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The research was carried out by the University of Leeds and led by Neel Ocean, a research fellow in behavioural economics. The result shows that consuming more fruits and vegetables boosts physical and mental wellbeing.
To build on past research that suggested a link between diet and mental health, the scientists analysed data from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey collected between 2010 and 2017.
This survey is made up of information on both fruit and vegetable consumption, as well as mental wellbeing, for around 50,000 people. Participants were asked how many portions of fresh produce they usually eat in a day or week.
A portion was defined as a piece of fruit, a cup – or fist-sized amount – of raw vegetables or half a cup of cooked vegetables. To determine their mental-health statuses, the participants completed The General Health Questionnaire, which asked about their happiness levels, self worth and any anxiety.
Results revealed a person’s mental health improves in proportion to the amount of fruit and vegetables they eat each day. And eating just one extra portion of berries, greens or salad boosts mental wellbeing by the same amount as walking for an additional ten minutes for seven days over four weeks.
Exercise has repeatedly been linked to a happier mood in past studies. The study also suggested going from eating lots of fresh produce to cutting your consumption by five portions a day causes the same emotional distress as being diagnosed with a chronic condition.
Despite the emotional benefits of eating lots of fresh produce, the results further revealed that 78 per cent of the participants consumed fewer than the recommended five-a-day. Although those who earned high salaries were the most likely to get their five-a-day, poor fruit and vegetable consumption was observed across participants’ of all incomes.