Prone to winter blues? Eating healthy can help your mood.

You might assume that nothing would make you happier than polishing off that super-sized double cheeseburger meal with a large milkshake, but actually the opposite is true -- recent studies suggest that eating junk food actually makes you depressed. Researchers at the University College London in England found that people who regularly indulged in processed, high-fat and sugary foods were 58 percent more likely to suffer from depression than those who eat a healthy, balanced diet.

"There seem to be various aspects of lifestyle such as taking exercise which also matter, but it appears that diet is playing an independent role," Dr. Eric Brunner, lead author of the study, told the Daily Mail.

So is a healthy diet really that much better for you? The study, which appeared in the British Journal of Psychiatry, concluded that all the nutrients found in wholesome food compared to fast food affect mental health. High levels of antioxidants, folate and omega-3s are being credited with the positive mental health of those with a balanced diet. On the other hand, unstable blood sugar levels contribute to high levels of depression in junk food eaters.

The bottom line? Junk food won't make you happy. Keep that in mind next time you're weighing up the merits of a salad versus a Whopper at lunchtime.

In fact, poor eating may send you to therapy -- it did for Kevin Federline.

Feeling tired? Wish you had more energy? Got the blues? Studies have shown again and again that regular, moderate exercise reduces stress, increases energy levels and can even fight depression.

In fact, a recent study out of the University of Vermont found that the post-exercise "glow" or general feeling of well-being you get after a workout lasts up to 12 hours. That's a long time! And study authors think that their findings prove that regular exercise can help people feel happier. "This goes a long way to show that even moderate aerobic exercise has the potential to mitigate the daily stress that results in your mood being disturbed," study author Dr. Jeremy Sibold says in an interview.

Here's how it worked: Forty-eight healthy men and women between the ages of 18 and 25 completed a mood survey. Then one group rode stationary bikes for 20 minutes, while the other group didn't exercise at all. Researchers retested mood again at eight hours later, then 12 and 24. The exercisers reported a better mood than the group who didn't exercise -- not a surprise, since that had already been proven in previous studies, but what was a surprise was how long it lasted ... up to 12 hours.

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Have you been caught in the recent cold blast that's sweeping the nation? It's pretty bitter where I live, and considering I work from home, I have to make efforts to get outside and fight the doldrums. Divine Caroline has some healthful ways to beat the winter blues. Here are the top three tips:

• Exercise. When you're feeling down, you may be tempted to just plop on the couch and stare at the TV. But that's the last thing you should do. Exercise helps to energize you, release stress, and it elevates your mood.
• Eat right. Healthy eating habits can boost your mood. Include plenty of complex carbs (whole grains, fruits, vegetables) in your diet for a long-lasting energy boost; and avoid refined and processed foods, which can cause your blood sugar to spike and drop and can sap your energy.
• Step outside. I know it's cold outside, but a little daylight will do you a world of good. Bundle up and go for a short walk. Even simply opening the blinds and letting the sunlight in your living room or office can help, too.

Check out the full article on Divine Caroline for more healthful ways to beat the winter blues.

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As Jacki pointed out yesterday, it's pretty unusual to find a coupon for bananas or lettuce or Granny Smith apples.

Eating well doesn't have to burn up all of your fun money, but it does take careful planning. On the other hand, eating cheap is a no-brainer ... just walk down any of the inside aisles of the grocery store and you'll find mac and cheese, frozen pizza, and all manner of prepared foods at bargain basement prices.

Experts worry that as incomes fall and stress levels rise, people may turn to these less expensive and less nutritious foods to save money. But that shift comes with a price ... a rise in obesity.

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After watching her weight zig-zag through a range of about 100 pounds over the years, Oprah Winfrey has done it again. Apparently, she's regained the weight she once worked so hard to lose and is stuck at 200 pounds, in a very uncomfortable position.

Oprah reveals that she had envisioned a beautiful dress to wear to President-Elect Obama's inauguration but is now worried she won't be able to fit into it.

"How could this happen again?" she wonders. After losing weight following very public liquid diets, marathons and detox diets, we're all left to wonder: Will Oprah ever keep the weight off for good? Oprah is clearly wondering the same thing.

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Welcome to the Good, the Fat and the Hungry. I'm Karla and I have been -- or am -- all those things. Here, I will share with you my lifelong struggle with my weight and I hope you'll follow along on with my determined attempt to lose nearly 40 pounds. I promise to tell you every win and setback along the way every Tuesday and Friday.

After my surgery, I was depressed. At the time, I can't say I was aware of my depression but soon after, I realized. Continual thoughts of having mutilated my body to lose weight and fears that the surgery had failed plagued me daily. I was sad about what I couldn't eat and mad that it FORCED me to make changes I was not ready to make.

Six months after my surgery, my beloved Father passed away. My sister, the therapist, suggested I "see someone." Well, she is a doctor, so I agreed. I was very close to my Dad and his passing was difficult. Even so, I was at peace with it because I did right by him. However, being at peace did not alleviate the pain of losing both my Dad AND my former lover, food. I missed them both. According to the checklist, I was depressed.

