Eating Vegetables Changes Mood - Study

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A study carried out by a small team of researchers found that the consumption of vegetables can influence how we feel about others.

Practitioners of naturopathy and holistic living have often stressed the importance that high quality foods can have on all aspects of life, and now science finally backs this claim. The research shows that adding vegetables to our diets can alter our perception about food, ourselves and the person who prepares the meal. As such, there must be a strong psychological component to eating veggies, the researchers argued.

To test this hypothesis, the scientists conducted a series of interviews, as well as a nation-wide survey of 500 mothers with two or more under-age children. One part of the research had respondents associate the meal preparer with a series of adjectives, such as "selfish" or "loving," based solely on having eaten their food.

Surprisingly, one of the most striking results of the study was that vegetables can improve the taste of foods. Many people claim that veggies don't taste as good as other food items, like fried chicken and fries. However, most study participants gave significantly higher ratings to the meals that contained vegetables, in contrast to steak, pasta and fried chicken, which received the worst overall ratings.

The preparers of vegetable dishes also received much better descriptions, including adjectives like "attentive," "capable" and "thoughtful," which prompted the researchers to conclude that veggies can really make or break a meal.

Interestingly, one of the questions in the survey asked participants to state what their child's favourite vegetable is. Over a dozen different vegetables were mentioned, yet again, broccoli took the crown as the most popular vegetable among older children, while carrots appeared more desirable to younger kids.

At the end of the study, the researchers jokingly concluded that if a high nutritional content is not a good motivator, then the fact that adding veggies to meals can make a cook become loved at home, should do the trick.

Natural News.com

Sources for this article include:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127191256.htm
http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/outreach/veggiesmeal.html
http://journals.cambridge.org