Making an effort to eat more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables is bound to pay off in the long run, as evidenced by the results of a study from the Harvard School of Public Health as reported by Prevention.com.

Using a health index calibrated on government standards (i.e. eating more than two cups of fruits a day can get you a perfect score in that specific category), researchers measured the quality of people’s diets and found that those who showed improvement in their daily food intake by 10 percent after four years were more likely to lower their risk of diabetes by 20 percent.

Furthermore, it doesn’t matter whether you’ve lost weight or not or whether you regularly exercise or stay glued to the couch—the results remain the same.

Not a huge fan of eating healthy? Maybe these seven healthy breakfast ideas can get you started!

(Photo by Joana Petrova via Flickr Creative Commons)