Comfort Food Triggers and SAD

mrscortes2008

I cannot believe how many psychological desires are tied up in the biological need of eating!
Here in Oregon, winter has already officially arrived, with its wet dreary weather. I have always had a mild case of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder, which means that I get a mild lingering depression toward the start of every winter, and, to a smaller degree, when night falls), so as soon as this weather hits, all I want to do is pull my drapes and curl up with a good book...or Desperate Housewives reruns. I start getting massive cravings for serious comfort food: mashed potatoes, chicken pot pie, pumpkin bread...on and on the list goes.
To make matters worse, my two year old is sick with the flu. He won't eat at all right now, but guess who's craving all his sicky-food? Mommy. I woke up last night wanting, of all things, cream of wheat with toast and hot chocolate.
Does anyone else struggle with comfort food cravings this time of year?
I know that some researchers say that there is a possible connection to Vit. D insufficiency and SAD...definitely an issue in my area. We get about 2 months worth of sun...if we're lucky. Has anyone had improved moods by taking Vit. D? I also read that tanning can help...I stopped tanning when I found out I was pregnant and haven't started again because of the risks. Still, it could be worth giving it a shot if it would help with these emotional cravings. Any thoughts?

killerqueen17

I would recommend talking to your doctor about ways to get Vitamin D in your diet... probably via a supplement, at least partially.

Tanning is not worth the risk to your skin, in my opinion... I have a friend in her early 30's who was recently diagnosed with melanoma, and I have had a couple of moles removed myself that suspiciously popped up after a round in the tanning bed-- it's just not worth it. I am officially done with tanning. There are plenty of other ways to get vitamin D!

http://www.aad.org/media-resources/stats-and-facts/prevention-and-care/vitamin-d

Just my 2 cents... like I said, it's worth mentioning to a doctor to get the best advice on supplements and the like... but tanning is not worth the risk!

CarolynB38

I have a SAD lightbox that I use for an hour every morning. You can get more powerful ones that only require 1/2 hour exposure. They are not the same as tanning lamps and I find mine really helps. It helps with the depression, it helps me not to feel sleepy for the whole winter and it does seem to help with the carb cravings to an extent. You can hire them by the month if you don't want to fork out for one without seeing if it works for you first. Make sure it is an approved light box. There are some on the market that aren't anywhere near powerful enough to do any good. Never use your light box after 4pm or you won't be able to sleep.

Other things that help are eating plenty of fresh fruit and veg, lots of omega 3 rich foods (oily fish etc) and getting plenty of fresh air and exercise every day, especially in the morning. It is also advisable not to wear sunglasses/shades before noon as the sunlight helps our brains to know that we need to be awake.

I hope some of this is helpful to you :flowerforyou:

drog2323

I feel your pain! I live north of the border in vancouver, bc. I have upped my vitamin d intake. 1,000 to 3,000. Iu 's per day. Seems to help.

Have you tried those natural light books? I think most good pharmacies have them but they arent cheap.

Fresh air helps too. Good luck!!

WaRachel

This is the start of my second winter here in the northwest (we moved to Seattle July 2010 from Virginia, and before that from California), and I can definitely say the weather makes it harder on me to eat well and exercise. Even getting out of the house for something fun like going to the movies seems like too much effort sometimes - I just want to curl up on the couch under about 5 blankets.

I did start tanning last winter, for the first time since I was in college (think the '80's or so), and it did help some, although like you I have some concerns about the health aspect of it. I also have one of those daylight lamps, I take VitD a couple times a week, and I try to make myself get outside whenever there is the slightest bit of sunlight, no matter the temps or what else I should be doing (fortunately, there were only about 2 days of sun last year from Nov-April, so I didn't have to try hard ;-P ).

I also find warm drinks/foods help, so I drink a lot of herbal teas (I used to drink a ton of coffee, but I am trying to limit myself to one cup a day now), and I have hot foods for every meal (oatmeal or eggs at breakfast, soup or chili at lunch, steamed veggies instead of salad at dinner).

It's still a challenge, and I really miss the sun sometimes (even more than the warmth, I miss the sun), and I am open to any other suggestions people have. Also, add me as a friend if you just need someone to vent to about the lousy weather up here.

Good luck!
Rachel

ElizabethRoad

My moods definitely improved with vitamin D. I had my levels tested and they were very low so I was put on prescription supplements for while. Now I am on over-the-counter ones. If you don't have an actual deficiency I don't know how much it helps, but it definitely helped my situation.

kakiem

I went to a talk regarding vit. D and SAD, and depression in general, and it's actually been proven to be a load of rubbish (except in the cases where pharmaceutical companies that make the tablets have done the research - funny that!). SAD is actually all to do with psychology rather than physiology. Try doing things that lift your mood. The idea of reading a good book might actually help, or play with your son or find other hobbies to keep you chin up!

Stay strong and stay away from that cream of wheat with toast and hot chocolate!!