D-coding cravings

I love it when one of my magazines speaks to me and offers a solution to a problem I couldn't articulate.

It happened just five minutes ago. I was thumbing through my "Women's Health" from December and a reader's question caught my eye.

"Why do I crave more carbs in the winter?"

And it hit me - that's exactly what's been happening to me the past couple of months! I've been physically craving breads, cookies, CEREAL, crackers, and pasta. I've given in more times than I should, but now I'm thrilled to know why.

According to Keri Glassman, R.D., of NutritiousLife.com, it is totally natural to crave more carbs in the winter because there are fewer daylight hours. What does that have to do with the price of spaghetti? Well, apparently, with less sunlight, our bodies make less vitamin D and therefore can't pump as much serotonin.

I am quite familiar with serotonin, the brain's mood-regulating chemical, and have battled my body's inability to regulate it for years. But I never knew my body's vitamin D production was also a factor.

Glassman says that when there is less sunlight, our bodies urge us to look for another way to make serotonin. Carbs boost the production of serotonin and so we crave carbs more. Simple as that.

So what do we do to fight this? Glassman says we should increase our intake in D-rich foods such as nonfat milk, orange juice, tuna and mushrooms.

Oh, and we should spend a few minutes in the sun every day - even if the ground is covered in 8 inches of snow.

I'm on it! Portabello Mushroom Fajitas is going straight on this week's meal list and I'm getting the dogs ready for a lovely hike through the (snow-covered) neighborhood. Hot chocolate made with milk should make a great snack when we get back.

See? Serotonin boost is already happening at the mere thought of it all!