I was talking to a friend the other day. She was telling me about her new experiences with night sweats and hot flashes, wondering if they signaled the beginning of menopause. “Try soy supplements”, I told her confidently, having read and written about research that indicates soy phytoestrogens cool hot flashes.

I realized that, in writing for Fifty-Something Women, I end up learning a lot of important information and occasionally just some fun facts.

For instance, during coffee breaks at work I often go outside despite the cold to soak up some of the sun’s rays. I figure this will banish the specter of S.A.D. as well as boost my cancer-fighting level of Vitamin D.

I learned how to read my nutrition labels and why doing so can help me avoid Sadness Snacking and the dangers of comfort foods.

It comes in handy too, when I can point out that my second cup of coffee is really a diabetes preventative in disguise or when I mention that the danish I am having with it is only to add those few extra pounds that will stave off menopause symptoms.

Okay, so maybe I also look for a few excuses but everyone needs a few excuses in life if they want to enjoy it at all. Life, as we know, must be taken with a grain of chocolate.

A study published in the January issue of the Journal of Marketing tells us what all women already knew: when people are sad they tend to turn to “comfort” foods more often than when they are happy. Any woman who has spent her life experiencing the hormonal mood swings of PMS and menopause understands this very well.

Several studies compared the amount of buttered popcorn or grapes consumed by two groups, one that watched sad movies and read sad stories and another that watched an upbeat movie and read happy stories. Not surprisingly, those exposed to the sad movie and stories ate much more of the less healthy snack.

Okay, so we know that when we are down, we look for a quick shot of euphoria in junky but tasty snacks. The possibility of always remaining happy and upbeat is not a viable solution, there are times when everyone will experience some sadness or disappointment. So, what do we do about our tendency to self-medicate with unhealthy snacks?

Read the nutrition label, say the researchers. Those in the sad group that were exposed to the nutritional facts about the unhealthy snack curbed their consumption. Interestingly, those in the happy group didn’t eat less after reading nutritional information. They were already regulating their consumption by mood.

Personally, when I reach for the chocolate cake or greasy bacon cheeseburger, the last thing I want to think about is how unhealthy it is and how much I will suffer for it later. But the research indicates that when we do inform ourselves of the nutritional facts and consider the consequences, we can make better decisions - even when we are down in the dumps.

I am now going to reorganize my cupboards. I am going to turn all the food packages around so I see the nutrition labels first, rather than the tasty illustrations of the food inside.

Mood-Food Connection: We Eat More And Less-Healthy Comfort Foods When We Feel Down, Study Finds