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People who eat more fruits and vegetables are happier

A new study finds that a better mood may be just two servings away.
By Jessica Scott-Reid
Woman eating green apple
Photo, Masterfile.

A new study out of Australia, published in the American Journal of Public Health this month, surveyed 12,000 adults who kept food journals between 2007 and 2013. Researchers found that participants who increased their fruit and veg consumption to eight servings per day (7 to 8 is Canada Food Guide's daily serving recommendation) from an average of three to four servings previously, over a two-year period, experienced an increase in happiness equivalent to that of finding a new job.

Eight servings a day may sound daunting, but the study's co-author, Andrew Oswald, told Reuters Health that adding even two portions a day would lead to a better mood. Maybe this is why so many women laugh while they eat salad?

More:
A quick guide to summer fruits and vegetables
The world's best chocolate comes from ... Canada?!
Everyone's got yellow fever for turmeric

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