The field of science encompasses how diet and nutrients affect the human body. While the field of nutrition examines how diet and nutrients impact the health of the human body, it does not provide formalized education or training in the relationship between dietary and nutrient intake and mood, behavior, and psychological processes. There is a wealth of research within the intersection between the fields of Nutrition and Psychology, yet before NP, no formal discipline existed to address the DMHR formally.

The consistent access, availability, and affordability of foods and beverages that promote well-being and prevent and, if needed, treat disease.

Craig, H. C., Sharib, J. R., Ridberg, R., Caldwell, J., Shah-Patel, D., Warner, K., De la Haye, K., Livings, M., Brown, M. C., Chao, C., Habib, M., Cushing-Haugen, K., Nau, C., Schwartz, P., & Mozaffarian, D. (2025). Development and validation of a brief Nutrition Security Screener (NSS) for clinical and public health settings. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.08.017

Barry Popkin’s “Nutrition Transition” concept refers to the large-scale shifts in populations’ diet and physical activity patterns that occur alongside economic and social change—especially the movement away from traditional diets high in whole foods and fiber toward more “Western” diets high in fats, sugars, animal products, and processed foods, with increased sedentary lifestyles. These changes are linked to the global rise in obesity and non-communicable diseases like diabetes and heart disease and are described by Popkin in a five-stage framework that marks the transition from hunter-gatherer diets through periods of famine, receding famine, to current patterns of diet-related health risks, and finally, to potential shifts toward healthier behaviors in response to chronic disease.

Nutritional Neurobiology explores the biological mechanisms connecting nutrition and the nervous system, examining how certain nutrients impact neural processes, neurotransmitter activity, and overall brain health.

Nutritional neuroimmunology is an interdisciplinary research field that aims to comprehend the effects of nutrition on the intricate interactions between the nervous system (neurology) and the immune system (immunology), exploring how dietary factors influence both neurological and immunological functions.

Nutritional neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field that examines the interaction between nutrition and brain function. It explores how dietary choices impact cognitive function, mood, and mental health.

Nutritional Psychology (NP) explores the relationship between nutrition and various psychological processes, including cognition, emotion, behavior, psychosocial functioning, sensory perception, interoception (encompassing both the body and the brain), and mental health. NP is a scientific discipline that studies the bidirectional relationships between nutrition and all psychological processes involving the mind, including cognition, emotions, behavior, psychosocial functioning, sensory perception, interoceptive experience (encompassing both the body and brain), and mental health. Recognizing the multidimensional nature of these relationships, NP examines how nutrition influences psychological processes, how psychological states influence nutrition-related behaviors, and the factors that shape both (Stroebele-Benschop et al., 2025). 

Reference: Stroebele-Benschop, N., Hedrih, V., Behairy, S., Pervaiz, N., & Morphew-Lu, E. (2025). Conceptual framework for Nutritional Psychology as a new field of research. Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 15(8), 1007. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15081007

Nutritional Psychoneuroimmunology is an interdisciplinary field that integrates the study of nutrition, psychology, neurology, and immunology to investigate how dietary factors and nutrients can influence the interactions and communication between the nervous system, the immune system, and psychological processes.

An environment that promotes excessive weight gain and obesity by encouraging unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity. It includes physical, social, and economic factors—such as easy access to high-calorie foods, limited opportunities for exercise, and cultural or societal influences—that increase the risk of obesity by supporting behaviors that lead to increased fat accumulation.

A process that starts in the nose with the stimulation of olfactory sensory neurons and terminates in higher cerebral centers which, when activated, make us consciously aware of an odor (Slotnick, 2009).