Raw fruit and vegetables are better for mental health than canned, cooked or otherwise processed produce, report researchers from New Zealand’s University of Otago. Their survey of more than 400 young adults from their country and the U.S., published in Frontiers in Psychology, found a correlation between eating raw produce and measures of psychological well-being, positive mood and life satisfaction.

“The cooking and processing of produce likely limits the delivery of nutrients that are essential for optimal emotional functioning,” says co-author Tamlin Conner, Ph.D. The top 10 raw foods for mental health are carrots, bananas, apples, dark leafy greens, grapefruit, lettuce, other citrus, berries, cucumbers and kiwis.

This article appears in the November 2018 issue of Natural Awakenings.