Imagine increasing your happiness, vitality and motivation in just two weeks by making one small tweak to your diet. What if this one small change could completely revolutionize your mind and body? And the best part is, it’s so ridiculously simple that it takes very little effort. There are no strict dietary guidelines to follow or strange foods to purchase. You don’t have to give anything up. In fact, you’ll actually get to eat more. The secret? Eating more fruit and vegetables.
You’ve heard this advice before, but have you ever stuck to it? It’s amazing how much this one small change can impact your physical and mental health. In fact, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Otago revealed that this one small dietary tweak has a significant and fast-acting impact on your mental well-being.
In the study, participants who ate more fresh produce daily experienced an improvement in their psychological well-being in just two weeks. More specifically, people who received just two extra servings of fruit and vegetables per day had increased vitality, felt more motivated and felt like they were flourishing in a short 14 days. Sounds great, right?
The power of intervention
The only people who experienced these benefits in the study were those who were physically handed two extra servings of fruit and vegetables each day: the researchers called this a “fruit and vegetable intervention.” Some participants received text message reminders and even vouchers to buy more fruits and vegetables, but they didn’t experience the same benefits because they didn’t follow through.
When it comes to eating more fruits and vegetables, most people don’t: a 2015 report published by the CDC stated that 87 percent of Americans don’t meet the daily recommended intake for fruit and 91 percent don’t meet the recommended intake for vegetables. That means most Americans are in dire need of a fruit and vegetable intervention – and maybe you’re one of them.
Leading your own intervention
You probably don’t have a team of researchers available to hand you a bag of fresh produce every day, so you’re going to have to step up and lead your own intervention. This means eating at least five to nine servings of fruit and vegetables per day. For women, that’s roughly 2 to 2.5 cups of vegetables and 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit per day. For men, it’s about 2.5 to 3 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit.
If you don’t trust yourself to follow through with your intervention, make a deal with a friend, family member or colleague to join you. Commit to bringing each other a serving of fruit or vegetable every day. This not only helps promote accountability, but it can also be fun to share new types of produce with one another.
Utilize fresh and local options
With spring quickly approaching, consider joining a local CSA (community supported agriculture) program. In a CSA, you purchase a share of fruit and vegetables from a farm at the beginning of the season, and they deliver a fresh box of produce to you weekly. This is a great way to kick-start your fruit and vegetable intervention while also supporting local farmers and increasing your health, happiness and vitality all at the same time!
More benefits than you think
In addition to improving your mental health, there are numerous other benefits to regularly consuming more fruits and vegetables. For one, they are full of antioxidants and vitamins which help support immune function, reducing the risk of chronic disease. They also contain fiber, which promotes healthy digestion and weight management. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables may also help to lower cholesterol levels, control blood sugar levels, and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
By choosing to consume more fruits and vegetables as part of your 14-day challenge, you may reap incredible physical and mental health benefits in a relatively short amount of time. So, what are you waiting for? Start your intervention today and work towards transforming your mind and body with the help of something as simple as fruits and vegetables!
Do you have any tips or suggestions on how to effectively lead a fruit and vegetable intervention? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
