We are happy to present and discuss our research for companies, schools, and non-profit associations. We provide all workshops in English and Dutch. We only ask for a reimbursement of the speaker's travel costs. 

 

Here are some examples of workshops we offer but do not hesitate to contact us with other requests. 

 

Not Everyone Can Shoot A Bison: Why The World Will Fall Apart If We Don't Eat together (By Prof. Dr. Charlotte De Backer) 

 

Anthropologists have known it for some time: those who eat together belong together, those who do not share what is served are not part of it. Food is inherently connected to who we are, and we pay too little attention to it. In this lecture, we go over why food nourishes our body and our identity and social relationships. We analyze why cooking is love, and dieting is miserable, also for our environment. We consider what often makes 'eating together' difficult; lack of time, busy and very different agendas, or other wishes and demands of all those who sit at the table together. And, together, we examine whether and how we want or need to adjust our eating behavior. We also consider whether we can correct others for what they do or do not eat. With this lecture, Charlotte De Backer hopes to make her public more aware of the impact of our diet on our social behavior. It is a plea to eat together more often and to be gentle with ourselves and others at the table. 

 

"Niet Iedereen Kan Een Bizon Schieten" is a Dutch book on this theme, published by Uitgeverij Manteau. We can offer the books during the lecture at a discounted rate. For more information about this book, see: https://www.nietiedereenkaneenbizonschieten.com

 

 

At the table with Darwin: what we can learn from evolutionary biology and psychology about our eating behavior (By Prof. Dr. Charlotte De Backer or Dra. Katrien Maldoy) 

 

We like sweet, salty and fat. Children usually spontaneously reach for candy, chips, or fries. And as an adult, it is often difficult to resist these "temptations." Our strong preference for high-calorie food can be explained by evolution: it was very beneficial for our ancestors to eat it every time high-calorie food was available. Food was scarce for most of our human existence, and something like "I see high-calorie food --> I want to eat this --> I eat this" was very beneficial. Today, this kind of behavior often causes obesity. In an environment where food is not scarce, such behavior can be detrimental. And yet we do it. In this workshop, we look at our eating behavior from an evolutionary psychological perspective. Not only our 'lust' for certain foods is determined by evolution, but other behavior also has a biological basis and can also explain why we eat what we eat. For example, we often associate our urge for status and social behavior (automatically) with high-calorie foods and generous feasts. But what happens if we put healthier options on the map in this way too? The more we know what determines our (eating) behavior, the better we can understand why we do what we do, and the better equipped we are to do it perhaps differently. 

 

 

Influence, abundance, over-fed? Why we look through various media at what others cook and eat (By Prof. dr. Charlotte De Backer or Dra. Isabelle Cuykx, Dra. Paulien Decorte or Dra. Lauranna Teunissen) 

 

Since ancient times, we have been sharing recipes: first via stone, later via the print and audiovisual press, and today many voices can be heard via social media. We have never communicated so often and so much about nutrition as we do today. As a result, what you eat is perhaps much less of your own choice than you think. The role that various media play in influencing what you eat is not always so clear. How do media influence our eating behavior? Why is food such a hot item, and does it lead people to participate in many hypes? Why are national and international celebrity chefs, famous people, and even unknown social media influencers successful? These are a few questions that we will discussed during this lecture, and to which we will try to find an answer together afterwards.