DO’S
* Have a protein rich diet, will balance out mood by maintaining
more level blood sugar.
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*Go Bananas!
*Replace Junk food with ingenious variations.
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*Eat fruits and vegetables.
*Eat Healthy!
*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.
