LIFESTYLE

Treat Seasonal Depression by Eating Like an Icelander Consumption of fish could have a protective impact on the mind, specifically guarding against seasonal depression and the winter blues.

WHEN THE DAYS get colder and the nights get longer, many people find that their formerly sunny moods have turned gloomy. For most people, the change of season triggers nothing more than a case of the winter blues, but for others, the issue is far more serious.

When the winter blues turns into seasonal affective disorder, aptly known as SAD, it is easy to blame the condition on a lack of light. After all, SAD strikes hardest in the winter months, when the sun stays low on the horizon and the nights become ever longer. It must come as a surprise, therefore, to find that rates of seasonal depression are actually quite low in Iceland, a stark landscape known for its natural beauty, and for its relative lack of sunlight.

If you want to treat seasonal depression at its source and feel better fast, you might want to take a clue from your neighbors to the north. Icelanders do not let the winter months get them down, and when you follow their lead, you can emerge from the cold dark climate with your sanity, and your happiness, intact. So what do the residents of Iceland know that the rest of the world has yet to learn? Why do native Icelanders love the great outdoors even when the temperatures are low enough to send most people running for the fireplace? What is it about Icelanders that makes them relatively immune from the scourge of seasonal depression?

As with so much in the world of health, it may all boil down to diet. Throughout recorded history, Icelanders have been rather isolated, and their lack of contact with the outside world is reflected in their diet and their other traditions.

Perhaps the most striking difference between the traditional Icelandic diet and the diet other people eat is the amount of fish they consume. You may have heard that fish is good for your brain, but there is reason to believe seafood consumption also has a positive impact on mood.

If the Icelandic diet is any indication, consumption of fish could have a protective impact on the mind, specifically guarding against seasonal depression and the winter blues. For those suffering from this troublesome and sometimes

debilitating annual illness, relief could be as simple as eating like an Icelander.

Compared to the typical Western diet, eating like an Icelander starts with consuming a lot more fish. In fact, the average Icelander enjoys more than four times the amount of fish as the average North American. In fact, Icelandic residents have one of the highest per capita rates of fish consumption in the world.

In trying to explain the link between eating more fish, i.e. eating like an Icelander, and lower rates of seasonal depression, scientists point to the high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids in seafood.

It is well known that higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids have a positive impact

on brain health, impacting everything from memory to mood. It is thought that the cumulative effects of this fish consumption may have a protective impact on the brain, allowing Icelanders to fight the winter blues without costly and complicated light boxes or potentially harmful prescription drugs. In addition to being a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids, fish is also a prime source of Vitamin D, another nutrient linked to increased mood and a sense of well being. You probably already know that dairy products are rich in Vitamin D, but so is seafood.

When you realize that the human body makes its own Vitamin D when exposed to the sun, it is easy to see the link between increased fish consumption and lower rates of seasonal depression. Studies of people with lower than average rates of Vitamin D in their bloodstreams have shown a link between those low levels and depression. It is only natural to think that the linkage would also work in the opposite direction.

If you suffer from seasonal affective disorder, it may be time to change yourdiet. Eating like an Icelander can have a host of healthy benefits, from better cardiovascular health to lower levels of depression and enhanced mood. You may not be able to stop winter from coming, but you can change the way your body, and your mind, responds to the lack of light and heat. HL