Adding words to a dictionary is a tricky thing. There are so many rules and guidelines, much like a recipe.  But food  — or is is that foodie — words are creeping into the big three: American Heritage, Oxford Dictionaries Online and Merriam Webster. Some will make you go hunh? Others you’ll wonder what took so long. Check out the additions:

American Heritage Dictionary

Bahn Mi – Vietnamese sandwich served on a baguette, usually with meat and pickled vegetables

Halloumi — a brined cheese, often made with sheep or goat’s milk, popular in Greece and Turkey

Mochi — sweet, doughy Japanese treat made from rice

Saison — fruity Belgian ale

Pregame — To drink, often heavily, before attending an event or party

Oxford Dictionaries Online

Arancini — Little rice or risotto balls, popular Italian appetizer

Cavatelli, Cappellacii and Trofie — Three new pasta shapes: Small twisted shell, stuffed dumpling, and short thin twists, respectively)

Queso — Cheese, a shortened from of Chile con Queso

Guanciale — an Italian cured meat, traditionally made from pork cheek

Izakaya — Small plates in Japanese restaurant

Merriam-Webster

Aji — Spicy Latin American pepper

Brat — A shortened term for the German “bratwurst”

Croque-Monsieur — Classic French grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich, topped with béchamel

Crudo — Raw seafood preparation

Pepita — Pumpkin seed that has usually been dried or toasted

Pho — Vietnamese noodle soup, traditionally made with ox-tail broth

Poutine — Canadian dish of French fries topped with gravy and cheese curds

Yuzu — A Japanese citrus fruit

Don’t eat this

Two important tips come from U.S. News & World Report:

The journal Clinical Pediatrics reports this not-surprising tidbit: The more fast food your child eats, the worse he or she does in school.

The research comes from Ohio State University, where they pored over surveys from 11,470 kids. The ones who ate fast food four to six times a week scored 20 percent lower on tests than children who didn’t eat any fast food.

Study author Katy Purtell, an assistant professor of human sciences at Ohio State University, said, according to Medical News Today. “Relying too much on fast food could hurt how well children do in the classroom. We’re not saying that parents should never feed their children fast food, but these results suggest fast-food consumption should be limited as much as possible.”

Do eat this

We made it through the shortest day of the year, but it’s still dark and cold, and cloudy and rainy, too.

Here are five foods that fight the winter blues, according to Eat + Run.

Lentils are full of folate. Depressed people have lower concentrations of folate. Other folate-heavy foods: orange juice, spinach, beans, hazelnuts, chickpeas, avocados.

Salmon has those ever popular omega-3 fats, also found to fight depression. You could also try tuna, sardines, flaxseed, canola oil and pumpkin seeds.

Yogurt contains tryptophan, which helps produce serotonin, which regulates hunger and feelings of happiness and well-being. Turkey is also known for its tryptophan content, so it’s not just for Thanksgiving anymore. Also try beef, soy, spelt, beans, tuna, nuts and eggs.

Beef. Yes the controversial cow has a good side. If you lack zinc, you may be depressed. Beef has lots of zinc. Choose lean cuts or try oysters, chicken, yogurt or whole grains.

Mushrooms. No, not that kind. Mushrooms are high in vitamin D, the “sunshine” vitamin. If you don’t see much daylight, add mushrooms to your salads, stews, pasta, soup. Or drink fortified milk, eat superfoods like salmon and tuna, or quaff some fortified orange juice or soy milk.