On carrots and curiosity: Eating fruit and vegetables is associated with greater flourishing in daily life

Abstract

Objectives. Our aim was to determine whether eating fruit and vegetables (FV) is associated with other markers of well-being beyond happiness and life satisfaction.Towards this aim, we tested whether FV consumption is associated with greater eudaemonic well-being -a state of flourishing characterized by feelings of engagement, meaning, and purpose in life. We also tested associations with two eudaemonic behaviours -curiosity and creativity.Design. Daily diary study across 13 days (micro-longitudinal, correlational design).Methods. A sample of 405 young adults (67% women; mean age 19.9 [SD 1.6] years) completed an Internet daily diary for 13 consecutive days. Each day, participants reported on their consumption of fruit, vegetables, sweets, and chips, as well as their eudaemonic well-being, curiosity, creativity, positive affect (PA), and negative affect. Between-person associations were analysed on aggregated data. Within-person associations were analysed using multilevel models controlling for weekday and weekend patterns.Results. Fruit and vegetables consumption predicted greater eudaemonic well-being, curiosity, and creativity at the between-and within-person levels. Young adults who ate more FV reported higher average eudaemonic well-being, more intense feelings of curiosity, and greater creativity compared with young adults who ate less FV. On days when young adults ate more FV, they reported greater eudaemonic well-being, curiosity, and creativity compared with days when they ate less FV. FV consumption also predicted higher PA, which mostly did not account for the associations between FV and the other well-being variables. Few unhealthy foods (sweets, chips) were related to well-being except that consumption of sweets was associated with greater curiosity and PA at the within-person level. Lagged data analyses showed no carry-over effects of FV consumption onto next-day well-being (or vice versa).Conclusions. Although these patterns are strictly correlational, this study provides the first evidence that FV consumption may be related to a broader range of well-being states that signal human flourishing in early adulthood. Statement of contributionWhat is already known on this subject?There is growing evidence that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables (FV) is related to greater happiness, life satisfaction, and positive affect. These associations are not entirely explained by

Bidirectional relationship of stress and affect with physical activity and healthy eating

“…Also unexpectedly, healthy eating did not relate to subsequent stress/affect. Thus, global/general reports of healthy eating in our study might not reflect a salutogenic behaviour related to stress and affect directly: Previous research suggests that fruits and vegetables (i.e., healthy foods) can increase positive affect and reduce negative affect (Conner et al ., ; White et al ., ) pointing to different patterns depending on the specific type of food. In contrast, other research proposed that eating highly palatable (mostly unhealthy) foods as an emotion regulation strategy can reduce negative affect (e.g., Macht, ).…”

“…Earlier studies explored the reverse relationship mainly for affect changes after the consumption of certain food types, mainly carbohydrates, meaning that people feel better after consumption and reduce their stress level (Christensen & Pettijohn, 2001;Evers, Stok, & de Ridder, 2010;Spring, Chiodo, & Bowen, 1987;Sproesser, Schupp, & Renner, 2014;Taut, Renner, & Baban, 2012). Likewise, fruits and vegetables consumption seems to lead to higher subsequent positive affect (Conner, Brookie, Carr, Mainvil, & Vissers, 2017;Conner, Brookie, Richardson, & Polak, 2015;White, Horwath, & Conner, 2013).…”

Link between healthy lifestyle and psychological well-being in Lithuanian adults aged 45–72: a cross-sectional study

“…1 Well-being especially increases with consumption of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. [10][11][12] However, scientific evidence of an association between PBW and other nutrition habits (meat, fish or sweets) is not clear enough.…”

The Contribution of Food Consumption to Well-Being

“…Eudaimonia is conceptualized as related to realizing one’s full capacity by acting in concert with one’s virtues, strengths, and potential. To examine whether food intake contributed to eudaimonia, in one study young adults recorded their intake (fruits, vegetables, sweets, and chips), their hedonia (positive and negative affect), and their eudaimonia (eudaimonic well-being, curiosity, and creativity) for 13 consecutive days [32]. As reported by other studies, positive affect and consumption of fruits and vegetables were positively correlated.…”