5 Healthy Frugal Recipes For When You’re Feeling Low

Introduction

The holidays might have passed, but we still have to go through one more month of cold weather.

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The cold weather is commonly reported to cause depression in adults nowadays. And imagine if you had to be alone during the holidays because of your little bank balance lately.

That is a recipe for depression if you ask us! But what can we do except stay active and go through this cold weather one more month hoping to see the early signs of spring?

And while we are waiting we can do a few little but meaningful things that will bring us joy!

One thing that always brings a smile on our faces is food or to be more specific a healthy, inexpensive yet delicious homemade meal.

Facts About Depression

Before proceeding with sharing the 5 awesome recipes, let’s review some quick facts about depression that might even surprise you!

• Depression is one of the most common behavior disorders.

• Approximately 3.3 million adults in the U.S are diagnosed with depression each year.

• A diagnosis for depression is set if the patient has experienced at least 5 of the following symptoms in a period of 2 weeks – depressed mood, decreased physical activity, loss of interest, fatigue or decreased energy levels, feelings of guilt, suicidal thoughts.

• The number of factors that trigger depression is full with stress being the most common trigger of them all.

• Depression affects the body as well, not only the mind with common symptoms as stomach aches, headaches, loss of appetite and decreased body weight, etc.

• There is more than one successful treatment plan for depression.

• Seasonal depression is also known as winter depression or winter blues and summer depression. This is the exact condition that interests us the most in this article.

It is a condition that occurs within people with normal mental health that experience symptoms of depression for a particular period – either winter or summer.

The 5 Recipes That You Must Try!

When you are dealing with depression, either seasonal or some other type of depression, probably the most important thing is to rely on your treatment plan.

When it comes to depression, there are many triggers and the most common one is stress.

So what you would need to do is rely on some effective stress busters. Meditation and exercising are some of the most famous stress busters, but how about cooking?

Cooking is an activity that allows you to spend some time for yourself preparing a healthy meal for you and your loved ones.

And because food can be used as a stress buster why not use it to make a healthy, inexpensive meal for next few days and see how it affects your mood?

And to make it even easier for you, here are 5 delicious recipes that promise to help you overcome the symptoms of depression more readily!

1. Buckwheat Pancakes

Let’s start with an easy yet delicious breakfast recipe!

Buckwheat is considered to reduce the levels of stress, and since it can remove the most common trigger of depression it is easily understood why you need to include this ingredient to prepare a healthy serving of delicious pancakes in the morning!

2. Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach, And Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is considered to have the ability to increase the levels of serotonin which results in improved mood.

Also, spinach is a high source of vitamin B complex and selenium which also guarantees to improve your mood and relief any depression symptoms in no time!

3. Salmon And Avocado Salad

With its high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, the salmon practically earns its place on your shopping list for at least twice a week.

The Omega-3 fatty acids are confirmed to not only cure but also prevent any depression symptoms in the future as they help the brain recover the balance of the neurotransmitters.

And the avocado is also a high source of Omega-3 fatty acids and well as folate and tryptophan.

4. Turkey Burger With Sweet Potato Fries

Who does not like a good burger? Now you have the perfect excuse to eat a healthy burger that you can prepare it yourself and surprise yourself with your amazing cooking skills! Like the avocado, turkey is also filled with tryptophan which helps recover the balance of the neurotransmitters in the brain and improve your mood.

The burger is no longer just food for your stomach; it is now the food for your mind as well!

5. Pasta With Cauliflowers And Collards

Who says that a vegetarian dish cannot be food for the mind? Prepare this delicious pasta with some cauliflowers and collards, also, to getting the beneficial effects of improved mood and introduce some Vitamin B6 and folate to your body.

Conclusion

5-Healthy-Frugal-Recipes-For-When-You're-Feeling-Low-pinWhen you are sitting at home with no wish to leave the apartment what so ever, you can at least treat yourself to a nice, home-cooked meal for a change.

That is right – we are talking about throwing away those order menus, going to the supermarket and getting all the needed ingredients that you need to prepare some new recipes.

It is not uncommon for depression to hit us during the winter period, but that does not mean that we cannot fight it! In fact, we can fight it with probably one of the most favorite things in the world for most people – delicious food!

And even if you are a vegan who says that some of the best vegan recipes cannot do the trick as well?

Do not hesitate to make the change and help yourself to feel better!

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