The role of vegetables in promoting good health are well-known, but they may also promote good moods too.
A researcher at Dartmouth College, along with a pair of British researchers, observed the eating habits of 80,000 Britons and found that mental well-being — reported satisfaction with life on a scale of one to 10 — rose in conjunction with each serving of produce consumed daily (http://wapo.st/TNyIXn).
Those who ate eight or more servings of vegetables daily rated themselves 0.27 points happier on average than those who ate fewer servings, according to the study.
The study suggests the relationship held true when the researchers controlled for factors such as education and income, according to a Washington Post article, and research has found similar results in the U.S.
The researchers point out that the cause and effect is not clear-cut: Does eating vegetables make people happy? Or do happy people just happen to eat more vegetables?
While the study is not definitive, it’s another in the already long (and constantly growing) rank of studies that strongly suggest a link between consuming five or more daily servings of fresh produce and good health.
While “superfood” fads come and go with the latest study the consumer media latches onto, this much is clear: Every item in the produce aisle can play role in improving people’s physical well-being — and maybe even bring them happiness.
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