Even if the link is not obvious, what we eat directly impacts our psychological well-being. This is also true for children.
- It is recommended to eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day.
- Children should be offered new foods regularly, even if they don’t want them at first.
Children who eat five fruits and vegetables daily have better mental health than others. This is the result of a new study published in BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health.
9,000 British children
The researchers studied the diets of 9,000 British children, who studied in 50 different schools. Of the students selected, 7,570 were in secondary school and 1,253 in primary school. “We found that eating well was associated with greater psychological well-being in children. And that among secondary school students in particular, there is a very strong link between a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and better mental health, said Dr Richard Hayhoe, of UEA’s Norwich Medical School.
Breakfast is also important for the mind
Including just one daily serving of fruits and vegetables in a child’s diet is enough to improve their psychological well-being; when we respect the recommended daily intake of 5 fruits and vegetables per day, the improvement in the mental health of the little ones is even more marked.
Scientists have also shown that breakfast also has a particularly strong impact on the mental health of young people. “Children who ate a traditional breakfast felt better than those who only had a snack or drink in the morning”continues Dr. Richard Hayhoe. “High school students who drank energy drinks for breakfast had particularly low mental well-being scores, even lower than those of children who ate no breakfast at all,” he points out.
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