Tips for Fighting the Winter Blues
- Barbara Mendez R.Ph M.S
I recently got an anxious call from a client, Jennie, telling me that after months of healthy eating, successfully avoiding sugar and junk food, and getting to the gym five times a week, she felt totally compelled to dive into a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. In fact, she told me sheepishly, she already had done some damage the previous night with leftover Halloween candy and didn’t seem to feel sated. It was as though a magnetic field was pulling her towards the freezer and she felt powerless to stop it. “When did you begin feeling this way?” I asked her. She reported that it began to feel out of control about two weeks ago although there was a subtle pull a couple of weeks prior to that. “Are you cranky?” I asked? “Irritable? Low energy? Having a hard time waking up in the morning? “ There was relief in her voice as she gave me a resounding “Yes!”
I told her to put down the spoon, step away from the freezer and grab an apple on her way out the door. Help was on the way.
Jennie didn’t realize it but she was experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or rather, a susceptibility to depression because of the shorter days and lack of sunlight. Sunlight helps to boost serotonin production, the neurotransmitter responsible for making us feel calm and happy. With the shorter days, we create less serotonin, therefore are left feeling anxious and depressed. When this happens, our brains feel out of balance and in an effort to restore balance, we reach for food that will quickly boost serotonin production and begin self medicating with sugar. It is a vicious cycle because sugar ultimately makes it worse.
British research published this week shows that a diet that is high in processed and refined foods can lead to depression. This is a conundrum for those suffering with SAD. While they feel drawn to soothe themselves with cookies and cakes that offer immediate relief, a short time later are left feeling more depressed and anxious than before. What do they do? How can they help themselves feel better without running to the doctor for a prescription for Prozac? The answer is through diet. Eating foods that restore serotonin balance are available in every farm stand and grocery store and it is really not that hard to do.
Eat Root Vegetables and Veggies that grow close to the ground: A desire to eat sugar to soothe ourselves is energetically linked to a desire to feel grounded. Think about it: we are anxious, stressed and with the flurry of activity, often un-tethered. When we eat sugar we are looking to feel calm and less frazzled. A wonderful way to offer your body what it needs on a regular basis, thereby offsetting the cravings for sugar is through root vegetables. Winter diets should always include yams, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, butternut squash and pumpkin. Not surprisingly, these are the very vegetables that are in season during this time of the year. All of these vegetables contain a subtle sweetness that when eaten regularly offer your body the ingredients it needs to maintain healthy serotonin levels thereby offsetting sugar cravings. Additionally, they grow in the ground or close to the earth, providing an energetic sense of groundedness. Try to have a serving a day of these vegetables. If you have limited time for cooking, check out Pacific brand organic soups. They have butternut squash, carrot and sweet potato. Have a bowl a day as part of a meal.
Take flax: Flax seed is a plant based source of Omega 3 essential fatty acids and quite effective in its serotonin boosting properties. Flax is available in liquid, ground seeds, capsules and whole seeds. By far the most effective way to take it is in liquid form. Take one tablespoon per one hundred pounds of body weight. If you are quite depressed and anxious, you may want to go a bit beyond that initially to get a handle on your mood. You can use the oil as your salad dressing or add to already cooked food (do not cook with this oil. It is sensitive and can become rancid upon heating). Another great way to get your flax is with the ground seeds. Keep in mind that you need to take 3 tablespoons of ground seeds to get the equivalent of one tablespoon of oil. Add to oatmeal or cereal, sprinkle on salads or add to a little bit of juice. Another possibility is doing a combination of both the oil and the ground seeds. As for capsules, you need to take 12 capsules to get the equivalent of one tablespoon of oil, so that is not an option I recommend. And the whole seeds will only be effective as a laxative and will not help with mood.
Eliminate sugar: The reason that sugar helps to calm you down is that the insulin rush that accompanies sugar consumption floods out competing amino acids and allows tryptophan, the precursor to serotonin, to win the absorption race. While sugar may give you immediate relief from stress and anxiety because of the intense flood of serotonin that it unleashes, anything that goes up that high must come down and when it does it usually crashes. When you self medicate with sugar you are setting yourself up to feel depressed, anxious and sad in a vicious, ever changing cycle. It will feel hard to get a handle on your emotions and then as your waistline expands from the extra calories and insulin rush, this will add to your already compromised mood. Eliminating sugar will allow you to feel steady, balanced, calm and happy. You will find that while the external factors are the same, and nothing at work or at home has changed, your ability to deal with it all has. These suggestions will also help to contribute to a happy mood and a healthier body.
