Eat smart, live better

Nutrition as a key to well-being

Registration

Registration takes place via RWTHonline and is possible from 15 March 2026 to 6 April 2026. Further information on the registration process can be found in the FAQs.

All students can register for one course. You can specify two preferences. To do so, please use the ‘high’ priority and the one directly below it. For instructions, please click here. If you have not been allocated a place at the end of the allocation process and are still interested in participating in a course, please contact sibel.yildirim@ipw.rwth-aachen.de.

(If you have any problems with registration, please contact Ms Sibel Yildirim (IPW) at sibel.yildirim@ipw.rwth-aachen.de, stating your matriculation number. If you have any general questions about the course, please contact the person listed below.)

We welcome your questions and comments. You can contact us here! (The ‘Leonardo’ project is also on Facebook and Instagram).

Academic Responsibility

Institut und Lehr- und Forschungsgebiet Biochemie und Molekulare Immunologie, UKA 

Teaching and research area: Technology and Diversity, RWTH Aachen

Contact Person

Schedulue

Start

21.04.2026

Zeit

Tuesday, 18:30 – 20:00 h

Ort

H06, C.A.R.L.

Description

We do it constantly, we do it regularly, and it often dictates our entire daily routine. Yet, even though eating is vital for life, we rarely take the time to truly understand it. Instead, the microwave often rules our everyday lives, while a flood of contradictory nutritional trends in the media leaves us more confused than enlightened.

The connection between what we eat and our health is undeniable. In our event “Eat Smart, Live Better,” we want to take the topic of nutrition out of the niche of calorie charts and examine it in all its complexity.

Together with distinguished experts, we bridge the gap from sociopolitical issues and psychology to biology and medical science. Engaging with our food is challenging but rewarding. We want to explore together how mere food intake can be transformed into true quality of life. We invite you to reflect, discuss, and rediscover the topic of nutrition with knowledge-based fascination.

Our exploration begins with the major political dimensions and the question of what role knowledge and research play for sustainable future nutrition policies, as eating has long ceased to be a purely private matter. Building on this, we examine sociological aspects and the creation of identity: from cultural history to the question of how food creates social belonging. Digitization also plays a role here, as apps and trackers increasingly change our cooking behavior and our understanding of health. Furthermore, we take a look at diversity and highlight the extent to which biological and social differences make nutrition a gender-sensitive topic. Moreover, we focus entirely on the body and its microbiome, to understand why our “trillions of little helpers” in the gut are crucial to our vitality and what health risks lie in chronic malnutrition. Finally, we will review nutrition-related studies and learn to understand and interpret their findings.

We look forward to having you join us on our journey through the world of nutrition.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

    • Analyze sociopolitical dimensions and the challenges of a sustainable and equitable food policy, and develop well-founded personal positions on these issues.
    • Explain sociological and psychological aspects of nutrition (such as identity formation, cultural history, and social belonging) and critically reflect on them in relation to individual and collective action.
    • Evaluate the influence of digitization (apps, trackers, digital tools) on modern nutritional behavior and the contemporary understanding of health.
    • Identify biological and gender-sensitive differences in nutrition and assess the impact of various dietary patterns on individual health.
    • Evaluate medical and scientific publications on the topic of nutrition with regard to their relevance and significance.
    • Explain the medical significance of the microbiome for the immune system and overall vitality, and discuss the possibilities and limits of specifically influencing it through diet.

Program

21.04.2026

Introduction (Aperitif & hors d’ oeuvre)

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Michael Huber & Prof. Dr. Torsten H. Voigt

28.04.2026

tba
Prof. Machteld Simoens

05.05.2026

tba

Prof. Tanja Schneider

12.05.2026

tba
Prof. Stefan Wilde

19.05.2026

A feast with gut microbes: we never eat alone
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Thomas Clavel (RWTH)

26.05..2026

Excursion week (no lectures)

09.06.2026

Beyond steaks and salads—does gender play a role in nutrition and digestion?
Prof. Sabine Oertelt-Prigione

16.06.2026

Degree (Dessert & Digestif)

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Michael Huber & Prof. Dr. Torsten H. Voigt

Procedure/Working method​

Depending on the course of studies, module and examination, credit points can be achieved through participation. If you would like to take an exam, please make sure beforehand how you can get credit for it in your degree program. Of course, you can also take exams without receiving curricular credit for them. Visit our FAQs for more information.

Certificate

0 CP, 2 CP (Protocol with reflection)

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