The main issue for me right now is the intense (and I mean intense) carb cravings, which is a major component of SAD. The science does not support any findings that either of these two will address that issue. What I might need is some more serotonin in the form of SSRI. I'm giving that some serious thought right now.
In a MMM Forum thread about getting kids to eat healthy foods, someone suggested that gut bacteria can play a major role in the foods we crave. The specific related advice there was to get kids to eat foods with live cultures (like yogurt) to help establish more variety in the gut bacteria, leading to decreased pickiness in eating. It might be worth doing some research into this idea. I've also had a friend tell me she identified a gluten allergy in part based on carb cravings.
I do suspect I have a gut bacteria imbalance due to some serious antibiotic use over the years. I have a dairy allergy so I can't do yogurt but I did try some probiotics over the years and did not see any changes.
The thing with carbs is that over the summer I was eating a low-carb diet and was doing great. No cravings once I got them out of my system. But right now the struggle is that the cravings are so strong, I can't get them out of my system.
I'm trying to 'manage' the situation by eating lots of sweet potatoes for the carbs and limiting the non-veggie carbs to bagels. Not ideal, but better than all-out carb-fest.
On the carbs and the cravings, just a thought. This is based on my own experience, and a sample size of one is of questionable value, so take it with a grain of salt. Or other non-blood pressure raising spice.
- Cravings for a certain type of food aren't necessarily for that particular food, but for the sugars or nutrients/minerals they provide.
- Food habits are formed by habit and can be changed into better habits.
I used to be a chicken pasta with cream sauce, chocolate bar and can of coke for lunch kind of guy. I got into the habit of it and I got addicted to the simple carbs and sugars these kinds of meal provided. I was working 10-12 hour days in corporate land at this stage.
Over many years I learnt to increase the amount of fresh veg, lower the amount of simple carbs. I eventually weaned myself off sugary drinks as well. It took a long time to do so but once you stop eating these kinds of foods you stop also craving them. But it can take a long time to feel normal about it. I'm now vegan-ish, and a few years ago this diet would have seem strange and deprived, but I'm really happy with it for now.
So your palate changes, but it does take a while to adjust.
Regarding cravings, I've found that when I get a little lazy and eat a lot of simple carbs (pasta, bread, rice) for convenience, I slowly start developing cravings for meat. However, rather than go out an get a hamburger or steak I ramp up the amount of leafy greens, legumes and nuts I eat and the craving goes away. It seems that by eating so many simple carbs I end up going a bit deficient in vitamins and minerals so I start craving foods that will give me these things. Since I've been a meat eater for 35+ years I associate the desire for these nutrients with the usual source of them - meat. However, now I know I can get these nutrients from other sources I can and I do.
Relating back to you, you mention that you eat a lot of fruit and veg - but you still eat a lot of carbs. Bagels are probably the most dense form of simple carbohydrate you can think of. Your body converts the refined carbohydrate into sugar quickly giving you a blood sugar a bit of a spike and leaving you wanting more. And so you crave more. This is a really common situation.
There's nothing wrong with carbs. I eat a tonne of sugar when I'm cycling. But the amounts need to be matched to the amount of energy you're expending.
Forgive me if you've tried these techniques already, but perhaps keep the refined carbs, but reduce them down significantly. But truly overcompensate with complex carbs like leafy greens. The sweet potato is on the right track. Allow yourself to eat as much of that as you can. If you give your body as much healthy fresh veg as it wants, as well as protein via meat or legumes etc, you may find you fill yourself up with nutrient dense fibre, and wean yourself off the craving and adjust your palate and then find yourself with more energy.
Sleep is important too.
Anyway, these thoughts came to me as I was reading your post. Feel free to disregard but hoping that it might give you some ideas if you haven't come across them before.