Ease winter depression and social media dieters: The week in Well + Being

This week’s required reading:

• Are you a chronic people pleaser? Here’s how to be more beautiful on its own.
• Is it true that alcohol burns during cooking? The answer can it surprises you
• Consumer Reports has recommendations for drinking water. Here’s how to do it taste better.
• Exercising with flat feet? That’s what you need to know
• Seeing blood in the toilet is scary. Here we go what to do about him

A crackdown on dietitian “influencer” ads

Did you know that the food industry pays dietitians to train your eating habits?

That’s what the Washington Post learned in a months-long investigation with the nonprofit newsroom The Examiner. Our team identified a number of cases where popular dietitians on TikTok and Instagram promoted industry-friendly messages about aspartame and sugar, but it was often unclear who was paying for the ads.

Now the Federal Trade Commission is weighing in. This week, the agency sent warning letters to two industry trade groups and a dozen diet influencers saying they need to be more transparent about who gets paid for social media posts.

“Influencers, especially people like dietitians and other medical providers who are trusted by the public, need to take these warnings seriously,” said Samuel Levine, director of the Office of Consumer Protection of the FTC. “We are disappointed to see this type of influencer marketing.”

The Post and Examination investigation revealed that American Beverage, whose ownership includes Coca-Cola and Pepsi, paid a dozen nutrition influencers for videos that sought to undermine health warnings from the World Health Organization. Health about aspartame, an artificial sweetener in many diet sodas.

The investigation also found that the Canadian Sugar Institute paid at least a dozen dietitians for videos encouraging people to give in to sugary food cravings, mocked advice to reduce sugar intake and urged parents to let the children eat as much candy as they want.

Here’s the full article on this week’s FTC action and some responses from the food industry and dietitians. And you can read the original investigation here.

8 things you can do to ease winter depression

Every year, millions of people—an estimated 5 percent of Americans—deal with the lethargy and low mood of winter seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

What many do not know is that the best time to prepare for winter depression is in the fall. Chelsea Conrad, a news designer for The Post, created this gorgeous illustrated guide based on expert tips for navigating winter SAD, gathered by columnist Richard Sima.

Should you take a magnesium supplement?

Q: I’ve heard that magnesium might be linked to fatigue and mood symptoms. Should I start taking supplements?

A: The data on taking a magnesium supplement is disappointing for some of the alleged benefits popularized on social media, including taking it for fatigue and mood symptoms. There are a few clear circumstances where magnesium supplementation is warranted.

To learn more, read the full story. Our columnist is Trisha S. Pasricha, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Use our Ask a Doctor form to submit a question, and we may answer it in a future column.

Here are a few things that brought us joy this week.

• This photo from the International Kite Festival in Spain it is a pleasure.
• In Argentina, fans lived for six months to see it Taylor Swift.
• Here there are 22 books our books, columnist Michael Dirda, would read again.
• As we head into Thanksgiving planning, take a breather. Here we go 7 things you don’t have to worry.

Want to know more about “joy” snacks? Our Brain Matters columnist Richard Sima explains. Yyou can too read this story like a comic.

Please let us know how we do. Send me an email at wellbeing@washpost.com. You can too find us on TikTok.