How Diet Changes Help Lift My Lousy Moods
The right food can help the blues and even full-blown depression, science shows
The cold months are tough for me.
I’ve struggled with low mood in winter and early spring for as long as I can remember. Before I even knew what depression was, I knew December to March felt different. My energy levels would slowly go down, my bedroom (and then my home) would get messier, my diet would get worse. Subtle changes, really, that would add up.
For me, low moods mean I don’t take good care of myself. Falling off the bandwagon pushes me even further down the depressive hole. The inverse is also true. Optimising my lifestyle improves my mental health.
So, for a few years now, I’ve been doing my best to prevent and manage the winter blues with healthy habits. The good news is I actually found some science-backed answers. Diet can help — it can even heal.
Diet interventions for mental health are only emerging as a research topic but we already have one randomised controlled trial and multiple observational studies. Here’s what they found and how I’m using it to feel better this winter:
