Nutritional Psychology: Bridging Brain, Body, and Behavior is a new 2-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that explores the relationship between food and mood, and how lifestyle factors influence mental health outcomes.
Nutritional psychology is an emerging interdisciplinary field that examines the dynamic relationship between dietary patterns, nutrient status, and mental health outcomes. This course introduces the foundational principles of nutritional psychology, emphasizing the bidirectional relationship between nutrition, neurobiology, and psychological functioning.
Historically, mental health care has focused primarily on psychotherapy and pharmacologic interventions; however, growing evidence demonstrates that diet quality, nutrient availability, gut microbiota, and metabolic health significantly influence mood regulation, cognitive function, and stress resilience. Key biological mechanisms underlying this relationship include neurotransmitter synthesis, immune signaling, endocrine regulation through the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, and communication along the microbiota–gut–brain axis.
Current research highlights several nutritional factors associated with mental health outcomes, including whole-diet interventions such as Mediterranean-style dietary patterns, omega-3 fatty acids, micronutrient sufficiency, and the impact of ultra-processed food consumption. Additionally, hormonal balance, macronutrient distribution, and micronutrient cofactors play critical roles in the synthesis and regulation of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, glutamate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Chronic stress, inflammation, gut dysbiosis, and trauma-related dysregulation of the HPA axis further complicate the relationship between diet and psychological well-being.
Through a biopsychosocial lens, this course also explores how lifestyle factors — including sleep, movement, hydration, and social connection — interact with nutrition to influence mental health outcomes. Clinical case studies illustrate how chronic trauma, dietary insufficiency, medication use, and physiological dysregulation converge to affect both psychological and physical health. Collectively, the evidence supports integrating nutritional assessment and intervention into mental health care as an adjunctive, individualized approach. Nutritional psychology therefore offers a promising framework for bridging brain, body, and behavior while expanding collaborative care models aimed at improving both mental and physical health outcomes.
Course Outline:
- Introduction
- Section 1: Nutrition and Mental Health
- Section 2: Neurotransmitters and Mood
- Section 3: Macronutrients and Mood
- Section 4: Micronutrients and Mood
- Section 5: Trauma-Informed Nutritional Psychology
- Section 6: Ethical Collaborative Care
- Conclusion
Course #21-66 | 2026 | 15 posttest questions | Mobile-Friendly
Professional Development Resources, a small Florida nonprofit educational corporation 501(c)(3) organized in 1992, is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for all programs and content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB #1046, ACE Program); the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA #AAUM); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Prior Approval Program); the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling, Board of Psychology, Office of School Psychology, Board of Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology, Board of Occupational Therapy, and Dietetics and Nutrition Practice Council; the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0145), State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135) and marriage and family therapists (#MFT-0100), and the State Board for Social Workers as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers (#SW-0664); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage & Family Therapists (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 – completions are reported next business day, currently reporting for 50+ boards). Learn more about us.
Target Audience: Psychologists, School Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists (MFTs), Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), Occupational Therapists (OTs), Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs), and Teachers
Enjoy 20% off all online continuing education (CE/CEU) courses @pdresources.org! Click here for details.