Winter Depression
Transitions from one season to another can affect your health and mood, though often you do not realize this, and the cold season you can throw you straight into the arms of depression.
You’re more agitated and nervous when the weather is colder, falling into melancholy, sorrow and a lack of motivation. It means that you could suffer from a type of temporary depression, that is a seasonal affective disorder.
In general, this disorder occurs in summer and winter, but especially in winter. The outside cold, the depressing and sad landscapes, the fact that you have to dress thicker, that when you come home from work it’s dark outside, all these small details can cause you to have depression. Fortunately, you can counteract and banish this with food. No, this does not mean you should eat cakes and burgers. It’s about some healthy foods that fight depression in winter.
1. Foods Rich in Vitamin B and Folic Acid
Vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid are essential for your health, especially in winter, when depression is lurking everywhere. In fact, depression is one of the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.
In the winter, you should eat more often asparagus, citrus fruits, lentils, whole grains, sunflower seeds, broccoli, peas, lettuce, bananas. All these vegetables and fruits are high in folic acid.
Vitamin B12 can be got from yogurt, cow’s milk and meat. Vitamin B6 can be found in green pepper, celery, garlic, avocado and grapes.
2. Foods Rich in Vitamin D
Vitamin D accelerates the production of serotonin, one of the hormones of happiness, and can fight depression. Your body receives the highest amount of vitamin D sunbathing, but in winter only source of vitamin D are foods. You can find vitamin D in salmon, tuna, olive oil, cow’s milk, soymilk, eggs, whole grains, mushrooms and oranges.
3. Healthy Sweets
Sweets are an excellent “source of good mood” and can help you feel better when you are sad and depressed. But not all sweets are healthy. If you suffer from depression in winter, eat more to dark chocolate. Besides the fact that you will restore your energy level the consumption of dark chocolate will contribute to the production of endorphins, which is the “molecule of joy”. Blueberries and strawberries are also good for combating depression.
4. Foods Rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Omega 3 essential fatty acids have a beneficial effect on your mind and can help combat the lethargic moods. Studies show that omega-3 fatty acids fight depression and stimulate your brain activity. Among the foods with the highest concentration of omega-3 you can include fish, olive oil, flaxseed, walnuts, soybeans and fish oil
5. Foods High in Carbohydrates
A recent study shows that people who have a diet low in carbohydrates is likely to suffer from depression. Therefore, in the winter is advisable to eat bananas, pineapple, yogurt, brown or white rice, whole wheat bread, muesli, buckwheat, white beans and potatoes.
