Food pleasure, altered eating and well-being (Seminar, Gala Theatre Durham, 14th September 2016)

Research Summary: Altered Eating and Food Pleasure in Chronic Illness

Event Type: Academic seminar on food pleasure, sensory experience, and eating difficulties in long-term illness

Primary Focus: Resources for Living project examining head and neck cancer survivors with altered eating capacity and loss of taste pleasure

Key Research Areas: Science of deliciousness, flavor perception, assessment and management of eating burden, interdisciplinary approaches to culinary innovation and health

Evidence Base: Moderate — NIHR-funded empirical research with survivor collaboration and mixed-methods evaluation of policy interventions

Mechanism: Collaborative research-practice partnership bridging sensory science, health psychology, and social entrepreneurship to restore eating pleasure and well-being

Target Population: Individuals with chronic eating difficulties, head and neck cancer survivors, healthcare professionals, and researchers in food and health

Event Details: 14 September 2016, 13:00–15:00, Gala Theatre & Cinema, Durham; free admission with advance reservation

Organizers: Durham University Special Interest Group on Culinary Innovation, the Senses and Health; co-sponsored by Centre for Public Policy and Health and Centre for Medical Humanities

Eating is undoubtedly one of life’s great pleasures. Yet it is denied many people living with long-term eating difficulties as a result of illness, treatment or life-course transitions. This seminar reports on new research on “altered eating”, and the ‘science of deliciousness’.

The seminar will include audience participation to examine flavour and taste. Via film and discussion, the audience will also explore findings from a National Institute for Health Research-funded project, Resources for Living. The project focuses on survivors of head and neck cancer living with altered eating, who experience some of the most complex eating difficulties of all patient groups. For the Resources for Living research, survivors collaborated with researchers to develop a new way of assessing and managing the loss of pleasure, and burden, of eating.

The seminar marks the first step in expanding the scope of the project’s findings to other groups. It will be of interest to those with chronic eating difficulties or people working with them, and to anyone interested in why food, flavour and deliciousness matter to health and well-being.

Presenters include:

Professor Barry C. Smith: Masterchef supertaster, Director of the Institute of Philosophy (IP), and founder of the Centre for the Study of the Senses (CenSes)
Dr Vincent Deary: Author of How To Live, How We Are. A health psychologist who explores the power of habit and the difficulty of change
Dr Duika L.Burges Watson: Lecturer in the Evaluation of Policy Interventions, Principal Investigator on the RfPB/NIHR Resources for Living project and social entrepreneur
Mrs Val Bryant: Lead survivor participant on the Resources for Living project
Mr Sam Storey: Research Chef on the Resources for Living project, and collaborator on the North East’s Eat! Festival and Festival of Thrift
Mr Mike Mould: Founder of the Bruvvers Community Theatre Company and Lime Street Studios, and survivor of head and neck cancer

This event takes place on 14th September 2016, 13:00 to 15:00, Gala Theatre & Cinema, Durham. It is free of charge, but please reserve your place.

This seminar is organised by the Durham University Special Interest Group on Culinary Innovation, the Senses and Health and co-sponsored by the Centre for Public Policy and Health and Centre for Medical Humanities.