Nature improves eating habits

A new study of the Drexel University School of Nursing and Health Professions (United States) has proven that people who spend more time in nature They also report better eating habitsas eat more fruits and vegetables. The study of mixed methods It assessed the time people spent in nature and their eating habits.

“Our findings are among the first to show that spending time in nature can promote healthier eating habits“, highlights the doctor Dahlia Stottwho led the study, published in the journal Social Science & Medicine as a doctoral student at the Department of Health Sciences from the College of Nursing and Health Professions. Stott and his co-authors sought to understand how everyday interactions with nature They influence aspects such as diet, movement and well-being.

“This line of research is helping us understand that nature is not just a backdrop for healthy behaviors, but a active ingredient for health –explains Brandy Joe Millirondoctor and co-author of the study, associate professor at the Faculty of Nursing and Health Professions–. We believe this can help us design interventions to intentionally take advantage of those connections.

Interactions with nature and food

The researchers surveyed 300 adults across the United States, who reported their time spent in nature and their eating habits from the previous week. They analyzed three types of interaction with nature: indirect (observing nature, but not being in it), incidental (having nature nearby, like a houseplant), and intentional (getting into nature, like going to a park). They discovered that the incidental and intentional interactions with nature they showed a significant association with positive eating habits.

In addition, we interviewed virtually 30 participants of the survey to better understand the relationship between nature and diet. These 30 participants represented a demographic diversity and presented different levels of eating habits. During the in-depth interviews, they were asked to rate their preference for being in nature—on a scale ranging from “enjoys nature” to “prefers to stay home”—and to explain the reason for their rating, in order to link their relationship with nature to their eating habits.

Connection with nature improves diet

Stott highlights that participants who spent more time, both physically incidental as well as intentionalin nature they had a better diet quality and a more sustainable eating pattern.

In the interviews, the research team found that the mental health and the connection with nature were important, and that the participants expressed their desire to take care of your physical health. Participants achieved this goal by spending time in nature and changing their eating habits.

Participants reported that being in contact with nature reduced depression, anxiety and stress. Stott explains that this moderated the relationship between being in nature and eating food, so people who reported less depression, anxiety and stress showed a stronger relationship between interaction with nature and eating habits.

Benefits for physical and mental health

In the interviews, participants commented how feel connected to nature encouraged them to consume more fruits and vegetables. Stott confirmed these observations with survey data and found that spending time in nature increased connection of people with it, and that, in turn, this connection promoted a better quality and more sustainable diet.

“There are different mechanisms that are potentially at play, but if people spend more time in nature, if as humanity we spend more time in nature, then I think we would be healthier overall“says Stott, who highlights that this is a accessible way so that people improve your health in general.

“It’s about find the nearest parkhe nearest green space or even spend time in the garden at home to improve health – Stott recommends -. And in many ways, not just through diet, because we are seeing a lot of other physical and mental health benefits. So I hope this study helps highlight the importance of spending time in nature to improve the personal health and that of the planet“.