Good Food Good Mood

I was chatting with a friend who’s a therapist the other day and she told me that Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD) began before Halloween in the Northeast this year. SAD is a mood disorder for people who are mood stable for most of the year, however, during winter or cold-weather months, they become depressed. There are different ways of treating this mood disorder. There are light boxes or lamps, medications, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or nourishing your body with specific nutrients that may help relieve the symptoms.

So, if you are looking for some food choices to help get you beat the winter blues, check out some of the foods below:

• Omega 3 fatty acids - found in salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, walnuts, and chia seeds, flax seeds
• Probiotics- found in yogurt, kefir, miso, pickled vegetables
• Whole Grains- found in steel cut oatmeal, Ground Lupin Bean, quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, amaranth, millet and bulgur
• Folate-rich foods - found in spinach, kale, arugula, edamame, lentils, avocado, broccoli, artichokes, and turnip greens
• Vitamin D- rich foods - found in dairy foods that may be fortified (such as milk, soy milk, and orange juice), cheese, egg yolks, canned salmon with bones, Alaskan pink or Sockeye Salmon

Here’s an example of a mood enhancing menu:

• Breakfast: steel cut oatmeal made with milk and a tablespoon of Carrington Farms Flax/Chia seeds and a glass of OJ
• Lunch: leafy green salad with chopped walnuts, lentils, avocado, hard- boiled egg and shredded cheese
• Dinner- Grilled Wild Alaskan Salmon with Carrington Farms Ground Lupin Bean, and roasted broccoli

Spring and sunshine will be here soon enough. But, until then, eat well, feel good, and be happy this winter.