Winter weather brings with it not only snow, skiing, and other fun activities, but also Seasonal Affective Disorder, otherwise known by its clever acronym, SAD. SAD is a real type of depression that is related to the changing seasons, most typically fall into winter, and it drains the light out of your life. Here are seven bright and colorful foods to keep your stomach full of food and your body full of life this winter.
1. Açaí Bowls
Not only are açaí bowls beautiful and delicious, but they also boast many health benefits that have the ability to improve your mood throughout the season. The antioxidants act as both an immune and energy booster, which are an added plus for the winter months.
2. Rainbow Bagels
Being the true New Yorker I am, I trekked down to Brooklyn to get this perfect looking (and tasting) bagel at the Bagel Store, the creator of the original rainbow bagel. Although the original store has officially closed, their second location is just as good and just as popular.
There are even people crazy enough (me) to stand in line for hours to catch just a glimpse of one of these colorful masterpieces. Can't fly out to NY for the day? Try making your own.
3. Waffles
Waffles are hands down the best breakfast/brunch food on the planet. Not only are they easy to make at home, but there are also an endless amount of ways to spice up your plain waffles to make them taste and look even better.
Adding in colorful funfetti or making them red velvet can help to dress up your waffles and start your day off with a fresh and bright homemade breakfast.
4. Mini Cupcakes
If the idea of dessert isn't enough to put a smile on your face, then maybe these bit sized Baked by Melissa cupcakes will be. These quarter sized cupcakes are packed with a ton of cheer and flavor, giving you the added bonus of not feeling guilty for eating more than one — or three, or maybe even nine.
Though the physical store locations are specific to New York, these cupcakes make the perfect gifts, as they ship worldwide. And, if you're not feeling mini cupcakes, Melissa also recently whipped up colorful mini macarons and mini muffins.
5. Avocado Toast
Avocado toast (aka the wonder food) as it can be eaten for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and as a snack, will become your toast's new better and brighter self during the dreary winter months. Not only is avocado toast a healthy and filling meal, as it has multiple health benefits, but you can also make it yourself.
6. Colorful Cereal
If there's anything I've found myself overeating in college, it's cereal. Late for a 9 am and need a quick breakfast? Eat some cereal. Need a snack? Eat some cereal. Dining hall dinner sucks? Eat some cereal. To get out of a seasonal depression funk and feed into my new addiction, trade in boring old Special K for Fruity Pebbles, Trix, Fruit Loops, and Lucky Charms.
While this does nothing to break my habit, the rainbow filled bowl will get me to smile when it's blizzarding outside.
7. Hot Chocolate
While not everyone is lucky enough to live in Southern California near Creme and Sugar, founder of the magical Unicorn hot chocolate featured above, there are ways to make your own at home. This beautifully colorful treat is a pleasant upgrade from regular hot chocolate, and is a warm and sweet treat to have when temperatures plunge.
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a serious type of depression that many out-of-state and in-state students face during, what feels like, an endless winter season. But, if there's anything I can put all of my faith in, it's food. I will be eating all of these things to get me through the frigid months. After all, they might be the brightest things I see until the sun comes back (which will, hopefully, be soon).