topic What does everyone eat? in BB Social Zone

What does everyone eat?

Rock — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 03:58:32 GMT

I'm just asking out of curiosity. I know my increasing depression and anxiety has changed my eating habits quite a bit over the years and I feel I don't care as much about food anymore and am quite lazy about it. I was just wondering what others who share these conditions eat. My day in food looks something like this:

Breakfast: A piece of toast with promite or just butter, and black coffee.
Lunch: Tinned soup or plain beans, or pasta with salt and butter.
Dinner: A tiny portion of what my family eats, or nothing. Or an entire block of chocolate. And more coffee.

What about you guys?

What does everyone eat?

SadboiArt — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 05:01:38 GMT

High Rock,

I suffer from severe depression and mild anxiety. In answer to your question:

I love food, it is my comfort, joy and social activity. So I actually eat very well, although I don't usually do breakfast because it makes me feel ill. I have spent a lot of time learning to cook and now I am good enough that when I cook for people I care about it gives me an emotional boost because they are so happy and enjoying my meal. I also go out for coffee or lunch/cake whatever as often as possible because good food brings me so much joy. And Coffee, I am a huge fan of coffee. I also try to not eat the same thing too often because I get bored and that makes me feel down.

Unfortunately I have no advice to offer for eating in a 'healthy' way because my secret is that I freaking adore good food. Even in my darkest hours a beautifully presented, flavorsome meal/cake/beverage will bring me joy even if just for the duration of the consumption. I am also mindful of quantity, because if I wasn't I would put on too much weight and this would only make me feel worse.

Maybe my advice could be, find foods that bring you joy and find ways to bring them into your eating habits?

Happy reading, I also look forward to seeing the replies you get here

Cheers

KaraArtist

What does everyone eat?

PatT — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 00:52:48 GMT

Hi Rock,

Personally I tend to eat a lot of lean meat or salmon, lots of beans, grains and legumes, high fibre cereal and a fair bit of yoghurt and cottage cheese. I eat a lot of green veg like spinach, kale and Asian greens and for fruit generally berries and occasionally a banana. Ideally what I try to get in is a mix of things high in fibre and probiotics because having a healthy stomach correlates really strongly with a healthy mind.

The majority of serotonin used by your brain is actually produced in your gut and recently lots of studies have been showing that eating well can actually drastically reduce rates of anxiety and depression. Having a healthy gut comes through having healthy gut flora which thrive on foods with lots of probiotics like yoghurts, berries, beans, wholegrains and legumes. Have a think about incorporating more diverse foods into your diet, it can really help.

What does everyone eat?

james1 — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 00:59:05 GMT

Hey Jenny,

I know what you mean by not feeling like eating.

My saving grace is that I'm still at home for now and I don't want my parents to know the extent of my struggling (for various reasons), so I actually have to eat.

I actually really like cooking and I cook a bit of everything from stir frys, different pastas, roasts, stews, curries...so on a good day, I'll cook up heaps and hopefully eat that.

But otherwise, I flip between skipping meals and binge eating when I get too hungry (usually fast food...). Not particularly healthy 🙂

James

What does everyone eat?

Rock — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 04:40:21 GMT

Haha I do the binge-starve thing too. Those sound pretty good though, I love a good stir-fry. Pretty quick to cook too, maybe I'll start making some.

What does everyone eat?

Rock — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 04:45:17 GMT

Ah I know somewhere deep down in my guts that I love good food too. I'm an absolute sucker for some velvety milk chocolate, almond-flavoured desserts and good sushi. I just wish it satisfied my soul as much as my hunger. I hate knowing that I'm eating something delicious and feeling so numb that it tastes like salted cabbage. Maybe I should try a couple of new ingredients/dishes and see if I can fire up a little more passion for food.

What does everyone eat?

Rock — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 04:52:51 GMT

Well, your diet certainly sounds a lot healthier than mine. I do know that healthy eating contributes to a healthy mind, but depression is just so good at defying logic and that classic snowball effect of feeling bad so you do nothing so you feel worse and so do less has got me rolled up pretty good. I actually really love cottage cheese though. I forgot it existed! Surprisingly, I am actually craving that now. I'm going to ask to get some today! I'm sure it's healthier than that tinned soup I ate cold out of the can today.

What does everyone eat?

Emma77 — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 07:55:42 GMT

An unhealthy diet might be bad for the mind, but beating yourself up over it would be even worse!

I too go through binge / starve periods.

Typical day - coffee when I wake up. Couple of hours later is breakfast which is a piece of toast or two, sometimes butter, sometimes Vegemite (the real stuff, not that Promite imposter lol). Lunch might be a salad roll, or if I have to buy lunch then it's greasy salt, or salted grease. Dinner can vary, but it's often a meat / two veg kind of thing, always with wine.

I've just bought a slow cooker which has to be the laziest cooking option ever. Stick it in, turn it on. I LOVE it

What does everyone eat?

james1 — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 08:16:02 GMT

Slow cookers are awesome. I wish I had one...slow cooked meat is so annoying to make without one.

What does everyone eat?

Emma77 — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 08:50:21 GMT

I can't even contemplate what slow cooking without a slow cooker would entail! But then I'm someone who used to be able to burn water. I have gotten a little more confident in the kitchen over the years.

$20 at K-Mart. Can't recommend it enough 🙂

What does everyone eat?

TroubleCoping-journalist — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 08:58:12 GMT

Be careful with this Rock. My appetite was low for months and then became complicated with nausea, vomiting and revulsion toward food. I can only tolerate liquid supplements at the moment and have lost a lot of weight. The nausea, pain, fatigue and lack of sleep are terrible. The awful thing is people assume I want to be thin, when I'm just sick. Make sure you eat while you can!

