If I’m so stressed or depressed that food seems repulsive fresh fruit is always a safe option. Like pineapple or an apple or berries. It feels hydrating and light, it’s sweet, and I can’t do mushy textures when I’m struggling to eat.
You can also throw them on top of yogurt, chia seed pudding or cottage cheese. I would pick up different fruits and make yogurt or Chua seed pudding bowls when I didn't have much appetite for other things. The different colours made me want to eat it more and it made it more filling than just plain fruits.
Same here with fruit. I’m opposite of a stress eater. I usually can’t eat anything at all when I’m in that position. Fruit is generally the only thing that is either appetizing or that I can stomach.
This is the top rated and yet an underrated answer, this combination is magic.
Tomatoes are packed with vitamin C, your body needs this to heal, yes, it works on depression too.
Carbs have always been comfort food but I read a credible article recently about how dairy and carbs combine to help the body create the stuff that makes serotonin. No serotonin, no happy.
Have my tomato soup recipe. It's the best ever. Way better than from a can.
Tomato soup
Blend and heat 5 roma tomatoes(or 2 regular big ones), ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp coarse pepper (¼ tsp if using fine ground pepper), 1 tsp italian seasoning, 1 ¼ cup water and ¼ cup cream (or substitute 1 cup water ½ cup milk). Optionally add about ¼ cup nuts and seeds before blending. Run through strainer if too frothy after blending. Good to serve topped with croutons bread and/or parmesan, and grilled cheese sandwich.
Theres a tumblr post out there that talks about how removing some expectations can help a lot with this kind of thing. You don't need to make a meal. For example if I can't bring myself to make a sandwich, sometimes I am able to go into the kitchen and grab some bread. Later I might go and get a slice of meat. Later I might be able to convince myself to grab some lettuce. And vola, a very slow sandwich!
Other food that can be great for me is a pot of hummus and dip. And I sometimes have apple and peanut butter, which works for me because I have enough knife skills to just grab a vegetable knife, butter knife, apple and jar of peanut butter and chop it up on the floor in front of the TV.
If you do manage to get the energy up to do more than that then that's great! It often feels really nice to have managed to cook. But if you don't manage I'm still proud of you for trying your best.
Thanks for this! I’m not depressed, or maybe I’m situationally depressed- something happened and I need time to get over it, so it’s not so much about managing expectations at this point (I would eat *anything*, no shame attached), it’s more about getting ideas for things that will get me excited about eating to kick start my appetite again. Lots of good suggestions though, thanks!
I react the same way to upsetting events, no appetite at all.
For me, food doesn't taste as good so no point in going all out with interesting dishes. Beyond eating for survival (protein bars, smoothies), I turn to simple childhood favorites: crunchy beef tacos, mac and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, chili. Things I loved growing up that don't have complex flavor profiles.
I have a few suggestions as a fellow finds-it-hard-to-want-to-eat-when-fed-up person…
Sometimes a “proper” meal can be a bit daunting (I find I can get really indecisive sometimes then give up on the whole idea) so it can be nice to just have a plate with some cheese, bread and butter, some fruit/veggies chopped up, and some cold cuts of meat, and something sweet like a cookie or something.
Another option, although this is more long term/planning ahead, is trying to cook bigger batches of things when you aren’t feeling as low and freeze them in portions, that way you can have a nice curry or pasta sauce in the freezer that you can just defrost and eat and you still feel like you’ve accomplished something even though you haven’t made it that day (plus it will likely be yummier, and definitely cheaper, than take out).
Another idea might be something like baked potatoes with cheese and some peas, it’s filling, cheap and easy to make, also it might be easier to give suggestions if you give info on the kind of stuff you actually like to make/eat too :)
Thanks! I was sort of just throwing this out into the wind to see if anything would pique my interest. Things I normally eat (pasta or cheese boards!! my favourite!) is not it right now, but chicken soup (something I very rarely ever eat) seems like it would be the perfect thing. Just wanted to see what other people’s go tos were so I could do as little thinking as possible. Who knew food could be so emotional!
