Fruit and Vegetables Shown to Improve Children’s Mental Health

A recently published study out of the UK indicates a link between children’s mental health and the consumption of fruit and vegetables. The research, published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, shows that the surveyed schoolchildren who consumed five or more portions of fruit and vegetables daily had the highest scores in tests that measured their mental well-being. Other factors that might impact mental well-being, such as adverse childhood experiences and difficult home situations, were factored in to the results.

The research team, from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norfolk, studied data from about 9,000 children in 50 schools in Norfolk in 2017. Children self-reported their food selections and were then questioned on various well-being criteria including mood, stress level, and social relationships.

According to Dr. Richard Hayhoe from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, “We found that eating well was associated with better mental well-being in children.” This was especially true of secondary-school children whose diet was rich in fruits and vegetables.

It was found that only a quarter of secondary-school children and 28% of primary-school children reported eating the recommended five servings a day of fruits and vegetables and almost one in ten children were eating no fruit and vegetables.

Breakfast choices were also examined, and it was revealed that children who ate a traditional breakfast had better mental well-being scores than those who consumed only a snack or a drink. Children who consumed energy drinks for breakfast scored even lower than those who consumed no breakfast.

The data showed that diet and nutrition had an equal or greater impact on well-being than unsettled home life.

According to lead researcher Professor Ailsa Welch, also from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, “While the links between nutrition and physical health are well understood, until now not much has been known about whether nutrition plays a part in children’s emotional well-being.”

She said the data show that public health strategies and school policies should be developed to ensure that good-quality nutrition is available to all children before and during school.