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Downer Food


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So. I'm dealing with a breakup. The strangest side phenomenon I have experienced is that I'm not hungry. Let me just say, I am ALWAYS HUNGRY. But thinking about this I'm not. The only thing I want to eat is . . . chocolate mousse. Luckily, I have a practically endless supply of chocolate mousse at my work. But now I'm wondering, how do the rest of you deal with this kind of heartache through food? Maybe one or another of you has experienced this? What are your favorite depressed, blue, comfort foods?

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Hang in there!

We've had a thread like this before. But anyway, when I feel down, I usually eat ice cream or frozen yogurt: Chocolate, dulce de leche, sometimes rum raisin (gives me a buzz if I eat the whole pint!). If I feel really shitty, I may get a 6-pack of hard cider (I don't like beer, generally) and guzzle a couple or so. And cookies.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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A cup of strong tea (milk and suger(Splenda now that I am a diabeatnik) and a hunk of crusty bread slathered with home made or Euro style butter.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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What if the chocolate mousse has an espresso flavor? That's the way they make it at my work. And I guess that's why I find myself sneaking into the back cooler for a big scoop of the stuff when no one is looking.

I tried to make crepes, and pasta too. But I'm not eating it. I only want the mousse. :sad:

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As somebody who is unfortunately biologically predisposed to periodic depression (sometimes in reaction to events, sometimes for no discernible reason at all) I can offer you a little good advice, maybe.

Appetite goes to shit when you're feeling low--it's a totally classic symptom. But you have to eat to keep your strength up, both physically and mentally. It's a quandary.

If you crave mousse, by all means eat mousse; plenty of calories in there. Ideally, try to "trick" yourself by eating some actually nutritious stuff, even if you don't really want it, and then eat what you really wanted all along (e.g. the mousse) as a "reward."

Buy some good fresh fruit and vegetables, stuff that doesn't have to be cooked, and keep it around the house to eat if you feel hungry at all. (You can peel, slice, and play with an apple for an hour or more while eating it; it will give you something to do. :smile: ) Or get some prepared food, like chicken salad, at the deli, and nibble on this at home at night.

I tend to eat a lot of "comfort food" when I'm depressed. Homemade soups are good for this (maybe some gazpacho would be nice, now that we're officially in summer?) I eat a lot of cheese, a lot of fresh fruit, a lot of bread.

Even a takeout pizza, if you feel like eating it at all, can keep you going nutritionally. Just basically make yourself eat (and also drink a lot of water - when you stop eating regularly it is also easy to let yourself get dehydrated.)

I find that mild stimulants (coffee, tea, yerba mate) are generally helpful, especially in the mornings, in making things a little brighter and picking up my energy level. Alcohol and other depressants should be avoided - the temporary relief they offer isn't worth the inevitable dampening effect and crash later on. Save that drink to celebrate once you're feeling better.

Some gentle exercise (walking is ideal) will improve your appetite somewhat and also help you sleep.

The thing to remember is that these feelings are definitely going to pass--we all have to grieve a little when we lose something or someone important to us. But if you feel bad for more than a few weeks, please don't be shy about talking to your doctor. There is no harm and no shame in getting a referral to a therapist, or in taking a short course of antidepressants; modern medicine is a wonderful thing.

Above all, hang in there. Mostly you just gotta wait it out and be as good to yourself as you can while you're waiting.

enrevanche <http://enrevanche.blogspot.com>

Greenwich Village, NYC

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not.

- Mark Twain

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Sugar, by all means. It will make you feel better. And then later you'll feel all shitty again, at which point you must eat ... more sugar! Go with it.

And then, when you're finally able to shake yourself out of that vicious cycle, a good simple veggie stir-fry with bulgar wheat and some tehina will set you on the right path. :wink:

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The Australian Centre of Neuropsycotherapy has found that steam cooked potatoes could provide greater use of serotonin for treating the disorder than taking anti-depressants. Eating more complex carbohydrates like potatoes, broccoli, pasta and brown rice could boost serotonin activity in the brain.

Depressed people also often lack folic acid and should eat more asparagus, beetroot, avocado, cabbage, beans, lentils and oranges.

Magnesium, contained in spinach, chocolate, oysters and some nuts, could also ease symptoms of depression by acting as a muscle relaxant, the centre said.

All of these boost serotonin ... me? I am happy with a rare steak and some sort of chocolate pudding (or something creamy and sweet ...) :wink:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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Cream of tomato soup and a grilled extra sharp cheddar sandwich- preferably a bit charred on both sides. That works for me regardless of whether it is an actual physical malady or I'm just not feeling like the world is a great place (despite the fact that it is).

