It happens in the blink of an eye. First, they are tiny, pooping, crying, wonderful living creatures that taught you to be cool about suspicious scents and stains on your body. Then they are larger, human-like creatures dragging themselves out of bed for the final few days before the school vacation. Grumbling about lack of sleep (but they never ever need an afternoon nap), lack of energy (but exercise is boring when you have Netflix at home) and lack of drive (and I am gonna blame it on technology as well).
Thus began another ordinary 6 am in my household where I go through the routine of wondering why I’m yet to record myself repeating the same old lines day-in-day-out to cheer, encourage, and then pressurize my 11-year-old into simply getting himself ready for school. All this while sipping away on my energy juice, of course. It was over one of these sipping-deep-breathing-must-not-lose-my-cool mornings where it occurred to me that my foodie might just be a nicer person in the mornings if he had breakfast that both pleased his tastebuds and offered great mood-boosting effects as well.
Diet for Depression: The Chemical Side to Happiness
Start simple by adding complex carbohydrates to improve mood quickly. If you are too accustomed to eating white rice (high-five) and sad songs play in your head when confronting brown rice, fret not. There are many, many alternatives – with oatmeal being one of my all-time favourites that helps release serotonin. Which basically is the chemical nerve cells produce that sends signals between your nerve cells. D.O.S.E. (dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins) are the components that are in charge of keeping and making us happy. But this is not chemistry class (and I flunked it in secondary school), so I’ll narrow it down to serotonin. It helps with your memory, learning, digestion, sleep – but it’s also known to be a powerful antidepressant and a mood regulator.
Mood Regulating Pancakes for Difficult Mornings
2 spotty & mushy bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
Wee bit of salt
Olive oil (I use butter. Guilty pleasures)
Aside from the oil/butter, blend or furiously stir everything into a batter. Oil/butter your pan (or griddle if you are fancy like that). Cook your pancakes. I like mine with slightly crispy edges. Eat, and be merry.
Special thanks to Pexels for bringing this post to life.
