Whether we call it Seasonal Effective Disorder (SAD) or depression, the truth is it's just no fun to feel down. New research shows that what we eat may contribute to such feelings of depression - specifically, eating processed foods may increase our risk of experiencing depression.

The recent research included nearly 3500 participants with an average age of 55 years. People who reported eating a larger amount of processed foods were more likely to be depressed. Individuals with the highest amounts of whole foods including fruits, vegetables, and fish were less likely to report symptoms of depression.

Processed foods are basically the opposite of fresh foods. Many processed foods are manufactured with excess sodium (salt) and sugar, trans fats, saturated fats, artificial flavors and sweeteners and preservatives.

Processed foods include:

- Packaged cakes and cookies (and cake and cookie mixes)

- Processed meats like hot dogs, bologna, sausage, ham and other lunch meats (most of which contain nitrates or nitrites)

- White bread made with refined white flour

- Frozen meals like frozen dinners and fish sticks, etc.

- High salt canned foods including soups and ravioli

- Sugary breakfast cereals

- Soda and diet soda

Our bodies' don't really recognize the above processed foods as "real" food. Rather, our bodies' work to get rid of the potential toxins and foreign chemicals either via our detoxification pathways, elimination - or worse, the toxins get stored in our fatty areas or surrounding tissues, and as a result we start to feel less than cheerful.

Processed foods are often deficient in essential minerals and vitamins that we need for mental health. Chromium, magnesium, zinc, and calcium are especially deficient in individuals who typically over-consume highly processed, nutrient-deficient foods. Unfortunately, individuals who eat this way may also have other poor lifestyle habits including smoking and/or lack of exercise and/or excessive alcohol use. All of these habits can lead us down the path of depressive disorders.

The take home message here is that to prevent seasonal affective disorder or depression, we need to do our best to eat healthy, whole foods year round. If we are short on time we can still do our best to eat fresh vegetables - even organic vegetables are available pre-washed and packaged for our convenience. We can choose wild fish, lean free-range poultry, nuts and seeds, and whole grains over canned foods loaded with sodium or nutrient-deficient white rice. We can choose daily exercise, 15 minutes of sunshine - and if need be, we can supplement our diets with essential fatty acids, vitamin D, digestive enzymes, and a multi-vitamin/mineral combination. We can choose something better than processed foods.