When you're feeling fed up how often do you treat yourself to a bar of chocolate or a piece of cake? Comfort eating does just that - it comforts you. The trouble is that this can make you pile on the pounds if you're not careful. At this time of year with the gloomy days and long dark nights we can all do with a bit of cheering up. But for others this is a more serious problem and can cause Depression or Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), commonly known as the winter blues. Want to find out how to beat it? Then we've got the diet for you.

What is it?
The Beat the Blues Diet can help alter your mood. It's based on a straightforward, easy to follow healthy eating plan of mood lifting foods to kick start your hormones. The plan also recommends daily exercise too, even if it's just a gentle walk. It even encourages snacking!

How does it work?
By eating the right types of carbs, like the ones found in wholegrain bread and brown pasta that release energy slowly, protein, lots of healthy fruit and veg and cutting out junk foods with bad fats and bad carbs, like the ones in cakes, you can start to alter your moods.

Read on... How foods affect your hormones

By Vicky Woollaston

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