Fruits and vegetables, thanks to their nutritional properties, can significantly help us keep our body in a healthy state and protect ourselves from many diseases. But, according to a study by New Zealand scientists, their benefits are not at all limited to a beneficial effect on the immune system - it turns out that the fruits can make us happier, more energetic, calmer and even smarter.
A team of specialists from the Department of Psychology at the University of Otago in New Zealand conducted a study with 280 young people whose task was to fill out a 21-day online nutrition diary. Participants in the control group had to eat a large amount of fruits and vegetables daily for the allotted time. The rest of the people were instructed to stick to their usual junk food.
At the end of the trial period, all participants filled out special questionnaires regarding their well-being before and after the study. After analyzing the information received, the scientists found significant changes in the psychological state of the participants, whose diet was characterized by an abundance of fruits and vegetables. In particular, most people from this group noted that compared with the time preceding the study, they began to feel much more confident, calmer, more balanced and more optimistic. In addition, some of them also noted that the diet helped them increase the speed of various tasks, one way or another related to intellectual activity. As for the participants of the second group who ate junk food, they did not notice any changes in their own well-being.
The next, final stage of the study was to identify how many fruits a person needs to eat daily, in order to fully experience their beneficial effect on their condition. According to experts, the optimal amount of fruits and vegetables to be consumed during the day is 7-8 servings (one serving equals approximately 100 grams).