I called my company's EAP and got a referral to see a therapist. This benefit offered by most companies allowed me six free sessions. I met this wonderful Jewish woman who astounded me with her guidance. My first instinct was to find an African American, but death and fat have no color. As different as she and I were, her counsel came with no color. I found that these sessions were more about my weight loss than the loss of my Father. He had cancer, so in some way I was prepared. As for the weight loss, I was not prepared.

Feeling a bit grouchy? Include these foods in your diet to improve your mood.

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Growing up, any time I left food on my plate, I was reminded of times of depression and war, when food was scarce and I would have considered myself lucky to eat the crust off a piece of bread. Well, times have changed. Even with the economy down, most of us are spoiled, with access to unlimited food at our fingertips. No wonder people were slimmer back then!

I guess it's only natural, then, that someone would come up with a diet based on the principals of rationing and poverty. The Ration Book Diet has a few simple principals:

• Eat things that would have been available in early in the century -- fresh, unprocessed foods like fruits, veggies and whole grains, as opposed to junk food and convenience items.
  
• Limit 'rationed' foods, like meat, sugar, butter and cheese.
  
• Cut down on car use too -- gasoline was rationed as well. Doing so will benefit the environment, not to mention your waistline.
  
• Cut down on waste. Find ways to use extra food in other meals. For example, if your fruit starts to turn? Use it in baking.
• Click here for more rationing tips.
  
  

Makes sense -- what do you think?

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When emotions run high, a lot of people run for the fridge. Emotional eating is a complex habit. For many people, it's a habit that they've practiced for years and years -- maybe even since their childhood. Many people who eat due to emotions such as sadness, anger, depression, boredom, stressed, or loneliness, are fully aware that they are emotional eaters. Even though they're cognizant of their eating habits, in the heat of the moment it's sometimes hard to tell the difference between real hunger and emotional triggers. But knowing your body and finding healthier outlets for your emotions is important for health.

Everyday Health shares some tips on determining real, physical hunger from emotion-based hunger:

• Physical hunger builds gradually, causes your stomach to growl, isn't accompanied by a sense of compulsion, occurs hours after you last ate, and goes away after eating.
• Emotional hunger develops suddenly, is a more mental craving (when you "get a taste" for something), makes you feel like you urgently need to eat, is unrelated to the last time you ate, often has specific cravings, persists even when you're full, and leaves you feeling guilty after eating.
  

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Are you envious of your bed partner, who drifts off to sleep quickly while you toss and turn? Do you find yourself lying awake at night, despite your best efforts to fall asleep? You aren't alone. Insomnia is a common condition that steals precious sleep from those who need it, and a lack of sleep can have a serious impact on your health, including weight gain.

The first step in treating insomnia is identifying the cause. Forbes has an excellent gallery to help you do just that. Their 14 reasons you aren't sleeping covers topics like:

• relationship trouble
• co-sleeping with children
• pregnancy
• being a woman
• medications
• sleep disorders
• stress
• poor sleeping habits or environment
• worry
• age
• heart disease
• depression
  

If this sounds like you, you might already be on your road to recovery. Try and make some lifestyle or environmental adjustments, and if that doesn't work, speak to your doctor to see if your health may be part of the cause. While you're at it, visit AOL Health to see what they're saying about sleep.

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Try to find a person who doesn't enjoy a massage to relax. You'd be hard-pressed. Of all the stress-relieving techniques out there, massage is my absolute favorite.

Certainly, massage relieves muscle pain and soreness, but it appears to be most popular for stress relief. It's effectiveness is largely due to the fact that manipulating the muscles releases endorphins, the brain's natural opiates, which encourages a feeling of well being and confidence. Studies show massage can be helpful for various ailments. But when looking at the list, one can't help but notice many of the benefits involve the mind more than the body. Consider the following from a Mayo Clinic article:

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Millions of women suffer from chronic headaches, with 90 percent of them experiencing migraines. As if that isn't difficult enough to deal with, a study showed that women with chronic headache were four times likelier to report symptoms of major depression than were those with episodic headache.

The women who reported the symptoms of major depression were three times more likely to have symptoms related to the headache, like low energy, trouble sleeping, nausea and other pains and problems. These painful physical symptoms could cause or provoke major depression, and depression can heighten pain perception.

While the cause of the link between headache and depression isn't entirely known, it is certain that one is related to the other, making the research and treatment of both all the more important.

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This is just a teaser -- a more complete story will be on newsstands on Friday -- but PEOPLE magazine online reveals that Heather Locklear is currently seeking treatment for anxiety and depression at an Arizona facility.

Apparently, Locklear has requested an in-depth evaluation of her medication and is seeking a diagnosis and treatment for her health issues. With boyfriend Jack Wagner by her side, the 46-year-old actress, in my opinion, is making a brave and courageous move. It's up to each of us to lobby for our physical and mental health. It seems this is exactly what Locklear is doing. Good for her. And best wishes for a speedy recovery too.

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