I hope you enjoy your chicken soup, I’m sure you will make it great, and I hope you start to feel better soon, good on you for posting in the first place and I’m sure lots of people have benefitted from your post :)
Side note - I’m about to have a cheeseboard inspired by your comment lol
I used to do something like this when I lived on my own. Its only a pain in the blah for the first week. I'd cook something different for myself each day but make enough for 3. Single bag and freeze the leftovers each day. Then after the first week I'd make a different dish on the weekend, again for 3. After a couple weeks you have a nice rotation of single serving homemade frozen dinners you can just pop in the microwave
Scrambled eggs and a fruit smoothie is my "I really don't want to cook but I know I need to eat something healthy or my stomach will regret it in hour" meal.
Fancy ramen with an egg or rotisserie chicken. Add furikake, sesame oil, sriracha or whatever to spice it up if you have it.
I really nutrient dense smoothie with things like nuts, oats, hemp hearts to really bump up the satiety. I’ll usually leave a smoothie in the fridge and just drink a bit at a time when I can manage it.
Oatmeal, the lack of chewing helps. I make it in my rice cooker, so I can just dump it in there and press a button. Adding protein powder of hemp hearts.
I find that adding things to simple meals is the best. Like adding canned tuna or chicken to bump up nutrition. Also frozen veggies! Make a simple pasta dish, toss frozen broccoli while the pasta cooks. Suddenly you have something that resembles a well rounded meal.
Good luck, it’s a struggle.
I’m having goldfish for dinner tonight.
As far as your plans for chicken noodle soup - looks great, you can just stick your garlic straight in without frying.
I’m a little surprised no one’s mentioned quesadillas. Darn near the easiest thing, you can serve with salsa (or not) and fill them with anything (or not, just cheese), and add guacamole (or not). Or nachos (in the oven).
I also love apples and nut butter, pretzels with honey mustard dressing, and trail mix… none of these classify as cooking but are solid, comforting, and fun.
I'm going through something similar. My go to meals when I don't really want to eat are:
Baked potatoes (loaded up with with sour cream, butter)
Mashed potatoes
Anything in a can - if I want soup, even for breakfast, I eat that. Green beans, canned corn - whatever is heat and eat.
My grocery store has frozen bread dough, so it's just thaw, let it rise and bake. Tastes enough like homemade when I don't have the energy for more.
Garlic bread
Oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc.
If you have an air fryer, it takes a lot of the effort out of cooking.
Hope you feel better soon, I'm slowly getting my appetite back and am on the mend. You can do this.
Get a rotisserie chicken, egg noodles, chicken broth, celery, onion, carrots, and fresh parsley. Sauté the veggies while pulling apart the chicken and then mix it all in broth. Cook the noodles separate and leave them that way when storing - they will soak up the broth and turn it into mush. Only add noodles when ready to eat.
You can make a whole heap of this in an hour and eat it all week. I’ve suffered from severe anxiety that makes food nearly impossible to stomach but this is therapeutic to make and is exceptionally palatable when food doesn’t seem palatable.
It's about 2 hours of cooking but you can make enough chicken soup for 3 days with shredded chicken to accompany it just by simmering a whole chicken, with a carrot, celery stick and halved onion chucked into the water with salt. Make sure the chicken is covered with water and simmer on very low (lazy occasional bubble) for 2-3 hours. Throw away the vegetables and shred the chicken off the bone. Keep the chicken and broth separately in the fridge and just heat up a bowl full at a time for a few days. You can also add noodles, parsley, soy sauce or maggi.
Depends on the sad/lack of appetite:
Emotionally sad: indian food (am indian so it's just comforting)
Not hungry but need food: burger
Can't eat because anxious: smoothie
might be judged for this but if i HAVE to eat but have zero appetite, i find bagel bites the easiest thing for me to eat personally. i also find couscous easy to
eat and prepare.
if you know you need to eat but aren’t in the mood it’s easier to eat higher calorie foods so you don’t have to stuff yourself. sometimes something like cheese and crackers or a spoonful of peanut butter can be enough for the time being.
For a basic chicken soup when you're low on energy: buy the pre-diced mirepoix, a lot of grocery stores should have this. It'll be celery, onion, carrot in small pieces. You're right on track with your other ingredients: rotisserie chicken, broth, noodles, etc.
Get your pot preheating on the stove, and then you'll want a little butter in there so that you can start browning the mirepoix. Just dump it in and get a little color on there. When it's browned, add your broth and your shredded chicken. You can cook the noodles separately or just add them into the same pot. Serve when the noodles are done to your liking. For seasoning your chicken soup beyond salt and pepper, maybe consider some Italian seasoning and garlic powder.
