Prevention Australia – June – July 2017

JUNE/JULY 2017 PREVENTION 57

Mind

SMART WAYS TO STAY SHARP, CALM AND POSITIVE

Can broccoli make you blissful? Maybe. Recent research by
University of Warwick and the University of Queensland
found that adding fruits and vegetables to our diets provides
a happiness increase that kicks in within 24 months.
Researchers surveyed 12,000 Australians over several years
and found that self-reported satisfaction levels went up with
each daily serving of fruits and vegetables, up to eight a day.
Why? Theories include changes in gut bacteria afecting the
brain, greater production of serotonin, and the fact that
antioxidants encourage optimism. The researchers say the
study shows “There is a psychological payof now from fruit
PHOTOGRAPHY iSTOCKand vegetables – not just a lower health risk decades later.”

Happiness is a

bowl of spinach

Another food that

may help boost

your mood?

Eggs contain

tryptophan, an

amino acid that is

converted into

serotonin.