What does everyone eat?

blondguy — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 15:53:58 GMT

Hi Rock. I tried to respond to your thread on Monday night and my PC crashed. I love a glass of coconut water and a banana for breakfast. A hearty slow cooked casserole for lunch and fish and vegies for dinner.

(Excuse I for Hi-Jacking your Post Rock) ;

TroubleCoping-journalist...You have my undivided attention...one of my best friends has just had her feeding tube (peg) removed and I have seen her fade from 55kilo down to a organ damaging 39kilo. She cant eat solid foods like yourself and it is a bad place to be in. She doesnt even fit into her size 6 jeans anymore. She is recovering slowly though which is cool and up to 42kilo's.

If I can welcome you to the Forums with open arms and if you can help people with any info/tips it would be great to hear from you. I am a volunteer on the forums but there would be many people that would appreciate you posting your own thread on what you are going through (if you wish of course) My kind thoughts

Paul

What does everyone eat?

Rock — Sun, 06 Nov 2016 23:40:16 GMT

Haha of all the people I know there is only one who does not have a passionate distaste for promite. I actually prefer it to vegemite 😜

What does everyone eat?

james1 — Sun, 06 Nov 2016 23:42:47 GMT

Off topic, but hi hi hi 🙂 Haven't seen you around in ages.

Also, promite is gross. But I like pepsi over coke which again seems to be the minority...

What does everyone eat?

Rock — Sun, 06 Nov 2016 23:46:55 GMT

It's alright! c: I love coconut water too. I hope that your friend will/has continue to improve.

What does everyone eat?

Rock — Sun, 06 Nov 2016 23:49:54 GMT

Hello! Yep, sorry for the late reply, I've just been trying to keep myself busy. No one seems to like poor unappreciated promite. I love it though 😜 I hope you have been well...or, as well as you can be.

What does everyone eat?

Airies — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 07:08:42 GMT

Late response here,

ive tried a few diets over the years, have had a love hate relationship with food and been an excercise junky over the years. As a result I've been a picture of health at rare times during my life. April last year was fittest and skinniest I'd been in years. Then I crashed, physically and mentally last August... So last month after sick of whacking on 20 kgs since then. Lack of excercise and side effect of the meds I took the drastic step of cutting out lunch, eliminating bread, red meat and potatoes from my diet. I genenerally eat allot of veggies, breakfast consists of wheat in, bran,a banana milk and muesli .. I know a big breaky but it keeps me going and I've lost a few kgs. It's working and to top it off I dusted off my bike, cleaned it up and washed my cycling gear. One day soon I'll get enough guts and hit the road for the first time since April last year. Onwards and upwards. If I can do it anyone can

cheers Len

What does everyone eat?

romantic_thi3f — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 00:45:07 GMT

Hi,

I know it can be hard trying to eat healthy when we're depressed but I think we have to try and push for it and make it a priority. So much of how good we feel is because of what we eat - I read that 90% of our serotonin (one of our brain's major happy neurotransmitters) is made in the gut.

I know everyone's affected kind of differently with depression but for me I get very miserable (I'm a total bully to myself), I get very tired and I don't really feel like eating anything - except chocolate. That's my weak spot; and although I still struggle with it I find that I have to work really hard to not beat myself up over it.

Slow-cookers are a great idea and definitely pretty easy. Meal planning takes a fair bit of energy but can go a long way and becomes easier over time. I also like to do switches to make meals a bit healthier; so if I'm having pasta or pizza I'll add vegetables. Often too when we crave foods it can be because we're lacking minerals and vitamins - I crave chocolate more when I'm low in magnesium and bread when I'm low in protein.

Smoothies and juices are also my god-send because they are easy but a great and easy way to add nutrients without too much fuss. I could have one everyday. They can also be handy if a person doesn't feel like eating and has lost their appetite.

What does everyone eat?

SourceShield — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 11:28:32 GMT

The GAPS diet - GUTS AND PSYCHOLOGY SYNDROME.

This is perfect for autistics...like myself.

Eliminates all refined, processed and unnatural sugars.

The truth is we need glucose - found in many foods.

But we do not need sucrose at all...not at all.

And now, we have high-fructose corn-syrup, which is causing major health issues, all over the world.

The PhD that I am completing had allowed me to look into many interesting areas - my special field is, creativity.

And when we look at the gut - we see that we have the enteric system...pretty much now recognised as the second brain!

90% of the bodys serotonin...is produced in this system.

50% of the bodys dopamine.

Many of us live with either deficiency or over-production of these two chems...which cause many issues, including depression in so many!

Looking at the gut health, as one of the key ways to take care of psychological health and emotional health, is what GAPS is all about.

I do notice the difference now.

If I eat too much sucrose-sugary stuff now...I feel the high more intensely, and then the drop, and this alters my mood.

It takes a bit to get used to, and some adjusting...but its worth it.

I am no longer morbidly-obese.

I am finally eating properly.

I feel better in the morning...no longer bloated.

Going for number 1s, and 2s...so much easier and more efficient - no strain, no pain...at all.

Overall, I fully endorse this diet.

I am also a trained chef, and I cook for a family that have 2 children with Pyrrole disorder...and this diet has helped these kids feel so much better, with improved health.

And now the Mum and Dad...are happier and healthier as well - less stress!

If anyone here would like some tips or is curious to learn more, let me know...I will start a seperate thread, so not to hijack this one!

ManyThanks.

MuchLove&Wellness