Eating junk like candy or potato chips can leave you feeling
depressed, low, and unhappy, according to a few recent studies. But a team from
the University of Otago wondered whether eating fruit and vegetables might have
the opposite effect. To find out, they asked 280 adults to keep a daily journal
of what they ate and how they felt for 3 weeks.
The
results: The average study participant ate 1.7 cups of fruit and vegetables
each day. But on days when people ate more than that, their self-reported
positive affect (defined as feeling calm, content, cheerful, and energetic ) increased
roughly 3 percent per additional serving, the study shows. And that’s
not all: Those good feelings tended to linger throughout the following day,
says study author Tamlin Conner, Ph.D., a professor of health psychology at
Otago.
There
are a few possible explanations for this: Studies have tied several vitamins
and antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables (including folate and
flavonols) to improved mood, Conner explains. “These foods also contain complex
carbohydrates, which may increase concentrations of brain serotonin,” she adds.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter research that’s been linked to feelings of
well-being and happiness.
Not
enough evidence for you? Consider this: Eating 7 to 8 cups of fruit and
vegetables each day more than offsets the negative feelings associated with
unemployment, according to a similar study of 80,000 Brits conducted by
Dartmouth and U.K. researchers. That study also found those who ate 5+ cups of
fruits and vegetables daily were 27 percent happier and more satisfied with
their lives than people who ate less than 1 serving per day.
The
takeaway is obvious: Just eat more of the good stuff, Conner advises. Try to
consume at least 5 cups of fruit and vegetables each day, avoid chips and
corn-based snacks, and you should feel a hell of a lot better than the average.
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