I spent my spring semester last year in the Netherlands, at the University of Wageningen (WUR). The town of Wageningen is very small, and is essentially made up by the student population base. However, I thought that the university was outstanding, and would highly recommend it to anyone studying food in any capacity.

While there, I took Globalization and Sustainability of Food Production, Lifestyles and Consumption, Organic Agriculture and Society and The Psychobiology of Food Choice and Eating Behaviour. I do not yet know what these courses will transfer back as, but when I do, I will post what UBC accredits them as in the comments for anyone interested!

The Psychobiology of Food Choice and Eating Behaviour was by far my favourite, perhaps partially because I haven’t looked at food through such a lens before. We focused on topics such as physiological signals of satiety, food reward and hedonic Eating, the role of context on food choice, and food choice across the lifespan.

I am not only interested in how our food choices affect the environment, but also how they affect us personally, both mentally and physically. My term project for the course was about the “Milkshake Study”, as it is known – a study that showed that what we think about our food actually affects biochemical changes and markers in our bodies when we consume it. The placebo affect is of course nothing new, but it was a groundbreaking study in the field of nutrition, where so often things are black and white – calories in, calories out. If I were to continue my studies, I would consider a masters in food through either a sociological or psychological lens, or perhaps a combination of both. I am hoping to live and work in Europe for a while once I have completed my undergraduate degree here at UBC, and intend to look into the options offered both at WUR and elsewhere.

I was very happy to have had the chance to study abroad, and would urge anyone that is interested to apply and go!