Big 3 Macronutrients

Dispeling Myths and giving streamlines information regarding Carbs, Protiens, and Fats.

Updated: Oct 9, 2025
Authors: Roman Hudson

Brief Project Intro. I will be creating three maybe four pages of a H5P that outlines carbs, protien, and fats. The booklet will interactive outline its history, use in the body, different types, and how it’s important to have them working together.

THE PROCESS

Understand (Discover, Interpret, Specify)

DESCRIBE THE CHALLENGE:

• Many people struggle to understand what macronutrients are and how they affect the body. They often hear mixed messages about protein, carbohydrates, and fats, which leads to confusion and poor food choices. Learners need a clear, trustworthy, and engaging resource that explains what each macronutrient does, where it comes from, and how it contributes to overall health and energy.

CONTEXT AND AUDIENCE:

Audience

• This OER is designed for people who want to better understand basic nutrition. It includes students in health and physical education courses, gym-goers, and anyone trying to make healthier eating choices. Most learners will have heard of carbs, fats, and protein but may not know their specific functions or how to identify good sources of each.
  

Needs

• Learners need simple explanations of what macronutrients are and how they work together to support human health. They need examples of foods that contain each nutrient and a clear breakdown of calories per gram. They also need to understand the differences within each group, such as simple versus complex carbohydrates, saturated versus unsaturated fats, and complete versus incomplete proteins. Visuals and short explanations help make these concepts easier to remember.

Goals

• Build a clear understanding of how proteins, carbohydrates, and fats fuel the body and support health.
• Help learners identify common food sources of each macronutrient.
• Explain calorie values and how energy balance works.
• Clarify misconceptions and myths about “good” and “bad” foods.
• Show how macronutrient use and importance have evolved across human history and culture.
• Encourage balanced, informed eating habits that connect science to everyday choices.

Motivation

• Learners want to eat better, feel healthier, or perform better in sports and fitness.
• Many are frustrated by conflicting nutrition advice online and want reliable, science-based guidance.
• They are curious about how food fuels the body and affects daily energy and performance.
• They value interactive and visual learning that makes nutrition easier to understand.
• They want to feel confident about making their own informed food choices without judgment or confusion.

POV STATEMENT:

A learner who feels confused by conflicting nutrition advice needs a clear, interactive overview of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats so that they can understand how each supports the body, make balanced food choices, and feel confident in their knowledge of nutrition.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Learners will be able to identify and describe the three main macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats) and explain their primary functions in supporting human health and energy.
2. Learners will be able to differentiate between types of macronutrients such as simple and complex carbohydrates, saturated and unsaturated fats, and complete and incomplete proteins, and explain how each impacts the body.
3. Given examples of everyday foods, learners could categorize them by dominant macronutrients.

Plan (Ideate, Sketch, Elaborate)

IDEATION:

When I began thinking about this project, I thought about how when I started loosing weight and thinking about what I eat I had a lot of preconcieved notions when it came to macronutrients. For example I knew that protien was the cornerstone to muscle retention when loosing weight so all I ate was meat however when I felt like I was loosing weight to fast I looked into it and I realized that it is imporant to still eat carbs before and after workouts to make sure your muscles can recover instead of just deteriorating. There is a lot of confusion online about which foods are “good” or “bad,” and people often rely on trends or restrictive diets, simularly to me, without knowing the basic science behind them. I wanted to create something that simplifies this topic and helps learners see how protein, carbohydrates, and fats actually work in the body. My goal was to make the information both educational and engaging, using visuals and interactive elements that keep learners interested while they build real nutritional understanding.

To shape these ideas, I looked at a variety of online nutrition resources, including educational videos, podcasts, and some food “guids”. I noticed that many sources presented information in long text-heavy formats, which can make it hard to stay focused or they rely on sensational claims putting down a food group in favour of another. The most effective ones used visuals like charts, food examples, and short quizzes to keep the learner active. I also explored interactive OERs that use H5P to see what types of activities work best for explaining concepts clearly. This helped me plan how to mix short bits of information with interactive moments that check understanding, like matching foods to their main macronutrient or sorting types of fats. I’ve never use H5P before but when I saw a few demos it matched what I wanted to do 1:1 and so I am hoping that while I make my artifact I don’t run into any major challenges.

After comparing a few different directions, I decided that organizing the OER around the three main macronutrients made the most sense. Each section will introduce a nutrient through a short explanation, connect it to its historical and cultural context, and then show real-world examples of foods. The final section will use a quiz to bring everything together and let learners apply what they have learned. I thought this structure would make the topic approachable for a general audience while still grounded in accurate science. It gives learners a complete picture of what macronutrients are, where they come from, and how to make better food choices without feeling overwhelmed by too much information at once through being able to choose what the open and path they take.

STORYBOARD OR SCRIPT:

PROTOTYPE EXAMPLE:

I have not made a porper prototype as I need a subscription so I want to get feedback first so I can make use of the free trial first. So instead for a visual I want to do something simular to the straberry demo they have ‘https://h5p.org/content-types/interactive-book#h5pbookid=441940&chapter=h5p-interactive-book-chapter-a12f6a97-5f2e-4f1b-a804-4c49f38ab1f5&section=0‘ but instead its photo of carbs wheat, rice, pasta with 3 facts about the history or common myths, then go into a more scientific stuff in drop down taps, and then go into some studies and finally a mini quiz section and in the book I would have 3 sections for each protien, carb, fat and then a last one for how they work together.

This is an example of the photo and the possible drop down tabs I want to inculde for the different sections I outlined.

PRINCIPLES APPLIED:

Modality Principle

The modality principle suggests that people learn better when information is presented through both visuals and spoken words rather than through text alone (Oberfoell & Correia, 2016). In my artifact the main form of instruction comes from a combination of narration and supportive visuals rather than large text blocks. Each macronutrient section includes short audio explanations that align with corresponding images, diagrams, or animations showing food examples and biological functions. For example, when explaining how fats help absorb vitamins, the narration is paired with a simple animation showing fat-soluble vitamins entering cells. This pairing of auditory explanation and visual representation allows learners to focus on the concept without having to read long passages, reducing split attention and improving understanding.

Dual Coding Theory

Dual coding theory highlights how learners retain information more effectively when content is processed both verbally and visually (Paivio & Clark, 2006). Each section my H5P combines interactive written explanations with visual cues that reinforce the message. When describing how carbohydrates provide quick energy, for example there is a picture of different carbs while there are tabs one can choose to display information about them. In the protein section, icons of different foods such as beans, eggs, and meat appear beside short text labels while the narration describes different amino acid quality. These paired elements help learners connect the verbal and visual information into a single, more memorable concept. Encoding the material through two channels increases the likelihood that learners can recall it later when making real-life food choices.

Reducing Extraneous Load

Extraneous load refers to the unnecessary or confusing information that distracts from learning (Taylor et al., 2022). To minimize this, meaning my design stays clean and minimal, with consistent colors, clear icons, and concise explanations. Each screen focuses on one main concept at a time, and transitions are smooth so learners dont feel rushed. There is no background music or unnecessary motion. Text is short and straightforward, and visuals are directly related to the narration. Each interactive activity, such as sorting foods by nutrient or labeling types of fats, is clearly explained with one instruction line. This approach keeps learners attention on the essential information while reducing distractions that could overload working memory.

Personalization Principle (Need to think about this one more)

The personalization principle suggests that conversational and relatable language helps learners engage and understand better (Brom et al., 2017). The narration and written explanations use a friendly, direct tone, similar to how a nutrition coach might speak to a client. For example, phrases such as “Think about how you feel after eating a balanced meal” or “Try to picture what happens when your body runs low on carbs” invite the learner to reflect personally on the content. This conversational approach makes the topic approachable and encourages curiosity rather than formality. The use of inclusive language and relatable examples, such as common foods or workout meals, helps learners connect the material to their own experiences and stay motivated to explore further.

References

Brom, C., Hannemann, T., Stárková, T., Bromová, E., & Děchtěrenko, F. (2017). The role of cultural background in the personalization principle: Five experiments with Czech learners. Computers & Education, 112, 37–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.01.001

Oberfoell, A., & Correia, A. (2016). Understanding the role of the modality principle in multimedia learning environments. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 32(6), 607–617. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12158

Paivio, A., & Clark, J. M. (2006). Dual coding theory and education. In S. J. Samuels & A. E. Farstrup (Eds.), Pathways to literacy achievement for high-poverty children (pp. 149–210). International Reading Association.

Taylor, T. A. H., Kamel-ElSayed, S., Grogan, J. F., Hajj Hussein, I., Lerchenfeldt, S., & Mohiyeddini, C. (2022). Teaching in uncertain times: Expanding the scope of extraneous cognitive load in the cognitive load theory. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 665835. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.665835

PEER FEEDBACK:

• Summarize the feedback you received; be objective – try to avoid your personal thoughts and judgments here, that’s for the next section.
• (2-3 paragraphs)

Reflect and Refine

TEAM REFLECTION:

• Reflect on the prototype, peer feedback, and your learning process. Address:
  • What worked well?
  • What would you change?
  • What revisions you included in your revised prototype.
  • What issues were raised, and how would you address them?
  • Strengths and limitations of this type of multimedia for learning.
  • Connect your responses to the academic literature, include references.
  • (4–6 paragraphs).

INDIVIDUAL REFLECTIONS:

• Each team member should write a paragraph about their own contributions and those of their teammates. Keep it constructive and positive, while offering suggestions for improvement.