Why hello November. 🍁
As we head into the late Fall & Winter, many of us start eating more roasted veggies & soups to get our veggie fix. And that is GREAT. Eating produce is one of the best things we can do for our health. AND… Don’t forget to keep working in some of those RAW fruits & veggies, too! A study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, got me thinking more about the importance of eating a balance of RAW along w/ cooked produce for a mood boost!
STUDY DETAILS
422 young adults completed an online survey that assessed their consumption of raw vs. cooked/canned produce. Results: Raw & cooked produce BOTH improved mood, but the RAW fruits & veggies were even more strongly associated with a better mood and greater life satisfaction.💥
The top 10 raw foods related to better mental health in this study were carrots, bananas, apples, dark leafy greens like spinach, grapefruit, lettuce, citrus fruits, fresh berries, cucumber, and kiwi.
Some fun ideas of how to eat these 10 RAW fruits & veggies. for a mood boost…
🥕 CARROTS: Make a batch of veggie poppers or snack on carrot sticks and peanut butter (my favorite combo).
🍌 BANANAS: Make an anti-inflammatory golden smoothie bowl or snack on banana slices sprinkled w/ hemp seeds & cinnamon.
🍏 APPLES: Add slices to nut butter toast or make natural caramel apples.
🍃 DARK LEAFY GREENS: Top pizza with arugula & lemon after baking.
🍇 GRAPEFRUIT: Snack on grapefruit slices w/ walnuts or pecans and honey.
🥬 LETTUCE: Chop it up for taco & burrito bowls.
🍊 CITRUS FRUITS: Add lemon to hot water and sip in the morning alongside your coffee or snack on orange slices and spicy jerky or pistachios.
🫐 BERRIES: Make a fresh berry trail mix for snacking or dessert.
🥒 CUCUMBER: Add cucumber sticks alongside a sandwich or wrap.
🥝 KIWI: Snack on a kiwi and a handful of almonds.
BOTTOM LINE:
The most important thing is to EAT FRUITS & VEGGIES, raw OR cooked!
And according to THIS new study the ideal target for health/longevity/disease prevention is 5 servings* a day. So eat them daily, any way you can, raw OR cooked.
*General daily target amount = 3 cups veggies (raw or cooked) + 2 cups fruit (raw or cooked).
