NO, this isn’t one of ‘em! That bowl of ice cream made you feel better. For about 2 minutes. Now you need a nap. Next time you need a pick-me-up, reach for one of these three foods instead. Research shows they offer real mood-boosting benefits -- without inducing a food coma.


COMFORT FOOD #1: Fortified cereal
Yep, another reason to eat your Wheaties. Low levels of B vitamin, found in beans, greens, and fortified breads, breakfast cereal, and noodles can literally rewrite your DNA, raising cancer risk by muting your tumor-suppressing genes and weakening chromosomes. A bowl of fortified cereal is a great way to get a boatload of energy-boosting B vitamins, which besides protecting you from cancer, can work to curb tension, moodiness, irritability, and depression. OR get a whole string of Bs -- B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, folate, biotin -- by taking a B-complex supplement or a multivitamin. But don’t take too much. Here’s what Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen, the YOU Docs, recommend:

Pregnant or planning to be? Take 400-600 mcg of folic acid daily. Taken before conception and during the first weeks of pregnancy, folic acid offers 60-100% protection against neural tube defects, which affect a growing baby’s brain and spinal cord. Some experts recommend getting 500 mcg per day during breast-feeding, too. If you’ve already had a baby with a neural tube defect, your doctor may recommend higher doses, but take it only under a physician’s care.

Everybody else: Stick with a multivitamin containing 400 mcg. Few of us get enough folate from our diets—about 50% of us have come up short on this B vitamin. Take a multi containing 400 mcg of folic acid as nutritional insurance.


Don’t fret about overdoing with B-fortified bread or breakfast cereals. Or pasta or flour, either. Enriched grain products have contained extra folic acid since 1998, when the US government decided this move could help reduce neural-tube defects.


Even better: Skip enriched, get real. Foods richest in folate include black-eyed peas, Great Northern beans, baked beans, spinach, asparagus, and broccoli. All are near-perfect nutritional packages, brimming with fiber, antioxidants and a wealth of vitamins and minerals that keep you ultra healthy.

COMFORT FOOD #2: Fish dishes
Research shows that people with lower blood levels of EPA and DHA -- two fatty acids found in several kinds of fish -- are more likely to show symptoms of mild to moderate depression. So snack on some tuna salad or finish off the salmon from last night’s dinner.

COMFORT FOOD #3: Something made with saffron
Small-scale studies have found that saffron -- the trademark spice in many yellow-hued Indian, Moroccan, and Asian dishes -- can ease symptoms of depression with virtually no risk of side effects. Although it’s a somewhat pricey spice, a little bit goes a long way, as you’ll see in these flavorful dishes from EatingWell:

Winter Squash Risotto
Prep and Cook Time: about 1 hr

5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium shallots, thinly sliced
3 cups chopped peeled butternut, hubbard, red kuri or kabocha squash (1/2-inch pieces)
2 cups shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads (optional)
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Place broth in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the broth remains steaming, but is not simmering. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in squash and mushrooms; cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms give off their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add thyme, salt, pepper and saffron (if using); cook for 30 seconds. Add rice; stir until translucent, about 1 minute. Add wine (or vermouth) and cook, stirring, until almost absorbed by the rice, about 1 minute.
Stir in 1/2 cup of the hot broth; reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring after each addition until all the liquid has been absorbed, until the rice is tender and creamy, 30 to 40 minutes total. (You may have some broth left.) Remove from the heat and stir in cheese. (Serves 4)

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 372 calories; 11 g fat (3 g sat, 6 g mono); 15 mg cholesterol; 54 g carbohydrate; 14 g protein; 6 g fiber; 632 mg sodium; 790 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (380% daily value), Vitamin C (65% dv), Potassium (21% dv), Calcium (20% dv). 3 Carbohydrate Servings.
Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 2 fat