Behavioral Tips to help you increase your fruit and vegetable consumption
The research is clear. From a dietary perspective, increasing our fruit and vegetable consumption is one of the most beneficial ways you can help to support your mental health and well being. Many epidemiological and cohort studies have found strong associations between fruit and vegetable consumption and reduced risk for depression, slower rates of cognitive decline, as well as reduced risk for developing Alzheimer’s Disease. One meta-analysis reports that “the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia was reduced by 20% for a higher consumption of fruit and vegetables and by 13% for an increment of 100 g per day of fruit and vegetable consumption.” For reference, 100 g of fruit would be less than 1 medium apple.
The issue is making sure we are eating enough of these foods throughout our week on a regular basis. According to some recent statistics from the CDC: “In 2019, 12.3% and 10.0% of surveyed adults met fruit and vegetable intake recommendations, respectively. Meeting fruit intake recommendations was highest among Hispanic adults (16.4%) and lowest among males (10.1%). Meeting vegetable intake recommendations was highest among adults aged ≥51 years (12.5%) and lowest among adults with low income (6.8%).” Which means we need more strategies and ways to help us increase our consumption in order to get the brain healthy nutrients from these foods to support our health.
Clearly, knowing this information is not enough to get us eating more of these foods. Here are some behavioral tips to help you make it easier and more effortless to eat more fruits and vegetables, helping to support your mental health.
How can you make it easier?
Using canned, chopped, and frozen produce is an excellent way to make it easier to increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables. One of the reasons canned and frozen produce can be more convenient is because they have a longer shelf life. Fresh vegetables and fruits need to be consumed within days of purchase and their nutrient content tends to decrease the more time that it is stored. In comparison, frozen and canned produce mostly retain their nutrients and last much longer than frozen produce, helping you save money and food. One paper from 2015 details how frequent canned food users in the U.S. were able to get higher intakes of vitamins and minerals when compared to infrequent canned food users. Frequent can users consume more nutrient-dense food groups such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and protein-rich foods, and also had higher intakes of essential nutrients including fiber when compared to infrequent can users. Therefore, in addition to fresh produce, diets with more nutrient-dense canned foods offer options that improve nutrient intakes and the overall diet quality for many people. Also, canned and frozen produce is usually more accessible and affordable than fresh produce.
Leverage the habits you already have
I promise there is no rule for when you need to eat fruit and vegetables, meaning, you don’t have to have them at every single meal or feel like you need to eat at least 3 vegetables at every dinner. If you find that you are eating fruit with your breakfast already, see if you can add some additional fruit to your existing breakfast. Already have blueberries? Add some more! If you aren’t eating any fruit and vegetables currently, start with adding some to the meal you tend to eat most often. Adding fruit and vegetables vs. subtracting or making swaps provides us with a different psychological experience. Instead of focusing on what you think you “shouldn’t be having” it’s more effective and salient to focus on what you want to add to the meals you already like to eat. That puts the focus on the goal which is consuming more fruits and vegetables vs. on the foods you are thinking you need to constantly avoid.
Plan for Obstacles
Planning for when things don’t go according to plan, is one of the most compassionate ways you can support your goal of consuming more fruits and vegetables {and supporting any behavior change in general} (future blog post). Think about the obstacles that are in your way of getting another serving of fruit and veg into your day. Have a crazy work schedule? What is a snack or prepared food that you can bring that can give you that extra serving? What small step can you take in order to get an extra serving of your favorite fruit on any given day? Maybe it’s about having some frozen fruit on hand to throw into a smoothie or making sure your apples are in a display dish on your kitchen table so you don’t forget about them in the refrigerator drawer. See if you can identify the obstacles that may be standing in your way and if there is a small step you can take that will help you become successful at getting in an additional serving.
Of course your personal life context will determine how important it is to prioritize fruit and vegetable consumption at this time. This post is not meant to make you feel as if you need to do this and if you aren’t then it means you don’t care about your mental health. This is to help encourage you and give you behavioral strategies and ways to think about how you can improve your consumption of these important foods. :)
Eat what you like
You don’t need to force yourself to eat brussel sprouts if you really don’t like them. So what if your health influencer said you should because it helps to “detox” your body? You have a liver and you’re drinking water, right? *Please drink water* Cool, then your body is detoxing. But seriously. I want you to eat what you like and what you enjoy. If you like bananas and blueberries and hate zucchini and green beans, by all means eat all the bananas and blueberries your heart desires. No fruit or vegetable is inherently better than others. Do some contain higher nutrient levels than others? Sure. But what matters more is consuming fruits and vegetables regularly.
I would always encourage you to try new foods and experiment. No one is a better person because they are eating kale and brazil nuts (so expensive). I love bananas and eat them regularly. They are an excellent source of potassium, fiber, and resistant starch which your gut loves.
Bonus: Here is an excellent interview with a well know habit researcher about increasing fruit and vegetable consumption if you’re hungry for more.
References
Comerford K. B. (2015). Frequent Canned Food Use is Positively Associated with Nutrient-Dense Food Group Consumption and Higher Nutrient Intakes in US Children and Adults. Nutrients, 7(7), 5586–5600. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu7075240
Głąbska, D., Guzek, D., Groele, B., & Gutkowska, K. (2020). Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mental Health in Adults: A Systematic Review. Nutrients, 12(1), 115. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12010115
Jiang, X., Huang, J., Song, D., Deng, R., Wei, J., & Zhang, Z. (2017). Increased Consumption of Fruit and Vegetables Is Related to a Reduced Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 9, 18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00018
