Image: Unsplash/Ana Tavares

Tucking into raw vegetables can boost your brain power, according to new research.

Experts said raw fruit and vegetables are better for mental health than those which are cooked, tinned or processed.

Study leader Dr Tamlin Conner, a psychologist at the University of Otago in New Zealand, said health campaigns traditionally focus on the amount of fruit and vegetables people should eat, such as ‘five a day’.

Image: Unsplash/Jennifer Pallian

However, the study, in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, found that, for mental health in particular, the way food is prepared and consumed is also important.

Use vegetables in salads, smoothies, blended dressings, and soups. Vegetables can also be pickled or made into noodles. Frozen vegetables that have been blanched or boiled before being frozen are not considered raw.