Paleo and severe depression

kissedbytheocean

My depression is extremely debilitating. I just don't have enough energy at all to cook, clean, take care of myself and others, etc. I don't want to give up paleo, but sometimes, it's already too hard to get out of bed, let alone do anything else.

I'm mostly living off eggs, avocados, fruit, bacon/sausage, and sweet potatoes at the moment, but does anyone have any other ideas for foods/meals that require little prep/cook time? Thanks very much.

craudi

If you have a crockpot, you could make good use of it! Just throw everything in and leave it. Buy a nice brisket, add french onion soup mix and about 1.5 cups water (preferably something without MSG....or else you can add a sliced onion and beef stock) and set on low for 6-8 hours. SO GOOD. And you'll have plenty of leftovers, especially if you're just cooking for you. It's great for a family too. There are a lot of Paleo crockpot meals out there! And keep up with the fat intake!

Howbouto

When I figured out I could cook most things in the same amount of time it takes to get carry out or have something delivered. That helped me a lot. Also the more productive you are it does help your depression. I recommend a George foreman type grill (preferable one with removable plates to put in the dish washer.) Throw pork chops, chicken, hamburger ect in the grill, at the same time microwave a sweet potato and frozen veggies. 10 minutes later dinner is done. Also throwing a whole roast or whole chicken in the oven takes little effort. And sometimes there are left overs .

On a side note, once I got about 2 weeks into paleo my depression lifted a lot (like to the point it is non existent). Good luck.

shar140

The crock pot and pressure cooker are my friends. I always make enough food for at least 1 extra meal when I cook. Frozen veggies are good, too, they're already chopped for you! Now that it's warmer out, I grill a lot more - hardly any clean-up to do, and I can cook up extra on the grill, too.

Lyndseed

First-- the stuff you're eating sounds like a really good start. Organic/nitrate free lunch meat can be a quick protein (applegate is pretty good--lots of grocery stores have their own store brand organics too), and I will second the crockpot cooked meat + frozen steamed veggies. If you prefer fresh veggies to frozen, you can find pre-chopped peppers, onions, broccoli, mushrooms etc which will definitely cut down on prep time for salads, stir fries or steamed veg side dishes. Salads and stir fries made with leftover precooked meats are my go to quick meals--I can throw that together in 5-10 minutes. And I definitely plan to have leftovers of every meal, tonight's dinner=tomorrow's lunch.

I hope your new eating plan helps you find some relief from the low energy and depression. I didn't have anything severe when I started eating primal last year, but I have experienced some pretty bad depression and anxiety in my teens and 20's, and I know how hard it can be. My energy levels and happiness/optimism have increased a lot since I started eating this way. I hope it works the same for you!

BrakemanSlova

Wow, just wanted to say I admire the heroic efforts to stay paleo while depressed. I also hope that your depression lifts as you stay paleo/primal. Another good treatment for depression is exercise. It's the best motivator for me to do exercise...

kissedbytheocean

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I can't believe using a crockpot never occured to me. There's nothing simpler than that. These ideas will really help me out a lot.

Wow, just wanted to say I admire the heroic efforts to stay paleo while depressed. I also hope that your depression lifts as you stay paleo/primal. Another good treatment for depression is exercise. It's the best motivator for me to do exercise...

Thank you very much for your kind words. It means a lot to me.

primalkiwi

Well done with staying with the paleo. I've found it has been a huge help in lifting my mood and motivation.
I can't see your diary but would suggest you also try and get plenty of fat into your diet. I can't locate the studies off the top of my head but research has shown low fat diets are often implicated in depression and increasing your fat intake (up to 60% of your daily calories) can help. Primal Body Primal Mind by Nora T Gedgaudas has some good info on this.
As suggested above the crockpot is a great idea. I also try and cook extra and freeze it or use as leftovers for the next couple of days. I also try and think ahead for times when I can't be bothered cooking and know I'll get tempted with takeaway. Cooking chicken breasts (grill, bbq, poach etc) then cutting in half and freezing makes it easy to defrost them for a chicken salad for lunch etc.

hilliardjoe

If I have a huge time crunch and need a meal I usually stop by the grocery store and grab a rotisserie chicken. A whole bird is $5. I get the "Oven Roasted" kind and not one of the flavored ones that probably add a bunch of sugar or BBQ sauce and I bet the bird is probably from a factory farm but it is better than getting fast food when in a time crunch.

Just do the best you can, don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

tinacristina

For what's it worth I thought I give you some supplements that I am taking for depression that's REALLY helped.
It's progress and I hear ya on this.

I didn't want to take a prescriptions so here is what the Dr. suggested:

5 HTP (take them at night because they can make you sleepy)
Omega's 3,6, 9 (1 a day)
SaMe..( This was the most important)
St. Johns Worth (Very important too)
All help stimulate positive mood and energy.