Nessa is on to somethign with the coffee, though for me it is a really good espresso drink that works the best.

And ice cream. Always, always, always ice cream. Not to shortchange creme brulee either but I have yet to make it at home and it's tough to find a good one locally.

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A half-pound of pasta with butter and black pepper accompanied by a good, not necessarily expensive, red wine.

The next morning, the best coffee I can find.

But - as soon as possible, get on a sane diet. There are three things that wipe me out: 1) I don't eat right; 2) I need new shoes(I walk constantly); 3)I need new glasses(I develop software).

Strangely, all three problems produce the same symptoms: vague depression, lethargy, despair.

Indulge, but get back to basics soon. You know what your own basics are.

BB

Food is all about history and geography.

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Mashed potatoes and gravy is the best comfort food I know. :smile:

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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Kraft macaroni and cheese. Straight out of the pot. In college I used to make it at 2 a.m., sit in my dorm room, and methodically eat the entire box with my roommate. I ate a lot of Kraft macaroni and cheese in college. :sad:

Hang in there (imagine that goofy poster of the kitten hanging from a tree branch).

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Whenever this happened I started going back to the gym: you feel better, more oxygen gets to the brain to allow clearer thinking, you sleep at night, appetite comes back... you generally get rid of the mopes.

Up until I finally got off my ass to do it though, I went on a hardcore sushi binge... right up until I went practically broke!

"I took the habit of asking Pierre to bring me whatever looks good today and he would bring out the most wonderful things," - bleudauvergne

foodblogs: Dining Downeast I - Dining Downeast II

Portland Food Map.com

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I agree with johnnyd: I've read in different places (wish I could quote them) that 30 minutes of rigorous exercise really helps to alleviate depression, or just the blues. Believe me, it works: running 2 miles or taking a walk in the park always helps me out.

That being said: sushi, soup (butternut squash, tomato, corn chowder), grilled cheese sandwiches. The morning after 9/11, I had a grilled cheese for breakfast. It worked wonders to lift my mood.

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If you have no appetite, chiles can help. Even Ramen noodles with some red or green chile paste will kick your system into comeback mode. I always come back around by craving good broths, then fish. Progress to a good grilled steak, and you are on your way.

Just remember that your mind is your greatest appetite regulator.

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mango

ripe/green

with chile and lime if preferred..the texture is so good...like mousse you know...the only thing other than ice cream that does it for me...oh and super dark chocolate....pref:scharfenburger or guittard or something of that ilk.

interestingly, i too am prone to depression in my makeup, but I usually lie in bed and eat. put on weight...

Except, when there's a breakup, nothing, just a weird feelin in my tummy...so sad, then i agree with you...hard to eat...

mango.

pj harvy--rid of me

High Fidelity--the book, not the movie--not the same thing at all

of course I don't know your age...but those are great:)

Edited by ninadora (log)
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Sweet and Sour chicken from the local Chinese delivery (make sure it is the REALLY sweet, bright orange stuff) with lots of rice.

Throw it back with some cheap champagne.

Then finish with some Ben and Jerry's choc chip cookie dough.

all of this is eaten while watching the DVD of Six Feet Under the first season

That my friend, while it may not make you feel better in the long run, is the best short term cure I know.

edited for spellign

Edited by WoodleyGrrl (log)
Jennifer
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The hottest buffalo wings I can find tend to cheer me up pretty fast... or at least make me care a whole lot less about anything other than the burning in my mouth ;).

He don't mix meat and dairy,

He don't eat humble pie,

So sing a miserere

And hang the bastard high!

- Richard Wilbur and John LaTouche from Candide

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Pudding: chocolate, tapioca, vanilla, butterscotch, whatever. Even simple cook & serve Jello works for me. Served still somewhat warm.

Gooey cheese like brie or something really evil like port wine processed cheese spread or a really great grilled cheese sandwich or quesadilla (plain, no salsa, just cheese & tortilla)

When I get depressed, my appetite is NEVER a problem. Or, rather it IS because I usually want to eat lots of things that my more rational, restrained self would either eat in moderation or not at all.

"I just hate health food"--Julia Child

Jennifer Garner

buttercream pastries

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The big three in one meal. Starch, fat, and salt. Eaten on the couch or a comfy chair, while naked. Follow with a cold dessert.

People laugh, but it works, dammit. :raz: Skip the soup course.

Do it while watching a TV show that is completely mindless. Check ESPN2 for billiards and World's Strongest Man competitions, or VH1.

Edited by FistFullaRoux (log)
Screw it. It's a Butterball.
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