LONDON (Dispatches) -- New research from the University of East Anglia has investigated the association between fruit and vegetable intakes, breakfast and lunch choices, and mental wellbeing in UK school children.
The study reports how eating more fruit and veg is linked with better wellbeing among secondary school pupils in particular. And children who consumed five or more portions of fruit and veg a day had the highest scores for mental wellbeing.
The research team looked at the association between nutritional factors and mental wellbeing and took into account other factors that might have an impact -- such as adverse childhood experiences and home situations.
Children involved in the study self-reported their dietary choices and took part in age-appropriate tests of mental wellbeing that covered cheerfulness, relaxation, and having good interpersonal relationships.
Dr Richard Hayhoe from UEA’s Norwich Medical School said they found that eating well was associated with better mental wellbeing in children. And that among secondary school children in particular, there was a really strong link between eating a nutritious diet, packed with fruit and vegetables, and having better mental wellbeing.