• Deakin University
  • Food and Mood logo

Food and Mood: Improving Mental Health Through Diet and Nutrition

Explore the relationship between nutrition and brain health, why it matters, and how to work towards positive food changes.

90,400 enrolled on this course

Selection of healthy food. Clean eating concept. Cooking ingredients with fish, superfood, vegetables, artichokes, brussel sprouts, fruits, legumes and blueberries.

Food and Mood: Improving Mental Health Through Diet and Nutrition

90,400 enrolled on this course

  • 3 weeks

  • 3 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Open level

Find out more about how to join this course

  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours
  • 100% online

    How it works
  • Unlimited subscription

    $244.99 for a whole yearLearn more

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.

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Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Diet and nutrition in mental and brain health

    • Woman in hijab eating dinner with family at table

      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.

    • Female student studying and listening to music at home

      Defining diet and mental health

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

    • Woman preparing food for her street food business

      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.

    • Girl in cozy hooded pyjamas, eating raspberries off her fingers

      Weekly wrap up

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

  • Week 2

    Understanding the mechanisms

    • Afro senior man business owner / employee at supermarket

      Welcome to Week 2

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

    • Male stomachache or Gastroenterologists / Concept with Healthcare And Medicine.

      Mechanisms of action

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

    • Affectionate African American father and daughter hugging and cooking in kitchen

      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.

    • School children having lunch together outside the building

      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

    • Toddler feeding mom sandwich outdoors

      Welcome to Week 3

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

    • Man cooking in kitchen

      Modified Mediterranean diet for mental and brain health

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

    • Serious natural plus-size woman with double chin standing at kitchen counter and cooking fresh salad, she being on diet

      Planning and implementing dietary change

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

    • Funny pinaple kittens

      Course wrap up

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

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Describe the relationship between diet/nutrition, and mental and brain health
  • Explain why diet and nutrition are important for mental and brain health.
  • Explore the principles and strategies of dietary change.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone with an interest, or with experience of, good or bad mental health.

This is an introductory course which might be of interest to healthcare practitioners working with people with mental and brain health issues or in roles related to diet, nutrition and mental and brain health education.

Who will you learn with?

Tetyana  Rocks

Dr Tetyana Rocks is Senior Research Fellow and Head of Education & Training at the Food & Mood Centre, Deakin University. Tetyana is Accredited Practicing Dietitian passionate about public health.

Felice Jacka

Professor Felice Jacka is Director of the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University, and President of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research

Who developed the course?

Deakin University

Deakin University

Deakin University is one of Australia’s largest universities with more than 61,000 students and over 15,000 online.

  • Established

    1974
  • Location

    Melbourne, Australia
  • World ranking

    Top 280Source: QS World University Rankings 2021
Food and Mood logo

Food & Mood Centre

The Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University is a world-leading, multi-disciplinary research centre that aims to understand the complex ways in which what we eat influences our brain, mood, and mental health.

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$109/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 26 Feb 2025

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

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