The shorter days this season can leave many people feeling the winter blues. It’s not uncommon to be in a sore mood when there’s less natural sunlight. But a more severe type of depression, called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is a medical condition that appears when fall and winter come, and it goes away when spring and summer arrive. Like many forms of depression, it can leave you feeling irritable, hopeless and withdrawn. If you’re feeling this way, tell your health care provider who may recommend various treatments, like light therapy, antidepressants or cognitive behavioral therapy. 

But it’s not just the dark that can have us feeling gloomy. What we eat can also affect the mood. Depression has been linked to diets low in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D, and some studies show that diets high in consumption of ultra-processed foods, foods that include very little if any whole food but have many additives, have a higher risk of depression. At the same time, our mood can influence our food choices. Those battling a poor mood tend to crave high-calorie, high-carbohydrate foods, such as cookies and candies. All of this leads to the importance of eating a consistent diet full of nutrient-dense foods to improve our mental and physical health.  

Include omega-3 fatty acids at least twice per week, such as salmon, tuna, halibut, chia and flax seeds. If you’re not out in the winter sunshine, you’ll need to get vitamin D through egg yolks, mushrooms and fortified milk and yogurt. Evidence suggests that gut health is closely aligned with mental health and therefore, foods with prebiotics, probiotics and fiber may help improve the mood. This includes oats, bananas, fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, berries, nuts and seeds, and beans and lentils. Beat the blues this winter with nutrient-rich foods!