Fresh fruits and vegetables – especially organic – are the pinnacle of a healthy diet. This is no secret. However, a new study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology has found a connection between fruits and veggies and leading a fuller, more meaningful life.
On the purpose of their study, the authors wrote: “Our aim was to determine whether eating fruit and vegetables (FV) is associated with other markers of well-being beyond happiness and life satisfaction. Towards this aim, we tested whether FV consumption is associated with greater eudaemonic well-being – a state of flourishing characterized by feelings of engagement, meaning, and purpose in life.”
For the experiment, the researches recruited 405 young adults, with an average age just under 20, to track their food choices each day for 13 days using an online diary. The diary kept track of how many servings of fruits and vegetables the participants ate, as well as how many snack foods and sugary foods they consumed.
Participants were also asked to answer questions each day regarding their overall positive or negative feelings, as well as questions designed to measure their levels of creativity and curiosity. According to the researchers, creativity and curiosity are two primary behaviors associated with eudaemonic well-being.
Upon analyzing the results, the researchers found: “Young adults who ate more FV reported higher average eudaemonic well-being, more intense feelings of curiosity, and greater creativity compared with young adults who ate less FV. On days when young adults ate more FV, they reported greater eudaemonic well-being, curiosity, and creativity compared with days when they ate less FV.”
Furthermore, they concluded: “Although these patterns are strictly correlational, this study provides the first evidence that FV consumption may be related to a broader range of well-being states that signal human flourishing in early adulthood.”
One significant finding of the study is that the amount of fruits and veggies that the participants ate in a given day affected how curious, creative and overall positive they felt. This underscores the necessity of including these foods onto our plates as often as possible, and certainly every day.
It has been scientifically studied for some time that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables can help one live a longer, healthier life, and that fruits and vegetables contain nutrients and antioxidants which can help protect against many forms of illness. Now, with this new study, it seems that not only can they help us to live longer, fruits and vegetables may truly help us to thrive.
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/16/broccoli-happiness_n_5682092.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjhp.12113/abstract
https://www.thealternativedaily.com/health-secrets-people-live-100-beyond
