By: Dr. Kathleen Regan, NDHow Fruits and Vegetables Can Improve Mood and Well-BeingIn the coming decade, more attention will focus on the role of food in brain chemistry. Studies have shown that a higher intake of fruits and vegetables is good for mental health and is associated with a lower incidence of mood disorders and improved well-being. (1) The United Kingdom (UK) leads this research initiative, linking how what we eat influences how we feel. Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables plays an important role in improving mental well-being, with ongoing studies showing a strong relationship between diet and mood.Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables in Diet for Better Mental HealthOne of the more recent studies to come out of the UK looked at the relationship between well-being and the consumption of fruit and vegetables by drawing data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), which includes information collected from 50,000 people between 2009 and 2017. In this ‘Lettuce Be Happy’ study, the authors concluded:Increased fruit & vegetable consumption can enhance mental well-being.Increasing how frequently you consume fruit and vegetables is as important as the overall quantity you consume.The relationship between food and mental health is meaningful across different measures of well-being.This study controlled for many variables, including age, gender, income, employment, etc. and the cause and effect between food and mood was still there! The authors noted that moving from unemployment to employment has an equivalent effect on life satisfaction as increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables by approximately 10.5 portions per day (2).The findings of this study are not unique. A similar study from Australia in 2016 demonstrated that increased fruit and vegetable consumption was ‘predictive of increased happiness, life satisfaction, and well-being’; improvements [...]