Eating up to eight portions a day raises our sense of satisfaction, well-being and happiness as much as finding work when we’ve been unemployed.
It can take up to two years before the full benefits kick in, however, say researchers from the University of Warwick. That’s still quicker than the speed the diet impacts on our health, which can take decades to achieve.
Happiness increases for each extra portion of fruit and vegetables a person eats every day. However, the limit seems to be eight portions; in other words, eating more than that doesn’t improve your happiness further.
Not surprisingly, people who hadn’t been eating any fruit or vegetables beforehand experienced the greatest boost to their happiness, and it was the equivalent of finding work after being unemployed, the researchers estimated.
They had measured the wellbeing of 12,385 volunteers who kept food diaries and assessed their happiness and life satisfaction over a six-year period.
(Source: University of Warwick)
