If you\u2019ve ever felt tired or a little depressed in the winter, you may have experienced the winter blues. It\u2019s a very common medical condition, and is know more formally as \u201cSeasonal Affective Disorder\u201d (or \u201cSAD\u201d). SAD can actually affect people in any season, but is most common in summer and winter. In this article we\u2019ll discuss some of the foods you can eat in order to get rid of those winter blues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SAD is caused by decreased levels of serotonin in the body. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, sleep and learning. Factors that can lower your serotonin levels include stress, lack of natural sunlight exposure, unbalanced diets and certain drugs or medications. Because the winter months often bring less direct sunlight and we tend to eat a little more (and possibly not as healthfully), it\u2019s no surprise that SAD is very common this time of year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The good news is you can fight back on the winter blues, by making a few changes in your diet. Food does not actually contain serotonin, but do contain certain nutrients that can help restore your serotonin levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nutrients that Boost Serotonin:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids: Foods high in this are also high in Tryptophan, which is an essential amino acid your body can\u2019t produce naturally, so incorporating foods rich in omega-3s can be very helpful. Try foods like salmon and other oily fish, bananas, walnuts, turkey, tofu and flax seeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Folate or Folic Acid: Also an important part of increasing serotonin levels, foods like lentils, asparagus, spinach, kale, citrus fruits, kidney beans and broccoli can pack a punch of folic acid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Magnesium: A natural anti-stressor, foods high in magnesium are worth including in your diet. Look to incorporate more bran, squash and pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts and even dark chocolate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Vitamin B: This important vitamin can boost your energy levels, so eat plenty of foods rich in vitamin B. Some things you might try include more of include brown rice, corn, shellfish, fish, beef, lamb and eggs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Winter Healthy Eating Tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Replace simple carbohydrates with complex carbohydrates. When the days are cold, we often crave carbohydrates to give us energy. The problem with simple carbohydrates like white flour and white rice is that they give us a quick boost of energy but then cause of too crash and deplete our serotonin levels. By choosing complex carbohydrates like whole grain flour, brown rice, vegetables and legumes, you get more long term energy for your food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Drink more water. Water is always good for you, no doubt about it. It keeps you hydrated, flushes out toxins and can fill you up, keeping you from making poor food choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Avoid alcohol because it\u2019s a depressant. While there\u2019s nothing wrong with the occasional glass of wine or other alcoholic drink, regular consumption can be harmful to your overall well being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Avoid stimulants like caffeine and other drugs. They can affect your sleep and can deplete serotonin levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Staying happy and healthy this winter is pretty simple, but sometimes it takes a conscious decision to choose the right foods. Use these tips as your guideline to help you stay on track and of course remember to exercise regularly and get plenty of sleep at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" […]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":190257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","wpupg_custom_link":[],"wpupg_custom_link_behaviour":[],"wpupg_custom_link_nofollow":[],"wpupg_custom_image":[],"wpupg_custom_image_id":[],"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_daim_seo_power":"","_daim_enable_ail":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[128000],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-190256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-839462.jpeg?fit=1880%2C1253&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":190419,"url":"https:\/\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/2022\/02\/19\/winter-comfort-foods\/","url_meta":{"origin":190256,"position":0},"title":"Winter Comfort Foods","author":"admin","date":"February 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Winter Comfort Foods Made Healthy There\u2019s nothing more comforting than a nice hot meal on a winter\u2019s day. The problem is, what many of us consider to be winter comfort foods aren\u2019t always as healthy as we might assume. Many comfort foods are high in simple carbohydrates like white flour\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"selective focus photography of white petaled flower plant","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-997567.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-997567.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-997567.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-997567.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-997567.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":190423,"url":"https:\/\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/2022\/02\/19\/winter-foods-to-warm-your-soul\/","url_meta":{"origin":190256,"position":1},"title":"Winter Foods to Warm Your Soul","author":"admin","date":"February 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Seasons seem to have their calling for specialty foods. In the summer time, we are blessed with fresh fruits and the tantalizing smell of someone barbecuing. 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The daily recommended intake is 20-30 grams each day, but if you\u2019re like many others, you may only get about half that. Everyone says you should\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"close up photography of apples","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-672101.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-672101.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-672101.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-672101.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-672101.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":190401,"url":"https:\/\/menuculture.com\/recipeshop\/2022\/02\/19\/winter-weekend-cooking-ideas\/","url_meta":{"origin":190256,"position":3},"title":"Winter Weekend Cooking Ideas","author":"admin","date":"February 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Winter Weekend Cooking Ideas \u2013 Cook for the Whole Week After spending the summer avoiding the kitchen, the turn to cold winter days makes sitting by a warm stove all day quite inviting. 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You have a bumper crop of certain fruits and vegetables in your garden, someone has shared their bumper crop or you\u2019ve made a trip to the local farmer\u2019s market or fruit stand. 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