Online Mental Health and Nutrition Course

Explore the link between nutrition and mental wellness and learn how changes in diet and nutrition can be used as part of intervention for alleviating the symptoms of mental health issues by referring to this course.

Most people think that mental health conditions like anxiety and depression are emotionally-rooted or a result of biochemical imbalance of the brain. However, a growing body of evidence shows that nutrition also plays a contributing role in the development, severity, duration and management of different mental health issues.

Consider this: the brain works non-stop to continuously process thoughts, allow movements, and make other parts of the body work. As such, it requires “fuel” to work effectively, and that is what food is for. Simply put, when a person consumes the right amount and type of food, the brain gains adequate amount of nourishment, enabling it to function well. However, if the brain is deprived of quality nutrition, its function slows down and gets impaired. This can result to noticeable changes in mood, which may eventually lead to the development of mental health problems.

This Online Mental Health and Nutrition course will serve as a good starting point to understand the complex relationship between the food we consume and our mental and emotional state. It will introduce you to various nutrients and help you know their role in the functions of the brain and gut. It will also inform you how foods and diets influence the onset of certain mental illnesses and contribute to their severity. Advice and tips on nutritional changes to improve mood and mental health will also be provided within.

Course Units

Some of the topics that will be discussed in detail within the course include:

• Different Contemporary Diets
• The Link Between Nutrition and Mental Health
• Connecting Brain Function with Diet
• Mineral Depletion and Its Implications on Mental Health
• Effects of Chemical Additives on Our Health
• Mercury Exposure and How It Affects Our Health
• Mental Health and the Onset of Depression
• Understanding Proinflammatory Cytokines and Its Role
• The Link Between Brain and Gut
• Getting to Know Probiotics as Inflammation Controllers
• Indoleamine and Its Effects on Mood
• Determining the Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Mental Health
• Making Sense of Gut and Psychology Syndrome
• Introduction to Schizophrenia and Its Treatments
• Food Allergies and Their Effects on Health
• Effectively Responding to Blood Sugar Levels
• Identifying Eating Disorders and How to Address Them
• Nutrition and Its Impact on General Well-Being
• Linking Nutrition to Depression
• Knowing Your Vitamins and Minerals

Expected Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Gain a solid grounding on the connection between nutrition and mental health
• Understand how certain types of nutrition affect the functions of the brain and gut
• Recognise the benefits good nutrition on mental and emotional well-being
• Identify nutritional culprits that contribute to the onset and severity of some mental health conditions
• Provide better support to people with mental health issues through the inclusion of nutritional changes in their treatment