Food and Mood: Improving Mental Health Through Diet and Nutrition

Explore the science behind nutrition and mental health to understand the link between your mood and what you eat with this online course from Deakin University.

Duration

3 weeks

Weekly study

3 hours

100% online

How it works

Unlimited subscription

Learn more

Established

1974

Location

Melbourne, Australia

World ranking

Source: QS World University Rankings 2021

Learn how healthy dietary choices can improve your mental and brain health

Poor diet and poor mental health are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. We now know that diet quality is a modifiable factor that is linked to mental and brain health across all stages of our lives.

We will explore how our daily diets may affect our mental and brain health, including the role of our immune system and gut microbiome.

The course will provide research evidence, practical examples, skills development, and collaboration on dietary intake assessment, strategies and resource sharing for dietary change.

  • Week 1

    Diet and nutrition in mental and brain health

    • Welcome to Food and Mood

      Meet your teaching team and learning community before self-evaluating what you already know about diet, nutrition, brain and mental health.

    • Defining diet and mental health

      Understand what constitutes and determines diet, nutrition and mental health.

    • Why we eat what we eat

      Investigate the factors that influence what we eat and the guidelines and assessments used to define and understand diet.

    • Weekly wrap up

      Let’s look at what we’ve learned about food and mood this week.

  • Week 2

    Understanding the mechanisms

    • Welcome to Week 2

      Investigate common diet facts and fictions and how they affect mental health.

    • Mechanisms of action

      Discover how inflammation and gut microbiota can affect mental and brain health.

    • Dietary intake and gut health: what is the evidence?

      Explore whether food or supplements are better for a healthy gut, and how to make an informative choice.

    • Weekly wrap up

      Let’s look at what we’ve learned about food and mood this week.

  • Week 3

    Changing the diet to manage mental health

    • Welcome to Week 3

      Explore the latest evidence that supports mental health improvements using diet.

    • Modified Mediterranean diet for mental and brain health

      Discover the type of diet that has been proven to improve mental health.

    • Planning and implementing dietary change

      Take the steps to create lasting, positive and meaningful change to diet.

    • Course wrap up

      Let’s look at what we’ve learned about food and mood this week and say goodbye.

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