Nutrition-Mental Health Survey 2026
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Official Recognition

CNP Featured in the APA Monitor

The Center for Nutritional Psychology (CNP) was recently featured in the American Psychological Association’s Monitor on Psychology in an article exploring the growing evidence linking nutrition and mental health. The article highlights CNP’s work in developing the emerging field of nutritional psychology and advancing research on how dietary patterns influence psychological well-being.

Read the Feature Full Article on APA

"We are what we eat"

"We are what we eat"

In a significant milestone for the field, the American Psychological Association (APA) has featured the Center for Nutritional Psychology (CNP) in their coverage of nutrition’s role in mental health. The article highlights CNP’s pivotal role in establishing the academic infrastructure necessary to bridge nutrition and psychology.

"The CNP is using this extensive review to develop assessment tools for trained nutritional psychology professionals in clinical, educational, and research settings."

— Excerpt from APA's official feature

Healthy diets rich in whole foods support better mental health, while ultra-processed foods are linked to depression and poor outcomes. Researchers and clinicians are increasingly integrating nutrition into mental health care, showing that dietary changes can improve conditions like depression and ADHD.

Contextual Links

Access the specialized tools and scientific frameworks recognized by the APA as leading the charge in nutritional psychology.

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CNP Encyclopedia

The definitive database of terminology defining the critical intersection of nutrient intake and psychological health.

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Research Library

The definitive database of terminology defining the critical intersection of nutrient intake and psychological health.

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Methodological Framework

The definitive database of terminology defining the critical intersection of nutrient intake and psychological health.

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Scope and Salary

Explore career pathways in nutritional psychology, including role scope, work settings, salary expectations, and opportunities for growth in this emerging field.

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Educational Programs & Certifications

Professional curriculum including the APA-approved continuing education sponsors for psychologists and clinicians.

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Join the Movement

Be at the forefront of the mental health revolution. Whether you are a clinician, researcher, or student, there is a place for you in the nutritional psychology community.

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Advancing the science together

This recognition by the APA validates the hard work of our contributors and researchers. Join us as we continue to redefine mental health through the lens of nutrition.

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What the APA Monitor Article Highlights

  • The emerging field of nutritional psychology
  • Research connecting dietary patterns and mental health
  • The role of the gut microbiome in psychological functioning
  • CNP’s research library and methodological framework
  • Educational programs training professionals in nutritional psychology

Frequently Asked Questions

The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and one of the most influential psychological organizations in the world. Through its publications, research initiatives, and educational standards, the APA plays a major role in advancing psychological science and professional practice globally.

The Monitor on Psychology is the American Psychological Association’s flagship magazine, distributed to psychologists, researchers, educators, and mental health professionals worldwide. It highlights emerging research, trends, and developments shaping the field of psychology.

The APA Monitor article explores the growing body of research linking nutrition and mental health. The Center for Nutritional Psychology (CNP) was featured for its work advancing the emerging field of nutritional psychology, including its research initiatives, methodological frameworks, educational programs, and resources that integrate psychological and nutritional sciences.

Nutritional psychology is a scientific field that examines how dietary patterns, nutrients, and food-related behaviors influence mental health, cognition, emotional well-being, and psychological functioning. It integrates insights from psychology, nutrition science, neuroscience, and behavioral health.

The Center for Nutritional Psychology (CNP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing the scientific discipline of nutritional psychology. CNP works to systematically integrate the psychological and nutritional sciences through research synthesis, educational programs, methodological frameworks, and professional training.

The Nutritional Psychology Research Library is an extensive database curated by CNP that identifies, reviews, summarizes, and catalogs scientific publications exploring the relationship between nutrition, dietary patterns, and mental health.

Research increasingly shows that diet can influence mental health through multiple biological and psychological pathways, including neurotransmitter production, inflammation, gut microbiome activity, metabolic health, and behavioral patterns related to eating.

Mental health disorders are a growing global challenge. Understanding how dietary patterns affect brain function, emotional regulation, and psychological well-being can help clinicians, researchers, and policymakers develop more effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Yes. The Center for Nutritional Psychology offers online educational programs and continuing education courses designed to help mental health professionals, nutrition professionals, and researchers better understand the connections between nutrition and psychological functioning.

You can read the full article in the American Psychological Association’s Monitor on Psychology here:
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2026/03/nutrition-food-mental-health