Friday, 04/17/2026
Health
Could fruit and veg boost happiness?
Update: 30/07/2016
Based on national surveys in Australia, the study\r\nteam linked increases in fruit and vegetable servings per day to rising\r\nhappiness over two years.
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With the addition of eight portions of fruit and veg\r\ndaily, the change in wellbeing was about equivalent to going from unemployment\r\nto a job, researchers report in American Journal of Public Health.
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“I found the apparent power of fruits and vegetables\r\nextremely surprising,†said co-author Andrew Oswald, who studies economics and\r\nbehavioral sciences at the University of Warwick in Coventry, UK.
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Since working on the study, he’s added about three\r\nextra portions of produce a day to his own diet.
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“I'm up to about 7 portions now,†he told Reuters\r\nHealth by email.
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He and his colleagues speculate that people might be\r\nmotivated to eat more plants if they believe there’s a short-term reward, in\r\naddition to the long-term benefits.
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To explore the relationship between eating fruits\r\nand vegetables and overall wellbeing, the researchers analyzed data on more\r\nthan 12,000 adult survey participants from Australian households.
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Participants had kept food diaries between 2007 and\r\n2013 and answered survey questions about their lives and their mental and\r\nemotional health.
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Within a two year period, the study team found,\r\nparticipants who changed from eating almost no fruits and vegetables a day to\r\neight portions a day reported feeling happier and more satisfied than those who\r\ndidn’t add more portions.
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Those who increased their fruit and vegetable\r\nportions from zero per day to eight scored an increase on a complex point scale\r\nin “life-satisfaction†that was the emotional equivalent to finding a new job.\r\nWhile those who didn’t increase their fruit and vegetable portions experienced\r\na drop in happiness score over the same period that was about equivalent to\r\nlosing a job.
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“Of course, very few people would ever go from\r\neating zero fruits and vegetables to 8 portions a day,†Oswald said.
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However, adding even two portions a day would give\r\nyou a quarter of the happiness effect, so that would still be a large gain in\r\nhappiness, he added.
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Happiness benefits were detected for each extra\r\ndaily portion of fruits and vegetables up to eight portions a day.
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The researchers adjusted for changes in employment\r\nstatus and other life circumstances that could also affect happiness, as well\r\nas dietary intake. Still, the study cannot prove that boosting produce in the\r\ndiet improved wellbeing.
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Mary Jo Kreitzer, who was not involved with the\r\nstudy, urged caution in interpreting the findings.
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“It’s not only fruits and vegetables that can give\r\nyou short-term health benefits,†said Kreitzer, director of the University of\r\nMinnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing in Minneapolis.
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“Changing your salt or sugar intake in your diet can\r\nhave short and long-term benefits, not only in emotional health, but in\r\nphysical too,†she said.
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For Kreitzer, providing research evidence on this\r\ntopic is great, but it’s not enough.
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“To get people to change what they eat, we need to\r\nprovide them with more access to healthy foods and information on how to cook\r\nand prepare healthy foods,†she said.
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Still, the study is a reminder that it’s important\r\nto pay attention to what you eat.
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“Be more present when you’re eating so you can taste\r\nand enjoy your food, particularly fruits and vegetables, which can be very\r\ntasteful,†she said.
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“To me, if people are more mindful when they eat,\r\nthat actually could produce more happiness and satisfaction.â€
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SOURCE: bit.ly/29DSuo4 American Journal of Public\r\nHealth, August 2016.
LINDA THRASYBULE - Reuters