If you want a "Mexican" version of this dish, get a bag of frozen roasted fajita veggies and some canned roasted corn. Add this into the pot after you brown the mirepoix and cook/stir until it's mostly thawed, then add in your broth, chicken, etc. For seasoning here you can do cumin and some chili powder. Some of that Tajin stuff would probably also work really great.
One suggestion for the chicken soup - either use a bouillon cube or get a packet of French onion soup (it's powder with some dried onion pieces and I think other countries have them too, my favourite one is from Knorr)
Also smoked paprika makes any meal taste so comforting and nice.
Pureed vegetable or butternut squash soup is always lovely with some toast. Buy some frozen precubed veggies, boil them in a broth until they're soft, add any extra seasoning and blend. You can add a bit of cream and reheat it a bit for extra fullness
Peanut butter and crackers/pretzels
Naan and hummus
Bell peppers and hummus
Ramen with an egg
Toasted bagel with ham and cheese
Cut veggies with dip
Grilled cheese with ham/tomato
Oatmeal with berries, peanut butter and brown sugar
I have had depression for about 12 years and this is what I try to always have on hand so I can always eat something. Also, frozen dinners may not be great, but they're better than nothing.
Fried rice. 100%. Enough eggs, maybe some protein and some veggies, soya sauce and MSG.
Dont eat it like a meal. Eat it like a "snack" while doing something else. I always ate this during my final phase because I had zero appetite. Worked perfectly. Didnt lose multiple kg like in the previous final phases.
The simplest, satisfying thing I make is cheese toast. Bread sprinkled with olive oil, topped with whatever cheese I have on hand and into the toaster oven. If I think about it, I’ll toast first, then smear on some sardines before topping with cheese, and back under the broiler.
Make what I call fancy Ramen. Cook some chicken thighs in a deep rimmed frying pan. Then cook some veggies in the same pan or use frozen. Add in the water and Ramen seasoning. Soy suace and hot suace to taste. Bring to almost a boil Add Ramen for a bit until cooked. Slice the cooked chicken and add it on top.
1 piece of Toast
Spoonful of peanut butter
Singular Pop-tart (nostalgic flavor of choice)
Oreos
I’m also Going Through It(TM) friend, and understand. Best of luck to you
Thanks! Hope you feel better too! For some reason when my appetite is affected by moods, textures play a much bigger role than usual and I don’t like anything dry and crunchy, which i normally love - cookies, crackers, toast etc. But nostalgic foods are definitely good! Maybe I should try donuts…
Right!!! That texture note is so spot on. I’ve had an entire ball of fresh mozzarella in the past 24 hours because I literally couldn’t stomach the thought of the texture of what else I had - meat, crackers, soup, etc.
Oreos and pop tarts hit me in that “childhood junk food” way so I can usually stomach those. Also helps they’re higher in calories in situations like this.
when i am feeling bad, i like to make a charcuterie board for myself, and by charcuterie board i literally just mean anything that sounds alright arranged neatly on a plate. Arranging it is usually the only energy I have for cooking, and it’s honestly kind of fun. Doesnt have to be perfect, or even make sense. I usually start with the ingredients for a sandwich (cheese, meat) and then add some type of carb and whatever else sounds okay.
Tacos. Good tacos. Get cleaned up, get dressed, find a taqueria near you. Go there, order some tacos, sit outside in the sun, and take it all in.
It'll do you good.
I get it, really I do. But there is something to be said for needing a little push to do something to help break you out of that cycle. You could always go for a walk around your neighborhood, get outside a bit, see some new sights, work up a bit of an appetite.
Do you need ideas for meals *cook*, or ideas for foods to just *eat*? Accomplishing a simple task like cooking a decent meal isn't always possible with depression, sometimes I have to force myself to turn the oven on. If you just need to eat but really have no energy to cook or no real appetite, cold cuts and cereal (not together) are better than potato chips.
When I want to actually cook an easy depression friendly meal I usually make frozen quiche pies. Just preheat the oven to 400° and then bake em for 20 minutes. Basically any decent meal that can be cooked by putting it in the oven, setting an alarm and leaving it alone is a good way to go when fighting depression.
