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Cognitive Performance
The measurable efficiency of mental processes — attention, memory, executive function, processing speed — as shaped by diet, nutrient status, and eating behaviors. What makes it nutritional psychology is treating…
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Encyclopedia of Nutritional Psychology
Explore clear, research-informed definitions of key concepts connecting nutrition, mental health, behavior, and psychological well-being.
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About the ENP
A trusted guide to nutritional psychology terminology
Nutritional psychology examines how dietary patterns, nutrients, food-related behaviors, and psychological factors interact with mental health and well-being. Launched by the Center for Nutritional Psychology in 2024, the Encyclopedia of Nutritional Psychology defines the terms, mechanisms, processes, and research areas shaping this growing field.
Created for students, educators, researchers, healthcare professionals, and curious readers, the ENP includes hundreds of clear, research-informed entries. Content is written and regularly updated by contributors across relevant scientific disciplines, with new entries and major revisions reviewed by the CNP Encyclopedia Editorial Board before publication.
The encyclopedia helps readers understand terminology and foundational concepts. For deeper exploration of the studies behind those concepts, visit the Nutritional Psychology Research Library .
Encyclopedia entries
Select a term to read its definition and supporting context.
Cognitive Performance
Brain and Cognition
Cognitive performance is how sharply we focus, remember, and make decisions on an ordinary day — often while tired, stressed, or short on time. Nutritional psychology looks at both directions: how what we eat shapes these abilities, and how these abilities shape what we eat.
Cognitive Reserve
Cognitive reserve is the brain’s capacity to resist the effects of aging or neurological damage by efficiently reorganizing its neural networks or using alternative neural networks to achieve desired cognitive…
Cognitive Resilience
Cognitive resilience is the brain's ability to adapt and recover from cognitive challenges, stress, or aging while maintaining normal cognitive function. It reflects the capacity to withstand cognitive decline or…
Colony-Forming Unit (CFU)
In microbiology, a Colony-Forming Unit (CFU) determines the concentration of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes in a sample.
COM-B Model
Behavior Change Models
The COM-B Model explains behavior through the interaction of capability, opportunity, and motivation. In nutritional psychology, it helps identify the personal, social, and environmental factors that shape eating behavior and dietary change.
Comfort Foods
Comfort foods are familiar and emotionally satisfying dishes that provide a sense of psychological comfort in times of stress or distress. They are not necessarily chosen for their nutritional value…
Commensal Microorganism
Commensal Microorganism is a group of beneficial organisms that live in harmony within the human gut and carry out various functions, from digesting complex dietary fibers and producing essential vitamins…
Commensal Relationship
A commensal relationship is an organism-to-organism relationship in which one species benefits from the presence of another species in terms of food or other benefits without harming or benefiting the…
Comparative Abundance
Comparative abundance is a metric that allows us to investigate different microbial populations by comparing the relative quantities of two or more species. While isolating and quantifying each bacterial strain…
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Academic oversight
Editorial Board
Meet the editors and subject specialists supporting the Encyclopedia of Nutritional Psychology.
Executive and Associate Editors
Co-Principal Editors
Ephi Morphew-Lu
The Center for Nutritional Psychology
Shereen Behairy
The Center for Nutritional Psychology
Associate Editors
Nabila Pervaiz
The Center for Nutritional Psychology
Technical Support
Tahir Yasin
The Center for Nutritional Psychology
Subject Editors
Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Child Psychology
Dr. Vishruti Patel, PsyD
Clinical Psychology
Psychology
Dr. Vladimir Hedrih, PhD
University of Niš, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology
Nutritional Immunology
Dr. Emilia Vassiloupoulou, PhD, BSc
Department of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, International Hellenic University, 57400 Thessaloniki, Greece and Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy
Nutrition and Dietetics
Eileen Santana RD, CDN
The Center for Nutritional Psychology
