Saturday, April 21, 2012

Fight Those Blues Away!! Eat sensibly!

DO’S

* Have a protein rich diet, will balance out mood by maintaining more level blood sugar.
    *Go Bananas!
*Replace Junk food with ingenious variations.
    *Eat fruits and vegetables.
*Eat Healthy!
DON’T’S

*Avoid sugar and starch.
*Avoid Tea, coffee and cola.
*No Alcohol. 
*No Junk Food.
*Avoid processed Meats.
Devastated! Down! Depressed! A mood Swing! What does one do under such circumstances? All react differently. Some stop eating at all, while most people Binge or get snack attacks and unfortunately eat the wrong foodstuff. Food is known to improve one’s mood, more so if it's good, mom style, soul satisfying fare - steaming good portion size dishes that makes one feel cozy and comfortable yet doesn’t require a lot of energy to prepare.
Interestingly I did a little survey wherein I asked a few men and Women as to what they would eat if they were a bit down/ sad / little low/ in one of their bad mood swings. Both Men and Women rated Ice cream as their first choice and the second choice for women were Chocolates and for men it was a hot bowl of soup or Pizza. Some people even associated childhood memories with some food to calm one down. “ Mom's macaroni and cheese always smoothed out a bad day for me”, says Renuka Nair, a social worker nostalgically. “ I always felt better after having Mom’s Chana Dal Pulao with yogurt” says Kaka, who’s a Chef by profession. Most our Mother’s special dishes were basic and not really fancy but took some time to make. They were worth waiting for; when one ate them, one felt warm and safe.
Just thinking of Potato Chips, a slice of that sinful chocolate cake, some biscuits or any other carbohydrate rich food maybe enough to soar up some people’s spirits. Though carbohydrates are known to boost one’s mood, they are also known to make one feel druggish which can worsen depression. Normally it’s the way one eats affects the way one feels.  Low-carbohydrate food can be just as satisfying as food loaded with starch and sugar. One can surely try out ingenious variations on traditional comfort foods as macaroni and cheese, Pasta, Pizzas, cheesecakes etc.
Studies also show that eating a lot of Vitamin B more so Folate and Vitamin B12 can help prevent depression. Rich sources of B Vitamins include Breakfast cereals, Green and leafy vegetables, Whole –Wheat Bread, Soya-Beans, Bananas, Orange juice, Eggs, poultry etc. You can truly fight depression away by indulge in a lean potpourri of food, which is delectable yet forgiving. The menu can include Salads with Sprouts, Milo, Wheat, Mixed leaves, Bell pepper, Herbed Grilled chicken etc. You can go in for  whole wheat Pastas, pitas and Pizzas. Infact nowadays there are even books available on Low Carbohydrate Comfort Food Recipes, which can make one, feel better, and even better after all that guilt free indulgence.