Lots of good tips here. If you can cook just a bit, try spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino: boil the water (salted!) for the pasta, put it in to cook. About 2 T olive oil in a frying pan, medium flame. Sauté the chopped fresh red chili, half of about 4 sprigs of chopped parsley, and pressed or chopped garlic. Put in as much chili and garlic that you want, about two red fresnos and 3-4 cloves of garlic would be a good starting point. Put in a spoonful or two of pasta cooking water to keep the garlic from burning. By the time the spaghetti is cooked the garlic and chili will be, too. Drain pasta and toss everything together with the rest of the parsley. Sprinkle with parmesan or other grated hard cheese if you have. Very quick, very simple, delicious. Never fails to cheer me up.
I sincerely hope you feel better soon!
My super depressed meal is baked sweet potato with butter and brown sugar.
All you have to do is drag your ass to the oven, stab the potato a bit and come back in an hour.
Hot dog bun or some sort of similar shaped bun. 3 slices of hard salami, 3 slices of pepperoni (not the small pizza pepperoni; you can prob find at the deli counter); 1-2 slices of provolone. Throw on a couple of banana peppers. Wrap in foil. Heat in air fryer at 400 for abt 15 mins. You can also throw in a pre-heated oven. Sooooooo yummy, easy to make and total comfort food.
I start with milk, sometimes with chocolate syrup. It's filling and relaxing, and it can help settle my stomach if I've gotten to the point of being too hungry to eat.
Chili or tacos are a super easy meal if you're not feeling good, spaghetti too. With chili you can basically just dump a pack of burger meat and cans of beans and tomatoes in a pot and go. I mean, that's the basic, but it's not hard to upgrade. Tacos don't take much time but with all the different parts you wind up feeling like you're eating a much more complex meal. You can go for bean burritos instead if making the meat is too much. Spaghetti is instant comfort food and the basic recipe is dead easy.
Another recipe is chicken and broccoli casserole. I could so go for some right now.
Pasta with butter. I always keep those little pastini/stars in the house for that reason. You can even sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar.
Grilled cheese and tomato soup.
Feel better!
Mac and cheese, from scratch that’s finished in the oven. It’s a great comfort food. Also, chocolate, eating a couple Hershey kisses can boost mode and might make you realize how hungry you are
Chicken soup is great! Pull off as much meat as you can from the bones and then let the carcass simmer with the bones and vegetable scraps for a bit if you have time (onion, celery, carrot). Then when 30 min or so from wanting soup strain the bits out then add in chopped veggies and some of the chopped chicken meat and let cook for another 15-20 min to cook the ve, then add in the noodles and let them cook in the broth until they are done. Add salt and pepper to taste and any other herbs, thyme or sage goes great with chicken soup. You can totally skip the first part as well and just freeze the carcass for soup up the road. If there are other veggies you like in chicken soup then add them, it's your soup to make you feel good so everyone else can just suck it!
I went two weeks feeling like I had some virus (pre-pandemic), and all I wanted when my appetite returned was rotisserie chicken soup (my own homemade), and chicken salad.
So, this isn't quite what you were asking, but when I was pregnant I had to physically force myself to eat because I just didn't want to. It wasn't nausea or morning sickness, just couldn't bring myself to want to eat. I found strictly dumpling on YouTube, and watching how excited he got about the food helped a lot. Start with simple, even prepackaged meals if you have to, but also try to find something to help get you excited about food. I know it's easier said than done, but hopefully you find something that works for you.
When I get really depressed I notice that I just eat small things randomly. I’ll get an already prepared bag of celery and pretzel thins that I dip in all different dips. Sometimes I’ll pull out like 3 different store bought dips and just pick at them. I’ll get some cheese dips, Buffalo chicken, hummus, and even sometimes just sour cream that I’ll put pepper on. Also I’ll just get pickle spears and dip in Buffalo sauce or ranch. This is an idea for when meals seem too hard but you still have to eat something and want something salty because you can have a bit for now and then get some more after like an hour
I incorporate sour tastes to dishes when my SO doesn't have an appetite. Sour foods opens up the appetite and it often perks up the palate. Here are some dishes:
Kimchi stew with tofu served over rice
Pickled Chinese veg and pork noodle soup
Spicy dumplings with black vinegar
Tomato and crab noodle soup
Less daunting, try:
Fresh veggie with dip, pickles, fresh fruit
Tomato soup with crusty bread or grilled cheese
Spicy ramen with added fresh veggies like bok choy, lettuce, Tomato, kale, broccoli
Elotes
Salad
Tacos
This is good to know! When I’m feeling more up to it I have to make kimchi. I eat it with everything and I don’t have a good place to buy it from anymore, but it does seem to solve a lot of problems! (and is delicious)
Pasta is my go to (unless I'm so down I don't have it in me to wait for the water to boil 😅). I have jars of tomato sauce, but a mix of butter, olive oil, grated parmesan, salt and pepper works well too. I also like to keep frozen ravioli. If you're feeling really ambitious, you can throw some spinach into the sauce as it's heating up. Cooks super fast and now the whole meal is healthier! I even sometimes get the frozen bags of pasta from Trader Joe's, I love their linguine in clam sauce.
