Eating More Fruits And Vegetables Each Day Could Increase Happiness Levels Among Humans

The researchers from University Warwick discovered that eating the extra daily portion of fruit and vegetables up to 8 portions each day could heighten the people's happiness levels.

The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health. The research was in collaboration with the University of Queensland in Australia and the University of Warwick in England, according to Science Daily.

The study involved analysis of longitudinal food diaries of 12,385 randomly samples Australian adults over 2007, 2009 and 2013 in the Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia Survey. They discovered that happiness increased incrementally for each extra portion of fruit and vegetables up to eight portions each day. They compared the increase in life satisfaction as similar to moving from unemployment to employment. The well-being improvements happened within 24 months.

Professor Andrew Oswald explained that eating fruit and vegetables apparently boosts people's happiness far more quickly than it improves human health. He further explained that people's motivation to eat healthy food is weakened by the fact that physical health benefits, such as protecting against cancer, build up decades later. On the other hand, well-being improvements from increased eating of fruit and vegetables are closer to immediate.

Dr. Redzo Mujcic, the research fellow at the University of Queensland stated that the results will be more effective than traditional messages in convincing people to have a healthy diet. He further said that there is a psychological payoff now from fruit and vegetables -- not just a lower health risk decades later.

Eating fruits and vegetables could not only make you happier but also beneficial in many ways. These can prevent diseases such as heart disease, cancer and other chronic diseases. They provide nutrients that are essential for the health and maintenance of your body.

Most fruits are low in calories, sodium and fat. Most of them do not have cholesterol. They have nutrients such as Vitamin C, dietary fiber, potassium and folate (folic acid).

Likewise, vegetables have nutrients that include vitamin A, E, C, potassium, folate (folic acid) and fiber. Super foods such as broccoli, tomatoes, garlic and spinach have more additional nutrients and benefits.