Alert People! Eating raw fruits and vegetables improve physical and mental health
Eating raw fruit and vegetables are always good for health. The new research says that the raw vegetables contain more nutrients. The reason is once you cook, it contains oil by which all the nutrition present in the vegetable diminishes.
Fruits and vegetables such as kiwis, bananas, apples, dark leafy greens, cucumber, and carrots may lower symptoms of depression and improve mental health, more than cooked, canned and processed food, say researchers.
The new study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, says eating raw fruits and vegetables such as cucumber, carrots, spinach, apples, and bananas helps to reduce mental illness and improves the level of psychological well-being. Cooked or processed fruit and vegetables are not as healthy as compared to raw.
Eating raw fruits and vegetables also provides a positive mental effect on mood and healthy lifestyle.
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A survey of more than 400 individuals from 18 to 25 years hails from New Zealand and the United States was conducted by the researchers from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. The survey revealed that this age group proves to have the lowest consumption of fruit and veg on average.
"Our research has highlighted that the consumption of fruit and vegetables in their 'unmodified' state is more strongly associated with better mental health compared to cooked/canned/processed fruit and vegetables," said lead author Tamlin Conner, senior lecturer at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.
However, when the fruits and vegetables are cooked, canned and processed, they lose their mental health benefits as the process potentially diminishes the nutrient levels, Conner noted.
"Cooking and processing likely limits the delivery of nutrients that are essential for optimal emotional functioning," Conner said.
For the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, more than 400 young adults from New Zealand and the United States aged 18 to 25 years were surveyed.
"This research is increasingly vital as lifestyle approaches such as dietary change may provide an accessible, safe and adjuvant approach to improving mental health," Conner said.
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First published: 18 April 2018, 11:18 IST