How many fruit and vegetables do we need to eat every day in order to feel happier? Five-a-day, right? Are you so sure about that?
Over the years, doctors, dieticians, and the department of health promoted the importance of eating at least five fruit and vegetables a day. The concept of five-a-day came from the World Health Organisation, which introduced this simple formula to reduce obesity in the western world.
However, is eating five-a-day only good for our waistline, or does it also have psychological health advantages?
In order to find the answer to this question, a team of health researchers and economists from the University of Warwick, UK, analysed eating habits of approximately 80,000 people and found that whilst eating five-a-day, had an impact on our physical health, it had surprisingly very little impact on our mental health. In fact, the data results indicated that at five-a-day the levels of happiness plateaued and we need to consume more fruit and vegetables for mental health than our physical health.
Balanced diet is important for our mental health. Each negative thought we fight off reduces the level of glucose in our blood. When glucose levels are depleted, we find it harder to control our thoughts, emotions and behaviours. That’s when we metaphorically ‘lose it’. We become aggressive towards others; drink, when we are not supposed to; binge eat; or engage in some inappropriate behaviour. The food we consume affects us and our ability to cope with everyday life, very significantly.
This is why, when assessing how many portions of fruit and vegetables we ought to eat a day for mental, rather than physical health, the researchers found that not five, but as many as seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day were associated with happiness.
When working with people experiencing depression, I always ask the nutrition question. Despite being a psychologist, I appreciate the impact that healthy eating has on our mental health. After all, our brain is part of our body. We can’t expect it to function well, if we don’t provide it with appropriate nutrients, and healthy fuel to keep it going.