Nutritional Psychology: Bridging Brain, Body, and Behavior
Jennifer Champion, DCN, CNS, CN, CD, LDN
$29.00
Course Abstract
Nutritional Psychology: Bridging Brain, Body, and Behavior is a 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
Learning Objectives
- Evaluate six concepts linking nutrition and mental health
- List five neurotransmitters and describe how they affect mood
- Explain what macronutrients are and how they impact psychological functioning
- Investigate ten micronutrients and their role in mental well-being
- Analyze the interplay of food, trauma, and emotional eating in mental health stability
- Demonstrate how to ethically collaborate to provide cohesive care of the body and mind
Course Directions
This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. The course is text-based (reading) and the CE test is open-book (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).
Successful completion of this course involves passing an online test (80% required, 3 chances to take) and we ask that you also complete a brief course evaluation.
About the Author(s)
Jennifer Champion, DCN, CNS, CN, CD, LDN : Find out More
Jennifer Champion, DCN, CNS, CN, CD, LDN, is a clinical nutritionist, educator, and founder of NeoGenesis Nutrition, an integrative nutrition and mental health practice based in University Place, Washington. With licensure in multiple states and board certification as a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS), Dr. Champion specializes in complex chronic conditions including hormonal imbalances, metabolic dysfunction, gastrointestinal disorders, autoimmunity, and mental health. Her clinical approach integrates functional and evidence-based nutrition with mental health counseling principles to address the interconnected relationship between the brain, body, and behavior.
Dr. Champion is deeply committed to advancing the field of nutritional psychology and interdisciplinary healthcare. She teaches and develops curriculum for graduate and doctoral programs, helping train the next generation of nutrition professionals to practice with both scientific rigor and compassionate, whole-person care. Her work emphasizes the importance of nervous system regulation, body trust, and sustainable lifestyle practices in achieving long-term health outcomes.
In addition to her clinical and academic work, Dr. Champion collaborates with other healthcare providers to create integrative care models that bridge nutrition, psychology, and lifestyle medicine. Through NeoGenesis Nutrition, she leads a multidisciplinary team dedicated to helping individuals restore health, resilience, and vitality through personalized, evidence-based nutrition care.
Disclosure
Financial: Receives author compensation from Professional Development Resources, Inc.
Nonfinancial: No relevant nonfinancial relationships exist.
CE Information
Counseling
Professional Development Resources (PDR) has been approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5590. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. PDR is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Professional Development Resources is also approved as a provider of online (home study) continuing education by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#50-1635); the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135 - Note: New York counselors will receive 3 continuing education credits for completing this self-study course); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage & Family Therapists (#193); and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 – completions are reported next business day, currently reporting for 50+ boards).
Marriage and Family Therapy
Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for this program and its 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 Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#50-1635); the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists (#MFT-0100 - Note: New York MFTs will receive 3 continuing education credit(s) for completing this self-study course); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage & Family Therapists (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists (#114); and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 – completions are reported next business day, currently reporting for 50+ boards).
Psychology
Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the Florida Board of Psychology (50-1635); the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of self-study continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0145); and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 – completions are reported next business day, currently reporting for 50+ boards).
School Psychology
Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the Florida Office of School Psychology (50-1635); the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0145); and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 – completions are reported next business day, currently reporting for 50+ boards).
Social Work
Professional Development Resources, #1046, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 6/12/2025 - 6/12/2028. Social workers completing this course receive 2 clinical continuing education credits. ACE format: Reading-based asynchronous distance learning.
Professional Development Resources is also approved by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#BAP346); the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers (#SW-0664 - Note: New York social workers will receive 2 continuing education credit(s) for completing this self-study course); the Texas 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).
Teaching
Professional Development Resources 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 Provider #1046, ACE Program); the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#BAP346), Board of Psychology, and Office of School Psychology; 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).
Customer Testimonials
I've been a dietitian for over 20 years and still learned quite a bit of new information. The course is pretty detailed/technical in the macro/micro sections, but the author brings it all together in the final two sections. Very well written, interesting, and a good reminder that we can better serve our clients when we work together. :)
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