Get Smart: There’s Some Truth To The Old Saying ‘An Apple A Day …’
September 10, 2024 We’ve long known that eating fruits and vegetables correlates with good health. Like the saying goes: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” But the benefits go well beyond — such a diet can actually make you smarter. The Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF), a California nonprofit organization formed in 1989 to combat the notion that conventionally grown fruits and vegetables aren’t as healthy as their organic counterparts, recently noted an interesting podcast from The Economist. The production is titled “Food for Thought — How to Raise the World’s IQ” and brings up some interesting points. It begins: “If you don’t have enough food in the first 1,000 days of your life, your brain may never reach its full potential.”
That’s the bad news. The good news is that the podcast notes a steady and unprecedented rise in IQ over the last seven decades. Scientists attribute this historic rise of 2.2 IQ points per decade to improved nutrition and mental stimulation among children.
“Just as muscles need food and exercise to grow strong, so the brain needs the right nutrients and activity to develop,” it states. “Kids today are much less likely to be malnourished than they were in past decades and more likely to go to school.”
The AFF notes that the podcast says that the data should be taken with a grain of salt. The podcast itself urges caution about jumping to conclusions, especially since poverty impacts children’s healthy diets, which could affect continuing IQ advancements.
“Poor nutrition and a lack of stimulation can translate into a loss of as many as 15 IQ points,” the article cautions. “This has woeful consequences: One study found stunting led to incomes being 25% lower.”
The AFF points out that in discussions regarding nutrition and more specifically the inclusion of fruits and vegetables in children’s diets, we often get lost in “good vs. bad” and “organic vs. conventional” conversations. While decades of peer-reviewed studies and government data show both organic and conventional fruits and vegetables are very safe and can be eaten with confidence, the good vs. bad generalizations carried by certain groups has a detrimental impact on low-income consumers’ consumption of these healthy foods.
In fact, the AFF notes, peer-reviewed studies show that low-income consumers exposed to inaccurate safety messaging regarding conventionally grown produce state they are less likely to purchase any produce — organic or conventionally grown.
The AFF also makes an interesting point that is often overlooked: Organic/conventional safety debates are considered irrelevant by scientists and those with knowledge about on-farm production practices. In fact, USDA, which sets organic farming standards, clearly states, “Organic is a production term — it does not address quality, safety or nutritional value of a product.”
The benefits of a healthy diet, which includes lots of fruits and vegetables, on children’s bodies and brains has been quantified repeatedly, notes the AFF: “The Economist’s article provides more information about the significant impact of proper nutrition on our communities.”
An apple a day may not necessarily keep the doctor away, but it sure can’t hurt.
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