The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is the main component of the ventral striatum, a brain region involved in processing motivation, reward, and emotions. It plays a central role in reward-related behaviors—including motivation, reinforcement, and pleasure, by releasing dopamine in response to rewarding stimuli such as food, social interaction, or drugs. As a key structure of the mesolimbic dopamine pathway, the NAc is often called the “pleasure center” of the brain.

A theory of behavior change was proposed in 2009 by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. It applies the principles of behavioral economics to influence human behavior and proposes that every environment has a “choice architecture” that shapes human behavior. This architecture encompasses all external forces that may subtly influence one’s decision in one direction or another. The basic element of this choice architecture is called a nudge.

A term from the self-determination theory, nutriments are conditions or materials humans need to function. Biological nutriments are food and drinks that nourish the body, while psychological conditions that fulfill the basic psychological needs for competence, relatedness, and autonomy represent psychological nutriments.

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