bearing option) or simply for personal interest (non-Credit Bearing). It’s a great way to explore the fundamentals of nutrition without committing to a full programme. You’ll gain a broad, holistic view of how food choices, production, and dietary guidance affect health — plus develop practical skills to critically assess nutritional information.
Next steps
Ready to apply or need help? Use the links below or get in touch with our friendly recruitment team.
