News

Each year, UC Davis Give Day brings our community together to invest in the people and programs shaping our future. 

This Give Day, the Department of Nutrition invites our community to support the Litov Research & Mentoring Excellence Fund, a fund that honors our commitment to transforming lives through nutrition discovery and education.

Packaged foods offer convenience for families and individuals, but they can be a major source of saturated fat, sodium and added sugars, which when consumed in excess contribute to chronic disease. To help people build healthier diets, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed a new front-of-package nutrition label in January 2025 that would inform consumers about the presence of these nutrients.

Congratulations to Dr. Reina Engle-Stone for being named a 2025-2026 Chancellor's Fellow! This recognition is given each year to early career academics doing exemplary work. We celebrate her leadership and lasting contributions to global nutrition and public health!

Reina Engle-Stone, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Associate Nutritionist in the Agricultural Experiment Station in the Department of Nutrition, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

From the classroom to the broader community, Debbie Fetter, Ph.D., makes nutrition science approachable, inclusive and practical. In recognition of this impact earned, the UC Davis associate professor of teaching has been awarded a "Let’s Eat Healthy Leadership Award" from Dairy Council of California.

March is National Nutrition Month®, a campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to highlight the importance of making informed food choices and developing healthy eating and physical activity habits. This year, we’re celebrating by spotlighting the incredible faculty members in our department who hold the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) credential. Their expertise spans clinical care, community nutrition, research, and education to advance evidence-based practice while mentoring the next generation of nutrition professionals.
 

Researchers with the UC Davis Department of Nutrition and the Western Human Nutrition Research Center on campus work together to advance long-term wellbeing in our communities. 

They conduct human clinical trials in areas like precision nutrition and metabolic research to better understand how foods, nutrients and other components affect our health and wellness. With funding support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health, this work delivers real benefits to everyday lives.

Take a look at some of our work in action.

Congratulations to UC Davis Clinical Nutrition student, Zoe Vejar!

Zoe has been selected as a 2026 Student Ambassador for the Almond Board of California.

Student Ambassadors will gain firsthand exposure to the professional food innovation industry while inspiring peers and creating engaging content. The program highlights almonds as a powerhouse ingredient and showcases their versatility in modern food and beverage innovation. 

The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans were published on January 7, 2026. These Guidelines are the latest version of dietary guidelines released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) every five years. The purpose of these guidelines is to outline updated federal recommendations that influence nutrition policy, public health programs, research, and education nationwide.

Before college, I knew very little about nutrition and its significance. Over time, I came to see nutrition as the foundation of health, more than just what we eat but a powerful factor influencing our well-being and the prevention of long-term disease. Food is deeply connected to holistic health, which is something I am passionate about.

As a fourth-year nutrition major at UC Davis, I often reflect on how much I’ve grown, both academically and personally since starting this program. My journey began by choosing the Clinical Nutrition major at UC Davis.