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October 6, 2022 • Healthy Eating & Nutrition

Reduce Stress with Fruits & Vegetables

Looking for another way to reduce stress? Eating fruits and vegetables for peace may be just what the doctor ordered!

Got stress?

Eat more fruits and veggies! In a first-of-its-kind evaluation, scientists found that produce has the power to mitigate feelings of stress. 

The study included 8,640 adults ages 33-53 and compared fruit and vegetable intake to four separate measures of “stress,” including: worry, tension, lack of joy, and feelings of overload/pressure. 

The results?

Higher produce intake was tied to lower stress levels in all measures except overload/pressure (the one measure related to external vs. internal stressors). So yes, you can reduce stress with fruits and vegetables.

The Sweet Spot

The sweet spot to reduce stress with fruits and vegetables was 400+ grams or about 5+ servings a day. This easy-to-achieve daily dose of produce showed up to a 36 percent reduction in perceived stress! 

I am heading right now to eat some blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, and plums for my mid-afternoon snack…

Looking for more? Did you know stress is bad for weight control. Here are some tips to help you stay cool and trim. Check out my blog post on my favorite tips for stress relief.

TRY THIS RECIPE

Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie

Serves 2-4

This smoothie is filled with anti-inflammatory power and flavor!

Ingredients

1 cup of frozen blueberries or mixed berries

1 banana

2 diced kiwi

8 oz. of plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt with live cultures or plain kefir

Two tight handfuls of baby, organic spinach

2 Tbs. hemp, chia, or flax seed

A liberal splash of pomegranate juice

Directions

Blend until smooth.

Frontiers in Nutrition, 2022 May 2. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.837066