Nutritionists and health experts have often emphasised the need of including fresh fruits and vegetables in one's daily diet. Packed with healthy antioxidants, fibres, and vital minerals, fruits and vegetables can benefit physical health immensely and also keep you immune and energised. If the findings of a latest study are to be believed, eating fruits and vegetables may also benefit psychological well-being.
The findings found a positive association between the quantity of fruit and vegetables consumed and people's mental well-being. The participants were made to self-report their mental state; their reports were studied in detail by the researchers.
According to the findings, you do not even need to make any major alterations to your diet. The team said that eating just one extra portion of fruits and vegetables daily could have an equivalent effect on mental well-being as around 8 extra days of walking a month (for at least 10 minutes at a time).
Findings of the study were published in the Journal of Social Science & Medicine. "It's well-established that eating fruit and vegetables can benefit physical health. Recently, newer studies have suggested that it may also benefit psychological well-being," said Peter Howley, lead author of the study.
Explaining the study, Howley said, "Our research builds on previous work in Australia and New Zealand by verifying this relationship using a much bigger sample. The results are clear: people who do eat more fruit and vegetables report a higher level of mental well-being and life satisfaction than those who eat less."
The researchers stressed upon the need of encouraging better dietary habits. Doing so may prove to be beneficial to both physical and mental health of a person.
There are so many different ways in which you can have fruits and vegetables: smoothies, juices, stews, curried preparations, you can also grill some veggies and have them for a light supper.
(With Inputs From ANI)