5 easy meal recipes when
you are depressed

Depression is an energy sapper. It is perfectly okay if you feel like you can’t cook after a depressive episode. Yet the right foods can revive your moods and energy levels. Consider this:

• Freshly cooked meals energize you, while processed and packaged foods further sap your energy. 
• Certain micronutrients are responsible for releasing antidepressant hormones like serotonin. 
• The gut and mind are connected; 95% of the body’s serotonin comes from the gut.

The good news is that you can prepare meals that fit the above criteria within fifteen minutes. Here are recipes for five such delicious meals.

Khichdi

Khichdi is a 10-minute one-pot meal that helps fight depression and is an excellent gut cleanser as well. The mung dal lentil in khichdi is rich in L-tryptophan (all lentils are), an amino acid that helps release serotonin, the hormone that improves moods and reduces anxiety and depression. The carbs component of khichdi (ie. the rice) helps drive this essential amino acid across the blood-brain barrier.  

Ingredients (for one person):

• 1/4th cup yellow or green moong dal lentil
• 1/4th cup rice
• 5 cups of water
• 2 tbsp ghee
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp turmeric powder

Optional -

• ½ cup chopped vegetables (of your choice)
• ½ tsp of coriander powder
• ½ tsp of cumin powder
• Chopped coriander

 

Steps:

1. Wash the mung dal and rice separately with water. If time, hunger, and energy permit, soak the mung dal in water for 30 minutes. 
2. Add the rice, dal, salt, and turmeric to the cooker. You can add or skip the chopped vegetables and other spices.
3. Add the water and allow the mixture to cook on its own. Expect three whistles or ten minutes of waiting time before the rice and lentils become soft, and ready for you to eat.
4. Don’t forget to add the ghee and optional coriander leaves while serving yourself. Enjoy!

 

Lentil stew

This one can be made for lunch or/and dinner. You can pair it with rice or wholewheat chapatis to make the perfect depression-fighter couple of tryptophan and carbohydrates. You can also make the lentil stew without the vegetables mentioned in this recipe. You can also enjoy the stew without the rice or chapatis if you want to keep it light.

Ingredients

• 1/4th cup yellow or green moong dal lentil or pink masoor dal lentil
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ cups chopped vegetables like pumpkin, carrot, and beans
• 1 tomato
• 3 tsp ghee
• ½ tsp grated ginger
• 1 green chili or ½ tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• A pinch of asafoetida or hing
• ½ cup chopped coriander leaves 

Steps

• Wash the lentils and soak them in the water while you chop the vegetables. The longer the lentils are soaked, they will cook better and faster.
• Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a pan and add the cumin seeds. Allow them to crackle.
• Add hing, chilli, and grated ginger.
• Add the vegetables and saute for 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and the coriander powder
• Add the soaked lentils and 5 cups of water. Cover with lid. Wait for fifteen minutes until the lentils are soft and the vegetables are tender. 
• Add chopped coriander leaves and a dollop of ghee.

Doodh Dalia (Porridge of broken wheat)

Did you know milk is a tryptophan-rich food too? Pair it with daliya or broken wheat, and you get a tryptophan-carb meal. Broken wheat is also rich in fiber which creates healthy gut flora. Doodh Dalia is an ideal sweet breakfast recipe that you can have for dinner as well. The cardamom in the recipe is well-known for its mood-uplifting property in Ayurveda and the jaggery stimulates the release of endorphins.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dalia
• 2 cups milk
• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp jaggery or mishri
• 1 crushed cardamom
• 5-6 raisins
• 2 tsp ghee 

Steps

• Saute the broken wheat or Dalia with ghee heated in a cooker for a minute.
• Add water and pressure cook till the Dalia softens. This will take two to three whistles or ten to fifteen minutes.
• Remove the lid and add the milk. Let the mixture simmer for two to three minutes.
• Remove from flame and add the sweetener and cardamom. Stir well and add raisins.

Curd Rice

A 2017 study at the University of Virginia School of Medicine found the depression-relieving effects of Lactobacillus, a probiotic found in curd. Generally speaking, curd and buttermilk are great additions to the diet of anyone with depression. Moreover, curd is also rich in tryptophan. An ideal lunch recipe, curd rice is your ideal tryptophan-carb meal. Guess the time it takes to make curd rice? Five minutes, if you have cooked rice.

Ingredients

1 plate of cooked rice 

1 cup curd

2 tsp oil

5-6 curry leaves (Skip if you don’t have)

Chopped coriander leaves 

½  tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp grated ginger

A pinch of asafoetida or hing

1 tsp yellow mung dal lentil

1 green chilli

1 broken dried red chilli (Skip if you don’t have)

Steps

1. In a pan, heat the oil. Add cumin and mustard seeds and allow them to crackle. Stir in the lentils and roast till golden brown.
2. Add the asafoetida, ginger, and chopped chilis and stir.
3. Add the curry leaves and stir till they dry.
4. Add the cooked rice and mix well. Stir in the salt as well.
5. After 2 minutes, switch off the flame and add in the curd. Mix well and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Ragi Kanji

The magnesium of Ragi is a natural relaxant that helps fight depression and anxiety. Ragi also has tryptophan! Ragi Kanji is made with curd, another star ingredient that helps fight depression. This is how you make this breakfast recipe.

 

Ingredients

3 tbsp Ragi

1/4th cup curd

2 ½ cups water

½ tsp salt or as per your taste

½ tsp cumin powder

For seasoning:

1 tsp oil

½ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp mustard seeds

4 broken curry leaves (optional)

Steps

1. Heat the water in a saucepan and let the water boil for 5-7 minutes. Add the salt.
2. Add the Ragi while you keep stirring. Make sure no lumps are formed. Stir for 5 minutes.
3. Switch off the flame and stir in the curd. Turn on the flame and allow it to simmer for a minute.
4. Heat oil in a separate pan. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and let them crackle. Add in the curry leaves. 
5. Switch off the flame and add this seasoning along with the cumin powder to the ragi and curd mix. Mix well.

 

Written by: Vanditaa Kothari