Eating Fruits and Veggies Can Boost Your Mood
Everyone knows an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but scientists are now
claiming that a couple apples a day might keep you smiling all day. It comes as
no surprise that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables promotes a healthy body, but
a recent study from the University of Warwick, England and the University of
Queensland, Australia finds that eating fruits and vegetables also contributes to
one’s personal happiness.
This is the first study of its kind to look at the short-term psychological effects of
food rather than its long-term physical effects.The study looked at 12,000
patients through the examination of their thorough food diaries, which also
documented their mental wellness, during 2007, 2009, and 2013.
The diaries revealed that for each added serving of fruits and vegetables—up to
8 portions per day—the subject’s mood was boosted. The improvement in
happiness in some cases was equivalent to that of an individual who has gone
from unemployment to employment.
"Eating fruit and vegetables apparently boosts our happiness far more quickly
than it improves human health. People's motivation to eat healthy food is
weakened by the fact that physical-health benefits, such as protecting against
cancer, accrue decades later. However, well-being improvements from
increased consumption of fruit and vegetables are closer to immediate."
Researchers are hopeful that the outcomes of this study will be more effective
in persuading individuals to consume healthier diets because there is a
potentially immediate, psychological payoff. Scientists believe that there is
further research surrounding these findings that needs to be done in order to
better understand how fruits and vegetables improve one’s mood.
