Episode 28: Foods To Help You Deal With Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - a podcast by Jessica Cording, MS, RD, CDN, INHC

While I love so much of what comes with fall – the cooler temperatures, cozy clothes (and boots!) and changing foliage – I don’t love that the increased loss of daylight adversely affects so many of us. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression related to changes in seasons, and if you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months.

 Having experienced SAD myself, I know all too well how the changes in daylight can affect a person, which is why I’ve dedicated this podcast episode to exploring how certain foods can help combat the effects of SAD. In short, the change in daylight affects our body’s levels of melatonin, our natural circadian rhythm, the levels of mood-regulating serotonin that flow through our body, and the levels of stress hormone cortisol. Not fun. 

 Thankfully, food can play a big role in supporting our mental and physical well being during these big seasonal changes. As you’ll hear in this podcast episode, there are certain SAD-fighting foods I recommend and rely on myself to help cope with the changes in mood and energy levels. Some of these SAD-fighting foods include complex carbs, foods rich in tryptophan, potassium, folate, Vitamin D and omega-3s, and dark chocolate (yes, way), to name a few.

 

In addition to the podcast, you can also check out two articles I’ve written on how to help prevent and treat SAD and which foods can help fight off the effects of SAD, including a one-day anti-SAD diet.

 

Want to learn more? Connect with me on my website, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

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