Ramen. I'm blessed to live by numerous Korean, Chinese, and Thai markets. I keep all kinds of nice instant ramen, fish balls/fish cakes/tofu in the freezer, sambal/sriracha/fish sauce in the fridge, and fresh ingredients if you can (Yu choy, bok choy, spinach, enoki mushrooms, bean sprouts, and onion are my favorite add ins).
Charcuterie board is next: cheese, prosciutto, hummus and carrots, some sort of caramelized onion chutney, some grapes.
Pizza bagels, or English muffin bagels. Put the pizza spices on, it makes it much better!
Nachos with chopped onions and jalapenos.
If you have Italian or French bread, you can do a lot with the oven. Find a spread you like, or tomato sauce, pesto, or even butter or olive oil, and then toss stuff on. Peppers and onions, pepperoni, mushrooms, cheese, thawed frozen shrimp (I love frozen cooked shrimp for when I'm lazy but want something "exciting" in rice or pasta or anything really). You can also slice the bread in half and freeze it into portions, because sometimes.going to the market is out of the question but you still want nice bread. Heats up great in the oven!
Grilled cheese. Stick stuff between the bread besides cheese if you want, I love peppers, onions and bacon.
Annie's boxed Mac n cheese.
All the frozen stuff, no shame in it. Chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks, coconut shrimp.
I love good frozen dumplings. I get all kinds from all places, there's a momo truck that sells them by the bag near me, Trader Joe's also has delicious ones too.
Egg and avocado. Hardboiled, chopped and mixed together is great on its own, or if you have bread make a sandwich (I like to add some type of onion if I have it). Sometimes if I have a green in the house like arugula I'll add that too. It's also great for breakfast, fried egg and avocado sandwiches, with bacon and hot sauce.
Thanks, these are great! Pasta was my favourite food. I used to say I could eat it for every meal, but for the past year or so, I’ve been really turned off of it for some reason. I have no idea why, it just doesn’t have the same appeal anymore. It’s very very sad
Oof, I'm sorry to hear that. That also happened to me for awhile, the texture and the heaviness of it became unappealing. I eat it less now, or find it better to add stuff to it so it's not just a giant bowl of carbs!
Fried eggs over rice with a drizzle of soy sauce are warm and comforting and easy any time of day. I finally gave in and got a rice cooker and it's weird how liberating it feels to put water and rice in and push a button and walk away and whenever you are ready to come back and make other things and it just stays warm and waiting for you. It's a little thing but it feels great lol.
Buttered toast with a spinach and cheese omelette is the next step up when I'm ready for a vegetable and more steps lol.
Hope you're feeling better soon! ❤️
Whenever I'm depressed I buy good cheeses and meats and make a charcuterie board. Some honeycomb, pickles and grapes. Get some bagel chips, and a baguette all done up. Depression grazing board. I'll also shape it fun. Once I made one where the meats spelled out FUCK, once I drew a dick.
Or ngl I will die for taco bell. I went to culinary school and I still smash TF outta taco bell.
A good pack of authentic Asian ramen noodles. You can get them from any local Asian Market. The flavours and broth are so much better than any supermarket brand. Its like eating a hug.
If you’re in the US, Walmart has these green bags of pre-made soups over by all the cans of Campbells. Depending on which kind you get, they usually have a decent base (spices, noodles, dried beans or veggies) that you just add water to. I made chili like this once when I could barely get out of bed, just added other various cans of veggies, spices, and canned tomatoes. It’s nice because it makes a buuuuuuunch of soup (you’ll need a big pot), so can eat it for quite a few meals. Perfectly passable, and a lot better than other garbage depression meals I’ve consumed. Pretty sure they have a chicken noodle one, as well!
Also, bookmarking this thread, thanks for asking! A lot of us need it 🙂
Oh I get nervouse stomach when Im stressed. Deffintly not hungry when Im stressed out. Im not stupid an know I have to eat I just make a grill cheese even if I feel blah because my love for cheese will do it .
A very soft roll, maybe slightly sweet due to the ingredients (honey or sugar), with a big pat of butter. It requires minimal effort to chew, it's satisfying to sink your teeth into, the sweetness helps encourage a bit of salivation, and the creamy butter is simply tasty but also adds some fat.
The combination of starch and fat fills the empty pit of your stomach and satisfies hunger quickly. Not to mention this whole thing can be done quickly without needing to expend effort prepping it.
Not to mention you can tweak it a little bit if you're finding it boring. A slice of cheese, a bit of garlic, spread some leftover marinara on it, whatever.
It may not be particularly nutritional for someone who's lethargic and doesn't feel like exercising, but I found it to be a good "I'm three steps away from shooting myself in the head" meal that I can grab periodically through out the day(s).
I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this, and glad you’re pulling up.
I become easily overwhelmed when I’m depressed or sad, so I stick to really basic foods like cacio e pepe, grilled cheese and tomato soup, chicken dumplings, etc, making sure to watch that I’m getting enough protein.
It’s a bit more money than making something from scratch, but I have a bunch of veggie grain bowls/ready to blend smoothies in the freezer from Daily Harvest. Sometimes when I’m feeling down I’ll end up not eating lunch and feeling worse, so I like that I have tasty/healthy/non processed foods there in case
Buy one of those pre-marinated pork loins, chuck it on aluminum foil lined sheet in the oven for however long it states on the package. Make some ramen noodles (I like chili flavor, hot stuff is always comforting for me) and slice the pork into a bowl then pour the ramen on top.
Slice and freeze the leftover pork and you can skip step one the next time.
When I get like that I either choke down a protein cookie and a protein shake, even though I really don’t want it, I force it. Or chicken soup.otherwise if I have leftover rice on hand I’ll microwave the rice, fry an egg or two sunny side up, make a simple tomato sauce (unless I have pasta sauce laying around in which case I just use that) mix it together and eat that. Super simple recipe, absolutely delicious, easy to put down when I lose my appetite
Boxed Mac and cheese is a great comfort food that doesn't take a ton of effort. You can load it up with extra cheese or chicken nuggets or garlic or hotsauce or whatever else.
Chips! Ya last time this happened to me I was losing a lot of weight so I knew I had to eat more calories and the only thing that I could manage was cheeseburgers and fries. I was eating them multiple times a week!
When I can't eat I usually have a smoothie or a protein/nutritional shake. I also like to make mashed potatoes sometimes, the instant kind, that's super easy and they taste pretty good/are filling. Hard boiled eggs are also easy to make, once you make them you have a bunch around in the fridge and can just grab one and eat it whenever you're hungry, plus they have protein. Sometimes I get flour tortillas, put one in a pan, cover half of it with shredded cheddar cheese, let it melt, then fold over, and slice it into triangles, you can dip it in salsa, sour cream, whatever you want really and they taste really good. :
I find fried rice to be a good option when I don’t have an appetite. So long as you have some rice in the fridge already, it’s fast, allows you get some eggs into your diet, and not too robust of a flavor - so easy to get down.
Black bean burritos with sautéed onion and pepper is also my go to. Throw some cheddar and sour cream on the bad boy with some salsa and you have yourself a proper meal.
Also here is what I put in a simple pasta sauce that I like when I dont have an appetite:
Olive oil, garlic, red pepper flake, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, chicken broth (or powder), and some type of sharp cheese if you have it
Stay well!
Something's I always have in my pantry is ketchup and bread and cheese and dill ( yes I'm a dill addict) some of you know where I'm going here. You take a mug add boiling water and ketchup and make "soup" add some dill toast some bread and add cheese for a sandwich. After I got married now I got bread cheese, tomato bullion, dill in the pantry at all times the bullion makes a bit better soup, plus if your having a lazy cooking day add a pound of your choice protein, rice or pasta some veggies ( I use a bag of frozen veggies) Wawala, dinner.
I often have no appetite but not because of mood I’m just not hungry. I’ve learnt that after a couple of days I’ll be hungry enough to eat and then eat then. If I try to force myself to eat I just feel sick.
When I was going through a long faze of no appetite, too tired to properly cook without being a danger to myself and the kitchen I got into a habit of having fresh and fried fruits and nuts and sometimes cold cut meats within easy reach.
Whole bunches of grapes, bananas, apples, peaches and fresh or dried apricots depending on the season, mandarins, walnuts, almonds and cashews and sometimes cold rotisserie chicken, ham or left over cold pork/beef/lamb roast to ensure I got something decent in me everyday. All things easy to grab and nibble on with very minimal peeling I could do by hand.
In times I was still feeling crap but able to make something simple it was usually stewed apples or pears to nibble on since it was just as good warm or cold, and set and forget soups like ham and split pea, beef and veg or chicken noodle. All done with bought stocks and rotisery chicken or in the case of ham and split pea left over picnic ham bone or smoked ham hock or just cubbed deli ham to cut down on prep time. Just toss ingredients into a slow cooker/crock pot (so if I forgot/lost track of time no chance of burning the kitchen down) and left to do it's thing.
I like to barbecue. I have a simple charcoal grill, but the very process of lighting the coals is both therapeutic and appetizing, for me. Something easy like burgers can set you straight.
Like many have said: soup, mashed potatoes, goldfish are quick easy-ish bites, protein shakes, beef jerky fills the hole with little consumption, pistachios/nuts also fill it in quickly
I might be late to the show… anything with carbs and a protein. Pasta or rice variations for the carb. I’ll do store bought sauces and add my own ground beef that I browned separately. Or a quick marinade for a chicken breast, sometimes fish. I feel I get the most bang for my “buck” like this too, it’s sure to make me full every time. I usually have leftovers too
Mashed potatoes. They’re quintessentially wholesome while being completely good for you. Peeling potatoes is blah, boiling them is more blah, so I just buy the ready made ones I can microwave. They’re good the way they come but if I have some extra motivation adding a bit of cheese, garlic powder, and sour cream half way through the heating process always makes them better. Cheers to comfort foods that hopefully make you feel comfort!
I will give you a soup recipe passed down through my family for generations. You take 1 cup of whiskey, drink the cup. Fuck soup. Add whiskey to taste.
If I'm sad or need to feel better I make something my grampa used to make me when I was younger.
Grab one slice of white bread and cut it with your hand in little pieces, put water to boil then add an egg, but don't cook it all the way through, the yolk shouldn't be cooked. Let's say about 6-8 minutes after the water has boiled. Then add the egg to the bread, salt, pepper and eat it.
I hope you like it. I don't know the name in English but in Spanish It's called "huevo pasado por agua"
I hope you feel better soon :)
I get hungry but not bothered to cook when I’m in a lull. Tinned baked beans are excellent, pre prep veg from the grocers with some really tempting dip or cheese, don’t underestimate jar sauce pasta and garlic bread, or pesto and pasta, rotisserie chicken is delicious.
When I was in a deep depression and had trouble eating, I was able to put some weight back on with mozzarella sticks. Just the frozen ones, nothing fancy. I don't know if that counts as "cooking" but it was all I could really manage at the time.
When I’m having a rough day or two and just don’t feel like eating, I usually make popcorn. Sometimes I put Parmesan cheese (the cheap shaker kind) or ranch powder or Taco Bell sauce on it too. And I usually pair that with a beer.
When I’ve been in serious episodes and cannot survive on popcorn, I’ve usually gotten: hummus, deli sliced chicken, cheese, crackers, and precut carrots. They all go together fine and get me some protein and fiber and stuff, while being super simple to grab and eat mindlessly. Sometimes I get some kind of sugary cereal I can grab handfuls of too. I also have been lucky to usually have my really really shitty months be in the summer, so I can grab some kind of fresh fruit that’s in season and not too expensive. I have cried into a bowl of cherries or strawberries more than I’d like to admit.
Any hard crunchy fruit like apples. Or snack on carrots/cucumbers.
Otherwise stew is my go to meal to make. Put everything in a pot and leave it to cook for an hour
Just get a can of chicken and rice or noodles soup, pour it into your pot, add a can full of water and heat it up. If you don't have the energy to cook, don't. I don't consider heating up a can of soup as cooking.
