Online course in Psychology & Mental Health

Food for Thought: The Relationship Between Food, Gut and Brain

The gut and brain are very closely linked. Explore how neurology, the microbiome and more interact to affect health.

Food for Thought: The Relationship Between Food, Gut and Brain

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  • Duration 5 weeks
  • Weekly study 4 hours
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Find out how your diet affects your brain, and your brain affects your diet

Please note this course runs without facilitation

Over the last few years, the importance of the link between gut and brain has become clear. On this course you’ll explore this complex relationship.

You’ll learn how the brain works, and is affected by diet and nutritional deficiencies. You’ll also discover less known, cutting-edge subjects such as the gut-brain axis, the microbiome, and the relationship between food and reproductive health.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 1 second[music] Do you know how food affects our body and mind? And how our emotions, and thoughts, affect the way we eat? In Food for Thought, we will touch both psychological topics, such as emotional eating, And biological ones, such as the relationship between our brain and the microbiome In the course you will find videos, videos, articles and quizzes That will help you understand the relationships between areas that could seem unconnected So, how does the food affect our mind, brain and body? Join us, and we will discover it together! [music]

What topics will you cover?

The course focuses on the relationship between food, brain and mind:

  • How does the brain work?
  • How do emotions and thoughts affect our food choices?
  • How do diets and nutritional deficiencies affect our brain?
  • Reward systems and their relationship with food
  • The link between the microbiome and brain

When would you like to start?

Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts. Find out more

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Explain the role of our diet on brain function
  • Reflect on the role of psychological and neurobiological factors in our food choices
  • Reflect on the possible causes (biological, social, psychological) of unhealthy and pathological eating behaviours
  • Describe the connection between the brain and our digestive system (gut)
  • Discuss the topics of the course and their relationship with daily life

Who is the course for?

This course is open to everyone, but may be of particular interest to psychologists or people working in health and well-being. No previous experience is required, though a background knowledge of biology or psychology may help.

The course team won’t be available to answer questions or respond to your comments during this course. However, we encourage you to interact and support each other by posting your thoughts and comments and sharing your knowledge with other learners

Who will you learn with?

Alessandro Cicerale

Alessandro Cicerale

I am a research fellow and lecturer at the University of Torino, Italy. My research activities include neuroimaging of eating disorders and neurostimulation with therapeutic and rehabilitative goals.

Monika M. Kaczmarek

Monika M. Kaczmarek

I am a professor at the Institute of Animal Reproduction & Food Research Polish Academy of Sciences in Poland. I am interested in molecular aspects of reproduction, including diet-mediated programming

Nanette Stroebele-Benschop

Nanette Stroebele-Benschop

I am a professor and lecturer for nutritional psychology at the University of Hohenheim in Germany. I am interested in the psychological aspects of our eating and consumer behavior.

Who developed the course?

EIT Food

EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, with the aim to create a sustainable and future-proof food sector.

University of Turin

The University of Turin is one of the largest and most prestigious Italian universities, with about 70,000 students, 4,000 employees, and 1,800 research fellows, encompassing all academic sectors.

European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)

This activity has received funding from EIT Food, the innovation community on Food of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the EU, under the Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

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