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Eat Your Greens to Boost Mental Health

Craving comfort foods? Bypass the chips and reach for the crudités. According to a Washington Post article, research shows that eating your vegetables boosts not only your physical but your mental health.

Not only that, but eating even one more serving of fruit or vegetables a day can lift your mood.

What does the research show?

  • A 2023 study in Britain linker greater consumption of fruits with feelings of relaxation, confidence and energy.
  • In Australia, a 2022 study of over 4,000 women showed that those who ate at least five servings of vegetables a day had a 19% lower risk of depression over a 15 year period. Fruit was even more effective. Four portions of fruit a day amounted to a 25% lower odds of depression.
  • A meta-analysis of 18 studies showed that for every 100 grams of vegetables consumed, the risk of depression dropped by 3 percent.
  • An Australia study of food diaries found that eating more vegetables gave as much of a mental health boost as getting a job after being unemployed.
  • In the United Kingdom, another study found that increasing your daily fruit and vegetable consumption by just one portion provides the same boost to mental well-being as eight days of 10-minute walks.
  • From Ghana to China to Russia to India, studies have shown positive links between eating fruits and vegetables and mental well-being.

“There is definitely growing evidence that high consumption of vegetables and fruits does help mental health, especially anxiety,” says Dr. Uma Naidoo, director of nutritional and lifestyle psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Which came first – the happiness or the veggies?

So how do we know that fruits and vegetables actually boost mental health? What if already happy people just happen to eat veggies?

Randomized control trials have shown that eating our greens actually makes us feel good.

A 2022 study out of Indiana University Bloomington showed that people who received vegetable deliveries – and actually consumed the vegetables, as measured by phytochemicals in their blood – felt happier after eight weeks than they did before, and felt happier than those who did not change their diet.

Another study pointed to almost instantaneous results in improved well being. A 2021 study published in Psychology & Health showed that the more people ate fruits and vegetables any given day, the more they reporting enjoying their experiences the following day. Not only that, but the healthy eating turned into a “virtuous cycle,” where the boost in happiness they experienced caused them to reach for more veggies.

Why do vegetables boost your mood?

Experts credit the “substitution effect” for the lift in mental well-being. Filling up on plant-based foods leaves less room for unhealthy foods.

The “standard American diet is called SAD for a reason,” says Dr. Naidoo. Research shows that eating lots of sweets increases the odds of feeling nervous, panicky or hopeless.

The increase in fiber also leads to a healthier microbiome in the gut, which is linked to better mental health. Research has shown that gut microbes influence depression and anxiety, as the health of your microbiome influences the production of serotonin and regulates inflammation, both of which play a role in mental health.

“We have mountains of evidence now that gut microbes are very good at influencing brain function and mental function,” says Stephen Ilardi, psychologist at the University of Kansas, who researches lifestyle effects on depression.

Phytochemicals, which occur naturally in plants, also have “profound anti-inflammatory effects,” said Ilardi. Studies suggest that “polyphenols, a type of phytochemical found in high amounts in berries, artichokes, onions, spinach, nuts and seeds, could increase concentrations of serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters that help regulate mood and motivation,” the article states. A review of 37 studies conducted in 2020 showed that polyphenols reduce the risk of depression.

So why not give veggies a chance? Substitute that cookie with a carrot and see how you feel.

 

Zaraska, Marta. “Want to improve your mental health? Eat your greens.” The Washington Post, 23 May 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/05/23/vegetables-fruit-mental-health/.

Photo by Jacopo Maia on Unsplash