The Center for

Nutritional Psychology

A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization developing the field of NP.
CE/CPE now credits available for mental health & nutrition professionals!
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CNP LIBRARY MEMBERSHIP

Home of the world’s first online searchable database
consolidating research in the diet-mental health relationship
Learn more here.

Our vision

A nutritional component to mental healthcare by 2030

CNP’s vision for the future of mental healthcare is a one that includes the role of diet in supporting mental health. CNP is working to fill the void in our current mental healthcare model by consolidating research, developing curriculum, and creating a methodology through which we can view the diet mental health relationship.

 

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THE CENTER FOR NUTRITIONAL PSYCHOLOGY AT A GLANCE

Developing the field of nutritional psychology since 2005.

CNP-WRITTEN SUMMARIES

RESEARCH STUDY LINKS

RESEARCH CATEGORIES

2030

A NUTRITIONAL COMPONENT TO MENTAL HEALTHCARE

Mission

Poor diet is already understood to be a major contributor to disease and mortality, and is also now being examined in its role in mental health. Studies from around the globe demonstrate this diet-mental health relationship (DMHR) and while many individuals have some awareness of how the foods they eat affect the way they feel, some remain confused, and still others need proof that such a relationship exists.

CNP’s mission is to serve as an online resource providing awareness of the DMHR, advocating for the development of the field and its implementation into the mental health care system, and providing resources, education and tools for professionals and individuals.

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Curriculum for students in the mental health and nutrition professions

We are developing a university-level curriculum in nutritional psychology for inclusion in the psychological and allied health-related sciences. NP 110: Introduction to Nutritional Psychology Methods is the first course in this curriculum, and will be the foundation for a future Certification in Nutritional Psychology. Enrollment for NP 110 is open now! Learn more.

CNP’s mission includes preparing mental health professionals to recognize the nutritional component that diet can play in impacting a client’s mental health. NP combines evidence-based findings on the diet-mental health relationship with psycho-nutritional tools to expand cognitive, behavioral, and perceptual skills that support positive mental health dietary choices.

If you are a professional with formal training in both mental health and nutrition and wish to be involved in the development of NP curriculum, please contact us!

Do you want to see NP courses and programs offered in colleges and universities? Take two minutes to complete an Advocacy Form and lend your voice to the nutritional psychology movement.

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Psychosocial

Examining the role that family, culture, community, society, and socioeconomic status play in determining our dietary intake patterns

Psychological

Examining the relationship between our dietary intake patterns and our feelings, moods, and emotions

Behavioral

Developing an awareness of the relatively predictable dietary behaviors we present in response to consuming a western dietary pattern, i.e., ‘cabinet surfing’ at night

Interoceptive

Developing awareness of the physical and mental sensations we experience in response to our dietary intake patterns (discomfort, pain, irritation, or peace, energy, and calm)

Perceptual

Developing awareness of the physical and mental sensations we experience in response to our dietary intake patterns (discomfort, pain, irritation, or peace, energy, and calm)

Cognitive

Using our mental processes (thinking, problem solving, learning, and creativity) to gain insight into how the food we eat is affecting our mental health.

Supporting Parents and Kids with Innovative Education

What if your children developed skills from a young age to be able to navigate through the western dietary landscape, and build an internalized awareness of how to eat to support and protect their mental health?

It’s not enough anymore to simply say “Eat your broccoli – it’s good for you!” Children’s exposure to the standard western dietary lifestyle becomes first-nature if left unattended. CNP is working to arm young kids with the cognitive, perceptual and behavioral skills to help them make conscious choices that help them in supporting their mood and mental health. Nutritional psychology is not a cure, but it is a piece of the puzzle for developing skills that support physical and mental health.

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NUTRITIONAL PSYCHOLOGY CURRICULUM FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS

Nutritional psychology curriculum in development provides professionals with psycho-educational tools to help their clients develop the cognitive, behavioral, and perceptual skills needed for understanding the effects their dietary intake patterns may be having on their mood, behavior and mental health. NP gives mental health professionals another important piece of the puzzle for supporting their clients’ mental health and well-being by helping them understand how and why they can use food as a tools to improve the way they feel.

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News

CNP keeps you informed with the latest diet-mental health news.

More Evidence Links Ultra-Processed Foods to Health Harms

People who eat lots of ultra-processed foods are more likely to develop heart disease and to die sooner than those who stick with foods in their original form, two large studies conclude.

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Fast Food Makes the Immune System More Aggressive in the Long Term

Unhealthy food seems to make the body's defenses more aggressive in the long term.

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A Closer Look at the Importance of Gut Mechanisms in Depression

The variety of genes in gut bacteria is greater than 100 times the quantity of the human genome.

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Join Our Community

Take steps to develop your understanding of the relationship between diet and mental health. Together, we can build a new model of mental healthcare to include this important piece of the puzzle.

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