I have been primal now for 3 weeks too, taking my herbs for the last month and feel like I got a handle on life so much better. I hope these ideas might help you too.

Also, crockpot is a great idea and make a huge salad that can last a few days to ease the work.

Eat your FATS...that's what the brain needs. Salmon/Fish/Nuts/olives/avocados/CO are great options too...

Hang in there...

kissedbytheocean

Thanks for the additional suggestions. The crockpot idea was really good, and I've been busy collecting some recipes to help me along.

For what's it worth I thought I give you some supplements that I am taking for depression that's REALLY helped.
It's progress and I hear ya on this.

I didn't want to take a prescriptions so here is what the Dr. suggested:

5 HTP (take them at night because they can make you sleepy)
Omega's 3,6, 9 (1 a day)
SaMe..( This was the most important)
St. Johns Worth (Very important too)
All help stimulate positive mood and energy.

I have been primal now for 3 weeks too, taking my herbs for the last month and feel like I got a handle on life so much better. I hope these ideas might help you too.

Also, crockpot is a great idea and make a huge salad that can last a few days to ease the work.

Eat your FATS...that's what the brain needs. Salmon/Fish/Nuts/olives/avocados/CO are great options too...

Hang in there...

I appreciate your help with all the supplements. I've been on many, many different psychiatric medication, but nothing has helped, so maybe something natural might help. St. John's Wort doesn't work for me, but I'll look into the others you mentioned.

amandammmq

Although I'm not currently depressed, I've definitely had times in my life where, outside of work, the only task I DID manage was prepping food. Cleaning up afterwards.... we shall not talk of it. :blushing:

I just finished cooking some chicken breasts in my panini press, which was super low effort. I sprinkled on some prepared spice mix, and grilled them up. The flavor was awesome, and now I have extra chicken breast to eat alongside veggies or mix up into a chicken salad. If you don't have a panini press, you could plop them on a George Foreman grill, or in a skillet, or even in the oven.

I would also suggest precut veggies. More expensive, yes. But also takes out one more cooking step. I can imagine tossing some veg and some chicken breast into a pan and stir frying it up for a super easy, one pan meal.

I'm sorry you're dealing with depression. I remember that it helped to focus on one tiny task at a time and to try not to beat myself up about the larger issues. At least if I managed to do one small thing, I was that much closer to dealing with the bigger things. :flowerforyou:

kissedbytheocean

Don't feel bad. I've gone a long time on occasion without doing the dishes. They just stack up and stack up until I'm eating out of containers because all my plates are dirty. :ohwell:

I actually did that today except I roasted a big pack of drumsticks. It only took about 5 minutes to get them in the oven, and I'll have some leftover for a few meals.

Thank you for your support. One small step at a time.

runningjen74

I've never suffered with depression, but I have been sick before where couldn't face doing much, was sleeping 12-16 hours, so I think I understand. I wasn't eating paleo then, but really success was based on something that I could buy lots of, keep in fridge/freezer, and when cooking minimal washing (read between the lines here, anything more than a rinse wasn't going to happen). Tins of tuna + smoked fish (if you eat it) was a useful addition.

Some of my quick meals - bag of Salad / dressing (balsamic vinegar + olive oil) / protein (chicken/or something)/nuts or advocado. I make up dressing at the start of the week/month. This works with pre-cooked chicken - or see roasts below. Add any veg that I can eat raw.

Anything that can be roasted - chicken/turkey/pork/etc... Roasts you put in the oven and take out - no prep work. Take out of oven and then put in the fridge.

If I've a roast in the oven - I'll add in a butter nut squash. Just cut in half and take out seeds - very little prep. Might add beetroot for variation. But carrots need to be peeled, so don't bother.

Fish/chicken breasts can be baked in the oven in foil/parchment parcels. Put a fillet of fish with some onion/garlic/splash of stock - these are optional. Seal up and bake for about 20-30 min. Advantage is no washing up. what I put in to the parcel varies from what I have - sometimes lots of veg, other times I can't be bothered and don't.
Here's an example of a parcel - far more complex than what I do, but just to give a bit more explanation.
http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-breast-baked-in-a-bag-with-mushrooms-butter-white-wine-and-thyme-38880

When you're feeling well make up pots of chilli/bolognase/stews that can be frozen. These can go from frozen in to a pot - heated up in 3 min with minimal washing. I make up to 5-10 portions at a time. I eat from the freezer when I can't face cooking.

If you're more primal than paleo, I used to keep tinned/boxed lentils/beans. but don't know how these sit with you. Anything that can be eaten out of the packet. I've more or less cut these out, but would prefer to go back on these than toasted cheese sandwiches.