Nutrition and Wellbeing

In Professor Julia Rucklidge’s wellbeing series, you’ll learn how to boost and enhance the different aspects of hauora (health) through psychology, lifestyle changes and the nutritional interventions explored in this course.

We all know there’s a relationship between what we eat and how we feel, but what does the science show us?

Explore the relationship between nutrition and wellbeing, and investigate the research-backed strategies that have been proven to maintain and improve our wellbeing.

Developed by clinical psychologist Julia Rucklidge (director of the UC Mental Health and Nutrition Research Lab), you'll explore the important role that wholefoods rich in micronutrients play in maintaining mental and physical wellbeing through the latest nutrition and wellbeing research.

Please note: UC Online has a minimum enrolment threshold that must be met to enable opportunities for interaction, discussion, and feedback. If the minimum number of enrolments required for a course is not met, enrolled students will be given the option to defer their enrolment to the next course date, or receive a refund. 

The information in this course is intended for general education purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek advice on diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions from your doctor or other registered healthcare professional.

There are no prerequisites for this course. It's for anyone interested in understanding the current research on nutrition and wellbeing.

It will help you understand how to improve your own wellbeing and the wellbeing of those in your care. 

Technology Requirements
We recommend a laptop or desktop computer and a reliable internet connection. For most courses you'll need to download and populate assignments. These are usually available in Microsoft Word.

Course fees
Course fees must be paid before learning can begin, either via online credit-card payment, or by contacting info@uconline.ac.nz to request an invoice. Please note: fixed invoice payment dates apply, so we recommend getting in touch with us as soon as possible to request an invoice, as this option is subject to availability.

Our courses are flexible, enabling you to plan your study around your other commitments. You can choose to study when it suits you during the learning period (29 January – 1 April, with a one-week study break from 26 February - 3 March), followed by a 2-week review period for marking and feedback (2 – 15 April).

We recommend completing around 6 hours of study a week during the learning period (excluding the study break) – you can view the course overview here for more details on assessment timings. 

Module 1: Introduction to nutrition and wellbeing
Discover the importance of nutrition and how it promotes positive mental health.

Module 2: Diet in the 21st century
Identify the differences between whole foods, slightly processed foods, and ultra-processed foods. 

Module 3: Feeding wellbeing
Uncover how simple nutritional changes can improve your mental health. 

Module 4: Research on diet and wellbeing
Understand the research on nutrition and wellbeing and discuss your findings.

Module 5: Improving wellbeing through diet
Implement the knowledge you've gained on micronutrients and the benefits of a wholefoods diet. 

• 5 Module Quizzes = 25% (5% for each quiz)
• 4 Forum Activities = 25% (6.25% for each activity)
• 2 Reports: food diary analysis, meal action plan, and report = 50% (25% for each report) 

Upon successful completion of the course you will be issued a digital badge to recognise your learning achievements. This can take up to 2 months to be delivered after the marking and feedback period.  

Professor Julia Rucklidge

Professor | Clinical Psychology

Julia Rucklidge is in the School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing at the University of Canterbury. She's the Director of Te Puna Toiora, the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Lab.

Over the last twenty years, Julia has become well known for her research investigating the interaction between nutrition and mental health and has published over a hundred empirical papers.

Julia has received numerous local and international awards and is frequently featured in the media discussing her work. Her TEDx talk, The surprisingly dramatic role of nutrition in mental health has been viewed over 4.7 million times.

She also co-authored the 2021 book, The Better Brain: Overcome Anxiety, Combat Depression, and Reduce ADHD and Stress with Nutrition.

Having seen conventional treatments fail so many, Julia is passionate about helping people find alternative treatments for psychiatric symptoms. By translating her research into practice, she hopes to help make nutritional interventions mainstream.

Please note: our instructors develop and present video content within their courses, but are not always the course facilitator. The course facilitator will engage with learners in the course forums, answer queries and mark assignments.