The Center for Nutritional Psychology (CNP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization dedicated to defining, developing, and advancing the interdisciplinary field of Nutritional Psychology (NP). Nutritional Psychology is the scientific study of the interrelationship between dietary intake and all aspects of psychological functioning, processes, and experiences. The field seeks to foster positive and lasting change within the mental healthcare system by recognizing the essential role of nutrition in psychological well-being.

CNP advocates for the inclusion of nutritional component within mental healthcare. The organization maintains that mental health professionals and nutrition professionals should possess formal, evidence-based training in the diet-mental health relationship (DMHR). This knowledge should be recognized as a foundational concept within higher education and professional training programs across psychology, nutrition, and related disciplines.

Founded in 2015 by M. Ephimia Morphew-Lu (Ephi) and Dr. Amanda Hull, CNP serves as a leading global educational resource provide mental health professionals, dietitians, health coaches, physicians, researchers, educators, students, parents, and the general public with access to evidence-based research, interdisciplinary language, university-level educational materials, and clinical tools in Nutritional Psychology.

CNP Logo Field Development At-A-Glance.

“When you step into an intersection of fields, disciplines, or cultures, you can combine existing concepts into a large number of extraordinary ideas.”
— Frans Johansson, author

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Do you have skills in a field relevant to NP and want to play a role in its development? Reach out for more information.





    What We Provide...

    1 Advocacy & Adoption

    • Providing an advocacy platform for students, educators, professionals, policy-makers, and other interested individuals
    • Developing the field of study of nutritional psychology
    • Advocating for nutritional psychology's role in healthcare

    2 Provider Education

    • Developing an evidence-based education characterizing the diet-mental health relationship (DMHR)
    • Developing concepts, language, methods and principles that inform the field
    • Developing practice guidelines and standards for certification and licensure

    3 Research Consolidation

    • Developing the infrastructure necessary to house DMHR-related research
    • Identifying, consolidating, and categorizing DMHR-related research
    • Using this infrastructure to inform language, concepts, and methods for use in formal education
    Program timeline

    Who is CNP for?

    CNP serves as an online platform for the development, collaboration, and advancement of the field of nutritional psychology.

    • Mental health professionals wishing to learn psycho-educational tools in the field of nutritional psychology

    • Professionals desiring access to resources in the field of nutritional psychology

    • Researchers and clinicians needing a wider forum for communicating their findings

    • Individuals seeking to understand how dietary intake patterns impact mood, behavior, and mental health

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    CNP is approved for

    Continuing Education for Mental Health and Nutrition Professionals

    CNP Maintains responsibility for this program and its content