Intake of raw fruits and vegetables Is associated with better mental health than Intake of processed fruits and vegetables

Brookie and her colleagues (2018) surveyed young adults living in New Zealand and the United States to compare consuming raw fruits and vegetables with eating processed (cooked/canned) fruits and vegetables in their relationships with mental health. The 422 participants (aged 18-25) disclosed their diets, and revealed their negative and positive mental health experiences (depressive symptoms, anxiety, negative mood, positive mood, life satisfaction, and flourishing). While controlling for covariates (socio-economic status, body mass index, sleep, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol use), raw fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) was found to predict reduced depressive symptoms and higher positive mood, life satisfaction, and flourishing, while processed FVI only predicted higher positive mood. The top 10 raw foods related to better mental health were carrots, bananas, apples, dark leafy greens like spinach, grapefruit, lettuce, citrus fruits, fresh berries, cucumber, and kiwifruit. These findings support the recommendation of raw fruits and vegetables consumption in order to optimize mental health benefits. [NPID: sugar, processed food, mental health, fruit, vegetables, depression, anxiety, life satisfaction, FV intake, carrots, bananas, apples, dark leafy greens, grapefruit, lettuce, citrus, berries, cucumber, kiwi]

Year: 2018

Reference: Brookie, K. L., Best, G. I., & Conner, T. S. (2018). Intake of Raw Fruits and Vegetables Is Associated With Better Mental Health Than Intake of Processed Fruits and Vegetables. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 487. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00487