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What to Eat When You’re Depressed
The science-backed benefits of low-effort, healthy food
In September, writer Alexander Hardy put out a call on Twitter for “quick and uncomplicated ‘depression meals,’” to help a young relative who was struggling. Hardy — who is also a teacher and mental health advocate — said his relative wanted ideas “for when she needs to eat something more nutritious than jelly beans, chips, or packs of ramen but is too tired & spiritually ashy for great effort.”
The query resonated with Twitter users, who answered with over 1,000 suggestions. Top ideas were frozen meals from Trader Joe’s, a big pot of rice with frozen veggies, and either Asian- or Mexican-inspired toppings (miso, soy sauce, and Sriracha versus salsa, black beans, and cheese), protein-rich snacks like nuts or energy bars, bagged salads, a deconstructed sandwich (eat the meat, cheese, and bread separately), and eggs cooked any way. The key, many people said, was to get the biggest caloric impact with the least amount of effort.
“You helped me tonight when I needed someone to bring me up,” one person responded. “I’ve now had soup, a hard boiled egg, and chips and salsa.”
Hardy says he understood the need for simple meal options due to his own experience with depression and anxiety. “When I’m deep in it, [eating] actual…
