I’m a firm believer that knowledge equals power. Here are my choices for books that will help you understand how to manage the winter blues and seasonal affective disorder. I will add more relevant books as they come across my desk, so please feel free to email me suggestions.
Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder, What it is and how to overcome it
Norman E. Rosenthal, MD
This seminal book is often considered the bible on how to beat SAD. Rosenthal was the lead researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health when SAD was discovered and scientifically documented.
Despite the author’s scientific background, this is a very easy-to-read book. It is the book that taught me how to turn my SAD around 10 years ago.
It includes a self-test to evaluate your own level of SAD and useful chapters on commonly prescribed antidepressant medications and St. John’s Wort as an alternative. I recommend the Q&A chapter on light therapy and research.
There is an excellent bibliography on SAD and related conditions, and the section on artists, musicians and writers who likely had SAD offers an interesting historical perspective. The chapter on “Celebrating the Season” is a good resource for seeing the brighter side of winter.
In the 2006 revised edition, Rosenthal reaffirms his support of conventional, fluorescent light therapy and defers on the effectiveness of blue light treatment for more studies. The revised edition is not as current with the large body of ongoing research as I would like.
Still, if you’re only going to buy one book, this is the one.
Winter Blues Coach recommendation: Must read
Amazon affiliate link:Winter Blues, Revised Edition: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder
The Circadian Prescription: Get in step with your body’s natural rhythms to maximize energy, vitality and longevity
Sidney MacDonald Baker, M.D. with Karen Baar, MPH
The premise of this book is that many chronic health issues, such as SAD, stem from the disruption of our natural circadian rhythms. Baker’s program is based on scientific research that illuminates the relationship between the rhythms of your body and your harmony with your environment.
As with Rosenthal’s book, it includes a simple self-assessment to determine how synchronous your body is with your natural rhythms.
The core of the “circadian prescription” is shifting your eating patterns to eat what your body needs when it needs it. That means concentrating on replacing carbohydrates with protein during the day and shifting the bulk of your carbohydrate consumption to the evening meal, when the body is geared to metabolize carbs. Replacing breakfast with one of his yummy protein shakes is easy and effective.
Chapters include useful information on: insulin resistance, menopause, prostate cancer, weight loss, drugs and supplements. Besides the circadian diet, the rest of the program includes breathing, exercise and meditation.
Written in 2000, the premises in this book challenged many of the nutritional beliefs at the time, although now I find nothing off-the-wall in the advice. There have since been written numerous books about our “body clock” I am looking forward to reading.
Winter Blues Coach recommendation: Worth reading
Amazon affiliate link: The Circadian Prescription: Get Step w/ your Body’s Natural Rhythms Maximize Energy Vitality Longevity
Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet: The Lifelong Solution to Yo-Yo Dieting
Dr. Richard F. Heller and Dr. Rachel F. Heller
This book is strongly recommended by Rosenthal in “Winter Blues” as one of two diets most effective at treating SAD.
The Hellers were both extremely heavy people who beat decades-long obesity problems using this approach, now more than 17 years old. This first book was published in 1993, and the couple has gone on to publish many spinoff books, programs and cookbooks.
They maintain that lifelong weight issues resulting from carbohydrate addiction are not a problem with willpower but with biology. Their program works to educate the dieter and the body about insulin imbalance and how to fix it.
Again, the basic premise is to strictly control carbohydrate consumption during two of the three daily meals and eat a balanced meal for the third. If followed, the program eliminates cravings while you look forward to the “Reward” meal of the day.
I have followed the diet and found it effective. It has taught me to be highly aware of my body’s reactions to carbohydrates and I can now anticipate cravings based on what I’ve eaten. It works, but it can be challenging to follow because carbohydrate-based foods are so ever-present in the American diet and culture.
Winter Blues Coach recommendation: Worth reading
Here’s the Amazon affiliate link to the original book: The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet: The Lifelong Solution to Yo-Yo Dieting (Signet)
If you decide to give this one a try, I’d suggest looking at their latest book, “The 7-Day Low-Carb Rescue and Recovery Plan” as a trial run. Here’s the Amazon affiliate link: The Carbohydrate Addict’s 7-Day Plan: Start Fresh On Your Low-Carb Diet!
Flat Belly Diet
From the Editors of Prevention: Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief with Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD
The Flat Belly Diet is Prevention’s version of the Mediterranean diet, adapted for American appetites and supermarkets and based on current scientific studies.
Here it is in a nutshell: You eat three, 400-calorie meals and one snack a day that each include a controlled portion of a healthy fat, a MUFA, or monounsaturated fatty acid. MUFAs are nuts and seeds, olives and olive oil, avocados and chocolate. (Yes, chocolate!)
The rest of the diet is filled out with fresh, locally grown veggies, lean meat and fish, limited red meat and whole grains. You can’t go more than four hours without eating to keep your energy and blood sugar steady.
By its very nature, this is a low-carbohydrate diet, although you can eat a small amount of carbs at every meal. You wouldn’t think 400 calories would fill you up, but these healthy fats go a long way to satisfying real hunger with honest veggies and protein.
The book is full of recipes, most including brand-name foods common to American supermarkets, and sample meal plans. Prevention has an online paid-membership support program and recently came out with the “Flat Belly Diet for Men,” a welcome addition to the original book that came out in 2008.
In terms of real-life usability, this diet is probably my favorite. Plus, Prevention does with this book what it does best, which is to make everything simple and easy to follow. The meal plans, shopping lists and recipes spell everything out.
Winter Blues Coach recommendation: Must read
Here’s the Amazon affiliate link: Flat Belly Diet!
Here’s the link to men’s book: Flat Belly Diet! for Men
Rhythms of Life: The Biological Clocks that Control the Daily Lives of Every Living Thing
Russell G. Foster and Leon Kreitzman
This is a fascinating look at how biological clocks control everything on the planet and how our malfunctioning clocks contribute to jet lag, SAD, depression and major accidents.
Foster is a professor of molecular neuroscience and leading expert on chronobiology. Published in 2004, this is a very readable, scientifically based book, but I’d save it for those long winter evenings when your SAD is under control and you’re more curious as to how these mysterious biological clocks silently control our lives.
Winter Blues Coach recommendation: Interesting read
Here’s the Amazon affiliate link: Rhythms of Life: The Biological Clocks that Control the Daily Lives of Every Living Thing
