Beating winter blues, Super Bowl foods

1. What foods can you help beat the winter blues?
Kim via the Internet

During the short, grey winter days, we see less sunlight which can affect our brain chemicals and lead to the winter blues. The winter blues affects four times as many women than men. Fortunately, what we eat can influence our brain chemicals and improve our mood.

First, eat enough protein. Forty-five percent of women do not eat enough protein. Meat, fish, poultry, and low fat milk & yogurt are rich in tyrosine which stimulates your brain to release dopamine. Low dopamine can cause depression and a loss of satisfaction.

Other tyrosine-rich foods include avocados, bananas, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds.

Second, choose whole grain bread, cereal, pasta and rice. Whole grains are rich in typtophan, a nutrient that converts to serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a "feel good " brain chemical that regulates your mood. The B-vitamin folate also increases serotonin, and is commonly deficient in the American diet.

Often, people diagnosed with clinical depression have low folate levels in their bloodstreams. You find folate in leafy green vegetables and legumes such as chickpeas and black beans. It is easily destroyed by cooking so enjoy your leafy greens raw when you can.

Doesn't fish help too?

Yes. The fish is high in Omega-3 fatty acids which also helps trigger the production of serotonin. In addition, fish is a good food source of the trace mineral selenium. Low selenium has been linked with depression.

2. We have been eating well since Jan 1st. How can we continue this and have a food fun Super Bowl?
Michael in East Longmeadow

You can definitely have good food for everyone at the Super Bowl and keep it healthful. Let's look at four easy changes you can make.

Switch your usual portion of chips and dip to Baked Tostidos Chips and salsa.

Replace Chicken wings - at 120 a wing - plus blue cheese dressing to shrimp with cocktail sauce. You can eat 4 ounces of shrimp for the calories in 1 chicken wing.

Make your pizza crust a thin crust and use less meat to save fat and calories.

Finally bulk up your chili with extra mushrooms, onions and peppers to cut the calories in half. Do all 4 tricks and you'll save over 1,000 calories yet still have fun.