Fruit and vegetables are essential for our health. So much so, that not enough fruit is the #4 cause of deteriorating health and death. The top 3? High blood pressure, smoking, and alcohol. There are so many health benefits to eating more plants, but health alone isn’t a good motivator. It never is. Instead of meeting the modest dietary guidelines, most of us fall far short.
Luckily, there’s another incentive to eat your fruits and vegetables: the more you eat, the happier you are. If you've ever been unemployed, do you remember how you felt when you got a job? I don't know about you, but I was ecstatic. That feeling doesn't come easily, but 12,385 Australian adults experienced it after increasing their servings from almost none to 8+ a day.
Another study looked at the eating habits of 80,000 Britons. As their daily servings of fruit and veggies increased, so did their mental wellbeing. The magic number for peak happiness was 7 servings per day, which only 10% of participants reached. Sadly, 25% ate only 1 serving per day, at most.
So what counts as a serving? Let’s keep it reaaal simple: as much as you can fit in your hand. It could be 1 banana, 1/2 cup of berries, a huge fistful of spinach... you get the idea. Your hands help with serving control – the bigger they are, the more you get to eat.
Struggling to fit enough plants into your day? Check out my Happy Green Smoothie recipe. With 7 servings of fruit and veggies, you’ll be well on your way to peak happiness.