Winter Blues Vs. Winter Vitality and Glow!

Winter is almost here, and for some this season can increase their potential to suffer low mood, stress, anxiety and depression. There are many reasons for this, including changes to natural light which affect vitamin D and melatonin levels. As well as increased incidents of colds and flus which deplete essential nutrients required to maintain a healthy mood.

Eating for a healthy mood

One of the single most important things you can do to avoid anxiety and depression is to regulate the timing of your meals and snacks. By doing this you are stabilising blood sugar levels, and certainly should eliminate sugar and incorporate low GI foods to support this strategy.

Those who skip meals, or go for more than 3 to 4 hours in between meals will find that their blood sugar levels fluctuate, and this contributes to feelings of anxiety especially around afternoon. Do you find you are feeling more anxious around 3 to 6pm? Take note on whether this coincides with skipped meals and poor food choices (unhealthy breakfast, low protein, high GI / simple carbs).

We all know that protein is important for maintaining skin, organ, muscle, immune function. But equally as important, protein, or amino acids, are the building blocks for our hormones and neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters such as serotonin are responsible for a healthy, happy mood. Without the building blocks needed to build these neurotransmitters, we will experience a depletion and symptoms of depression, anxiety, moodiness, increased stress, sleeplessness, anger, etc.

One simple tip is to snack on easily digestible proteins in between meals. Only a small snack is required, so choose a handful of raw nuts and seeds to provide amino acids and maintain a stable blood glucose level.

Staying hydrated in winter can be a challenge as not only do we crave less fluid, but heated environments will dehydrate us even more. Even mild dehydration will cause irritability, and poor concentration / mental function.

The Gut

Of course a Naturopath will draw relevance back to the gut for any condition! And rightly so, as inadequate gut function (dysbiosis, leaky gut, low digestive secretions) will dramatically reduce your ability to metabolise and absorb all of these wonderful nutrients, resulting in deficiencies of vitamins and neurotransmitters. In addition, there are more serotonin receptors in your gut than there are in your brain (95% in the gut), so it goes both ways. An unhealthy gut will impact on your mood and also any stress, anxiety, depression will impact on your gut function. It is a bond that can’t be broken. Alterations in serotonin signalling has a dramatic impact on digestive function, including IBS type symptoms (constipation, bloating, diarrhoea, gas, pain).

The brain communicates with the digestive system by way of the nervous system according to perceived prioritised needs. For example, if the brain feels there is stress, digestion will be abandoned in order to redirect energy towards the ‘fight or flight’ response.

In addition to these facts, there is some exciting new research coming out about the way the bacteria in the gut communicate with the brain to impact on our mood, emotions and nervous system responses.

The Nutrients which Support a Healthy Mood

There are some questions we all need to ask ourselves coming into winter. Are we consuming enough of these essential nutrients? Are there chronic, low grade or repeated infections (bacterial, fungal/yeast, parasites, viruses) that are depleting these nutrients? Nutrient levels can be corrected through diet, however some overt deficiencies will require supplementation to raise them to an optimal level. Anyone who is suffering from constant colds / flus will need immune support to rebuild their strength and prevent further depletion of nutrients.

The Amino Acids

As discussed, these are essential for neurotransmitter production, as well as supporting healthy hormone levels, digestive processes required to break down and absorb nutrients, and stabilising blood sugar for a healthy mood.

Tyrosine for dopamine, adrenalin, noradrenalin production - almonds, beef, chicken, fish, egg.

Tryptophan for serotonin and melatonin production - fish, cottage cheese, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds.

The Healthy Fats

Fat soluble nutrients are required for brain structure and function.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, required to regulate calcium absorption, regulate immune function, prevent diseases and support a healthy mood in winter. In temperate regions, aim for as much skin exposure as you can in the middle of the day for an hour in winter. Vitamin D is also found in fish, especially high fat fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel.

Omega 3 acids are essential for healthy brain function as they are a structural component of neuronal membranes and cells. Again these are found in oily, high fat fish, as well as chia seed oil, flaxseed oil, nuts and seeds.

The Vitamins

B vitamins - convert food into energy, and manufacture hormones and neurotransmitters. They are generally found in whole grains, legumes, eggs, meats, nuts and seeds, and leafy green vegetables (folic acid).

The Minerals

Minerals have many essential functions, including the regulation of muscle and nervous tissue and neurotransmitter functions. Calcium and magnesium are important for neurotransmission and can be found in leafy greens, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and tahini.