NAMI Ask the Expert: Eating for Better Mental Health OD028

An on-demand video and transcript of the presentation are available here [opens in new tab].

About The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. They are an alliance of more than 650 local Affiliates and 49 State organizations who work in your community to raise awareness and provide support and education to people with mental illness and their loved ones. Through awareness, advocacy and education, NAMI is committed to building stronger communities and a better future for everyone affected by mental illness.

Course Summary

Practice Level: Intermediate

This course, based on the Ask the Expert webinar series by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), synthesizes current evidence at the intersection of nutrition and mental health, translating emerging findings on the gut–brain axis, dietary patterns, and specific nutrients into practical guidance for clinical care. Participants will review the strength of evidence for Mediterranean-style eating patterns, fiber and fermented foods, omega-3 fatty acids, and microbiome-targeted strategies in relation to depressive and anxiety symptoms, as well as data on ultra-processed and high-sugar diets. The course emphasizes clinical decision-making, scope-consistent counseling, and interprofessional collaboration to support patient preferences, culture, safety, and equity. Case vignettes and concrete food-based examples help clinicians integrate nutrition-informed recommendations alongside psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and lifestyle interventions.

The course, with an intended audience of social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors, then presents a translation of  peer-reviewed nutritional psychiatry research into scope-consistent assessment questions, brief counseling strategies, and referral/coordination practices that can be integrated into routine mental health care.

Course Format

This course contains a participant guide, practice test, and on-demand video (with a slide deck of the presentation). When you’re ready, purchase the course by clicking the “Add To Cart” or “Enroll” button. This will let you take the test, complete the course evaluation and receive your certificate for CE credits.

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the gut–brain axis and its clinical relevance to mood and anxiety disorders.
2. Identify dietary patterns and food categories that are associated with improved or worsened mental health outcomes.
3. Describe nutritional strategies that may support mental health as adjunctive care.

Course Syllabus

• Foundations of Nutritional Psychiatry and the Gut–Brain Axis
• Evidence Review: Dietary Patterns, Fiber/Fermented Foods, and Omega-3s
• Risks and Harms: Ultra-Processed Foods and Added Sugars
• Clinical Integration: Screening, Brief Counseling, Culture & Equity, and Referral

Current References

Aslam, H., Lotfaliany, M., So, D., Berding, K., Berk, M., Rocks, T., Hockey, M., Jacka, F. N., Marx, W., Cryan, J. F., & Staudacher, H. M. (2024). Fiber intake and fiber intervention in depression and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies and randomized controlled trials. Nutrition reviews, 82(12), 1678–1695. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuad143[opens in new tab]

Bizzozero-Peroni, B., Martínez-Vizcaíno, V., Fernández-Rodríguez, R., Jiménez-López, E., Núñez de Arenas-Arroyo, S., Saz-Lara, A., Díaz-Goñi, V., & Mesas, A. E. (2025). The impact of the Mediterranean diet on alleviating depressive symptoms in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Nutrition reviews, 83(1), 29–39. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuad176[opens in new tab]

Ezenwaka, C. B., Ikwumere, C. M., Unanam, I. S., & Ogunmuyiwa, Y. A. (2025). The roles of nutrition in mental health: A review. Journal For Family & Society Research, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.66043/jfsr.v4i1.122[opens in new tab]

Grajek, M., Krupa-Kotara, K., Białek-Dratwa, A., Sobczyk, K., Grot, M., Kowalski, O., & Staśkiewicz, W. (2022). Nutrition and mental health: A review of current knowledge about the impact of diet on mental health. Frontiers in nutrition, 9, 943998. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.943998[opens in new tab]

Higgs, S., Aarts, K., Adan, R. A., Buitelaar, J. K., Cirulli, F., Cryan, J. F., … & Dye, L. (2025). Policy actions required to improve nutrition for brain health. Nutrition reviews, 83(3), 586-592. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuae160[opens in new tab]

Moreno, M. A., French, B., & Christakis, D. A. (2025). Adolescent Mental Health Theme Issue—Adolescent Suicide, Eating Disorders, and the Role of Systems in Mental Health. JAMA pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.3798[opens in new tab]

Ogden, C. L., Ansai, N., Fryar, C. D., Wambogo, E. A., & Brody, D. J. (2025). Depression and diet quality, US adolescents and young adults: National health and nutrition examination survey, 2015-March 2020. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 125(2), 247-255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2024.08.007[opens in new tab]

Samuthpongtorn, C., Nguyen, L. H., Okereke, O. I., Wang, D. D., Song, M., Chan, A. T., & Mehta, R. S. (2023). Consumption of Ultraprocessed Food and Risk of Depression. JAMA network open, 6(9), e2334770. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.34770[opens in new tab]

Türk, Ö. P., Tosun, Ö., Dağdelen, S., & Buyuktuncer, Z. (2025). Investigating how eating behavior shapes mental health: A cross-sectional study. Physiology & Behavior, 291, 114798. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114798[opens in new tab]

Zhang, Q., Chen, B., Zhang, J., Dong, J., Ma, J., Zhang, Y., Jin, K., & Lu, J. (2023). Effect of prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics on depression: results from a meta-analysis. BMC psychiatry, 23(1), 477. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04963-x[opens in new tab]

Instructors

Dr. Uma Naidoo is a Harvard trained psychiatrist, Professional Chef and Nutrition Specialist. Her niche work is in Nutritional Psychiatry and she is regarded both nationally and internationally as a medical pioneer in this more newly recognized field.

In her role as a Clinical Scientist, Dr. Naidoo founded and directs the first hospital-based clinical service in Nutritional Psychiatry in the USA. She is the Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) & Director of Nutritional Psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital Academy while serving on the faculty at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Naidoo graduated from the Harvard-Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program in Boston during which she received several awards, some of which included a Junior Investigator Award (American Psychiatric Association), Leadership Development for Physicians and Scientists award (Harvard), as well as being the very first psychiatrist to be awarded the coveted Curtis Prout Scholar in Medical Education. Dr. Naidoo has been asked by The American Psychiatric Association to author the first academic text in Nutritional Psychiatry. In addition, she is the author of “This Is Your Brain On Food.”

Accreditation Approval Statements

CE4Less.com is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CE4Less.com maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

CE4Less.com, provider #1115, 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: 8/8/24-8/8/27.

Social workers completing this course receive 1 clinical continuing education credit.

We are committed to providing our learners with unbiased information. CE4Less never accepts commercial support and our authors have no significant financial or other conflicts of interest pertaining to the material.