Walk in Sunlight: Take a walk on your lunch-break and get outside as much as possible when the sun is shining. Every ray of sunshine delivers a serotonin hit and the 5-minute outdoor break will probably go a long way towards promoting a sense of calm. If this doesn’t feel like enough, consider investing in a light box and getting some serious, at home light therapy.
Get a great nights sleep: Take a hot bath with lavender oil, and rub lavender oil on the soles of your feet as well. Drink some sleepy time tea and tuck into bed for a cozy night’s sleep.
Exercise: In study after study, the research shows that exercise is as effective as antidepressants in managing mood. Even if it is a brisk walk three times a walk, moving your body will help you feel balanced, confident and help your mind feel steady and calm. And walking out doors will further contribute to serotonin production.
Barbara Mendez R.Ph M.S is a New York based Nutritionist and Registered Pharmacist, specializing in integrative therapies for preventative health care. She is the founder of the nutritional consulting practice Lifestyle Nutrients in midtown Manhattan, and her blog BarbaraMendezNutrition.com is an informational bridge between western, allopathic medicine and alternative, proactive, holistic health care.
- Posted by Guest Blogger on November 20, 2009 at 5:00 am
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Great tips! I need to print this out and hang it on my mirror or fridge!! :>
“British research published this week shows that a diet that is high in processed and refined foods can lead to depression.”
Can you please cite your source for this information? Thank you!
W
Thanks for the great article! I just finished some butternut squash soup . Just never thought about the link between eating veggies grown close to , or in the earth, as being grounding for that reason. Interesting!
I’ve plans to make a borsht with carrots and potatoes and beets and cabbage a little later today. Find the oldest copy of the Moosewood cookbook that you can find for the recipe. yum!
xoox
Wendy ~ I believe it was the University College of London, published in the November issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0911/09110201
Great article Barbara and love your blog too! Especially the sugar elimination tips! All worthy of fridge door retail space
Sounds delicious elizabeth ~ and thanks for the recipe tip!
Wendy – Cesca’s article is the correct reference – Thanks for posting.
Good ideas.. I have someone this blog will be perfect for. Thanks for the information. Callie
Love this post! I’m so glad to know the “dose” of flax oil and seeds. I have wondered about that. Thanks!
Now if there is a recipe for butternut squash FUDGE I may be interested.
Thanks for the link, interesting study, and sensible. Root veggies have a lot of carbs in them, no wonder they are so satisfying.
How about yam & sweet potato puree with a little agave Wendy?
OK… not quite the same I know but…
Thanks Barbara, great ideas. I always thought just get more sunlight but its wonderful to hear more ideas.
Perfect timing for your article. I’ve been wondering why I have been craving sweets so much more this Fall than I did in the Spring or Summer months. I’ve been able to combat the cravings with all of your suggestions, but it’s nice to understand why I am having them!
I tried this the past week, and it is actually making me feel a little bit better. I haven’t been as anxious when I’m going to bed, and have had better luck with the cravings. Thanks for the tips.
I’m so glad you found these tips helpful! I hope you continue to feel well!
Barbara, thanks for sharing! Great article and wonderful suggestions, especially for those of us living in the Pacific NW. Your comment about needing to feel grounded during this time of year really resonated with me. Makes total sense. Thanks for sharing!
Love this blog! So many great tips!
Great Post Barbara, based in the UK and especially with all the inclement weather we are getting at the moment, it’s easy to fall into the trap of blaming everything on what’s going on outside rather than basically taking simple steps you have noted in your article. Based in Northern England they say its worst for us, but my philosophy is excercise, home made vegetable based soups and getting out in the fresh air hiking (weather permitting).Look forward to your next post.
Very informative. Keep up the great work.
Very informative.Great tips. Sue.
Thanks for the read!
Great tips! With winter sticking around until July here in the northwest the more tips we can use the better!