5 Mood-Boosting Fall and Winter Foods for Depression

Fall and winter can be brutal for people withdepression.

Theres lots of delicious stuff that oftentimes isnt so great for our mood.

If you have a poor diet, then youre going to feel more depressed.

Pumpkin (and its seeds!) can brighten your winter days.

The good news: Diet is a modifiable risk factor for depression.

These vitamins and minerals have been inversely associated with depressive disorders, Jones says.

Foods that are high in different nutrients can make you feel so much better.

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Wondering which healthy cold-weather foods can improve your mood?

Experts advise increasing your intake of these five.

This nutrient is linked to brain activity and increasing our moods, says Jones.

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Eating foods on a daily basis that are high in folate will help significantly improve the way you feel.

Fitting this squash into your diet is easier than you may think pumpkinsare incredibly versatile.

Try adding pureed pumpkin to soups, smoothies, and pasta sauces.

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Or simply snack on pumpkin seeds or toss them in a fall salad.

Pumpkin seeds are really one of our top [food] recommendations, Ramsey says.

And each of them contain high amounts of vitamin B6, a nutrient shown to positively affect mood.

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Along with avoiding excess sugar, Ramsey advises being mindful of how muchalcoholyou consume around the holiday season.

It tends to make people feel better in the short term, and then worse the next day.

To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices.

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Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size.

She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.

She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’sRegistered Dietitian-NutritionistMember Interest Group.

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She earned her master’s degree in journalism in 2021.

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