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Multisensory dining course offered autumn 2022 explores brain and food relationship

Do you eat with your eyes? How does your brain decide what makes one food more appetizing than another?  University of Washington students interested in these questions can explore this topic in autumn 2022 by registering for NUTR 341: Exploration of Multisensory Dining.

In this advanced course, offered through the University of Washington Nutritional Sciences Program, you will critically evaluate, through the study of research and practical applications, the multisensory relationship between our brain and the food we consume. 

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Course Information

About the Course

In the course, you will:

  • Discuss the effect that our senses have on our perception and enjoyment of food.
  • Evaluate how many aspects of dining shape how dietary choices can provide pleasure, disgust, incongruity, nourishment, and satisfaction. 
  • Understand food plating including the nuances of how plate color, food texture, and cutlery have on appetite and satiety.
  • Learn how the ambiance of the dining experience can be altered and individualized for unique culinary experiences. 

The course, taught by Anne-Marie Gloster, also examines the language used by the food industry, chefs, food scientists, and marketers to entice eaters into groomed consumption. Upon completion of the course students may never look at the food on their plate the same way again.

About the Instructor

Anne-Marie Gloster

This course is taught by Anne-Marie Gloster, a core faculty member and assistant teaching professor in the Nutritional Sciences Program and Department of Epidemiology in the University of Washington School of Public Health. Gloster teaches courses in Nutrition and Health, Nutrition Education, and Culinary Nutrition Science. She enjoys meeting local food enthusiasts and exploring the rich and diverse culinary cultures of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

More about the instructor

May 5, 2022