Nutrition Education for Teens and Young Adults
A Graphic-Novel-Style Learning Program
Perfect as a Pediatric Resource and for Classroom Learning
See the Course Now 
Certificate!
Young adults learn the connection between food and mood—and much more!
How Food Affects Sleep Nutrition for Better Energy 
- No login credentials required
- No enrollment fee—the course is provided as a public service by a trusted educational nonprofit
- Fun, engaging, and full of meaningful interactivity
- Students earn a customized certificate upon completion
Ready-to-Use Nutrition Curriculum for
Individual Learners or Entire Classrooms
TEACHERS: Engage Your Classroom With Award-Winning Nutrition Education for Students!
Assign the course to your class
Students can launch the course with any of the orange buttons on this page. And all they need is a device connected to the internet!
Students learn through fun, interactive lessons
The dynamic superhero-themed lessons are self-paced and engaging, with knowledge checks built in.
Every finisher earns a
personalized certificate
Certificates give learners a sense of achievement. Also, they double as documentation of completion if the course is assigned by a teacher.
This course received Gold — the highest honor — in the Digital Health Awards!
Are You a Healthcare Professional?
Click here
for a downloadable handout to share this fun resource with your young patients and their families!
Nutrition Lessons in this Course for Teens and Young Adults:
Dynamic Duo
Take a journey to learn how trillions of tiny special agents in the body are hard at work to help the brain…and how you can help them.
Brain-Boosting Foods
Find out which foods can help your mind stay sharp—both now and through adulthood—and which foods can get in the way of clear thinking.
Athletic Excellence
Discover how healthy food choices can strengthen your game and elevate your athletic performance to heroic new heights.
Connection
Fuel a resilient, positive outlook by exploring how food affects your frame of mind, and learn to choose foods that support a healthy mood.
Good Sleep
Energize your day and sleep better at night by learning which foods can combat tiredness, and which ones can zap your energy.
Why is Nutrition Education for Teens and Young Adults So Important?
Nutrition education for teens and young adults is essential to prepare them for the brightest future possible. However, most young people are subject to a barrage of unhelpful marketing messages and unreliable health information on social media. Teens and young adults need to be equipped with reliable nutrition information that is engaging, accurate, and addresses the topics that are important to them.
That’s why the nonprofit Gaples Institute—known for its award-winning educational programs for health professionals—has created this one-of-a-kind nutrition course for teens and young adults. Since this learning tool for young people is presented in a graphic-novel format, students have fun while learning life-changing principles of healthy eating. Not to mention the fact that the interactive lessons keep learners engaged and focused. Especially important: the course addresses issues of special concern to young adults: mood, academics, athletic performance, and sleep.
No enrollment fee and no login credentials required! What’s more, learners earn a customized certificate at the end. It’s perfect for individuals or entire classes!
Get Started With Our Nutrition Course for Teens and Young Adults
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While this short nutrition education program is open to ANYONE, we designed it especially with these audiences in mind:
✓ Middle school students
✓ High school students
✓ College students
✓ Learners in their twenties
✓ Educators who want to assign a fun, learner-driven
nutrition education lesson to their entire classrooms
✓ Pediatricians and other health experts who want to empower teens and young adults with the lifelong benefits of nutrition knowledge
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For general audiences, we also offer a more comprehensive nutrition education course for learners of all ages, available in both English and Spanish.
"I enthusiastically endorse this engaging program that uses the power of graphic novels to educate young people about the vital role of healthy food. This Gaples Institute program equips young adults with the tools they need to make smart food choices, setting them up for a lifetime of wellness. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to empower the next generation with the superpowers of healthy eating."
Andrew Weil, MD
Professor of Public Health
Clinical Professor of Medicine
Director, University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine
"My students range from 12 to 18, and many of them struggle with the pressures of rigid tests and fact memorization. This resource was a fun, interactive experience for all of them."
Lucas Michaelson,
Health & Phys Ed Teacher
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch
Residential Treatment and Educational Center
"I found this course very well put together with clear information and messages."
Alessio Fasano, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Harvard Medical School
Chief of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition,
Massachusetts General Hospital
“This delivers! Young adults don’t yet care about longevity or future health state, but sleeping better and running faster? That’s a winner. I’ll be recommending this in all of my adolescent physical exams and also sending to my kids’ team sports coaches.”
Jaclyn Albin, MD
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, UT Southwestern Medical Center
"This kept me engaged. It didn’t make me want to do something else!"
Junia
(a student)
“I LOVED this Using Food as a Superpower. It was interesting, engaging, and clear.”
Lori Walsh, MD
Medical Director, Pediatric Integrative Medicine, Advocate Children’s Hospital
“It was interactive and fun to complete. As well as informative.”
Parker
(a student)
Having a concise, entertaining, and educational resource like this from the Gaples Institute to share with my patients and their families will be so helpful.
Jay Somers, PA-C, DHSc
Nevada Family Psychiatry
Frequently Asked Questions:
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What is the connection between food and mood?
Without a doubt, what you eat can significantly impact how you feel—and that’s especially true for young people. Developing healthy eating habits during adolescence and young adulthood can set the foundation for a positive outlook and emotional well-being into adulthood, middle age, and beyond. This fun and interactive online nutrition course for teens and young adults helps learners discover how nourishing the body can also nurture a more positive, resilient mood.
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Do food choices affect grades and school performance?
There’s significant evidence linking healthy foods with better academic achievement—and there’s also a strong connection between unhealthy foods and poorer performance in school. In this nutrition education program for young people, learners discover which foods help the most, as well as which foods can cause problems.
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How does healthy food help student athletes perform at their peak?
For student athletes, fueling their bodies with nutrient-dense foods is a powerful step to achieving peak physical performance. Nutrition research shows that athletic performance is closely tied to diet quality and food choices. This nutrition education program empowers student athletes with important knowledge to select foods that optimize their performance both on and off the field.
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Can healthy eating help with sleep problems and low energy?
Quality sleep is crucial for all aspects of health. Teenagers and young adults with poor sleep quality may experience special challenges with academic achievement, mood, and relationships. This nutrition education course helps young adults understand the connection between healthy eating, sleep quality, and energy levels, so they can choose foods that best support sufficient high-quality rest.
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How does gut health impact young people, and which foods support a healthy microbiome?
Gut health and brain health are intricately linked in a surprising way that influences, mood, mental clarity, and more. This interactive nutrition program highlights healthy foods that help nurture the profound connection between gut and mind—toward the goal of clearer thinking and a more resilient outlook.
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Who made this nutrition education course for young people?
The course was developed by the Gaples Institute, a physician-led educational nonprofit supported by world-renowned experts in nutrition science, education, and public health. The Gaples Institute does not seek or accept corporate support. The course Using Food As a Superpower is made available to schools, educators, and students by our educational nonprofit as a public service.
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Is this nutrition education course accessible to learners with disabilities?
Yes! This learning program includes keyboard-friendly interactivity, an option to display closed captions, and the on-screen content is optimized for learners who use screen readers.
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How is this nutrition curriculum for students different from other learning programs?
This award-winning interactive nutrition course for students is presented in a graphic-novel format that is eye-opening, engaging, and fun. The course encourages active discovery through a playful, interactive platform. Using Food as a Superpower is intended for anyone, with special value for educators looking to incorporate an engaging, meaningful nutrition lesson into their lesson plans. The course author is a Harvard nutrition faculty member and preventive cardiologist with more than three decades of clinical experience.