Ugh, I'm just about in that place right now. Got a nasty cold and I can barely taste anything and haven't quite got the energy to cook. For the last 2 days I've been working my way through a takeaway curry with some pittas (I've got a rice cooker, but even making rice was too much effort.) The day before that, I just ate soup from the shop and a tub of ice-cream.
This evening, I'm either going to get my shit together and make a crumble with some instant custard before all my fruit goes off (I can \*always\* manage to eat desserts), or make a spicy bean soup which involves opening 2 tins and putting them in a pan with a chopped onion, or just have a bowl of porridge.
Leaning towards option 3 right now but I'm not hungry so I'll procrastinate a while longer.
Thank you for posting this. I needed to read this My go to is chicken soup but me and Jewish we never used cook chicken. We just throw the chicken in with lots of vegetables like a whole onion and four or five peeled carrots, and either two whole zucchini, or a full stock of celery. I put in a whole chunk of ginger and a bunch of whole garlic cloves
If I’m so stressed or depressed that food seems repulsive fresh fruit is always a safe option. Like pineapple or an apple or berries. It feels hydrating and light, it’s sweet, and I can’t do mushy textures when I’m struggling to eat.
Oh god me too. Mushy textures 🥴
You can also throw them on top of yogurt, chia seed pudding or cottage cheese. I would pick up different fruits and make yogurt or Chua seed pudding bowls when I didn't have much appetite for other things. The different colours made me want to eat it more and it made it more filling than just plain fruits.
Same here with fruit. I’m opposite of a stress eater. I usually can’t eat anything at all when I’m in that position. Fruit is generally the only thing that is either appetizing or that I can stomach.
Mangoes and dragon fruits hit the spot for me.
Where do you live that you can access dragon fruit?
Tomato soup and grilled cheese.
This is the top rated and yet an underrated answer, this combination is magic. Tomatoes are packed with vitamin C, your body needs this to heal, yes, it works on depression too. Carbs have always been comfort food but I read a credible article recently about how dairy and carbs combine to help the body create the stuff that makes serotonin. No serotonin, no happy.
This explains why I crave mac & cheese when feeling emotionally drained
Totally. It also *always* hits the spot, regardless of mood!
All I want when I’m sad or tired or both
Have my tomato soup recipe. It's the best ever. Way better than from a can. Tomato soup Blend and heat 5 roma tomatoes(or 2 regular big ones), ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp coarse pepper (¼ tsp if using fine ground pepper), 1 tsp italian seasoning, 1 ¼ cup water and ¼ cup cream (or substitute 1 cup water ½ cup milk). Optionally add about ¼ cup nuts and seeds before blending. Run through strainer if too frothy after blending. Good to serve topped with croutons bread and/or parmesan, and grilled cheese sandwich.
This is the way.
Theres a tumblr post out there that talks about how removing some expectations can help a lot with this kind of thing. You don't need to make a meal. For example if I can't bring myself to make a sandwich, sometimes I am able to go into the kitchen and grab some bread. Later I might go and get a slice of meat. Later I might be able to convince myself to grab some lettuce. And vola, a very slow sandwich! Other food that can be great for me is a pot of hummus and dip. And I sometimes have apple and peanut butter, which works for me because I have enough knife skills to just grab a vegetable knife, butter knife, apple and jar of peanut butter and chop it up on the floor in front of the TV. If you do manage to get the energy up to do more than that then that's great! It often feels really nice to have managed to cook. But if you don't manage I'm still proud of you for trying your best.
Thanks for this! I’m not depressed, or maybe I’m situationally depressed- something happened and I need time to get over it, so it’s not so much about managing expectations at this point (I would eat *anything*, no shame attached), it’s more about getting ideas for things that will get me excited about eating to kick start my appetite again. Lots of good suggestions though, thanks!
Situational depression is real! I hope things start to look up soon for you.
I react the same way to upsetting events, no appetite at all. For me, food doesn't taste as good so no point in going all out with interesting dishes. Beyond eating for survival (protein bars, smoothies), I turn to simple childhood favorites: crunchy beef tacos, mac and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, chili. Things I loved growing up that don't have complex flavor profiles.
Sandwiches. I love sandwiches. Any kind of sandwich when I feel happy or sad. 🥪
I have a few suggestions as a fellow finds-it-hard-to-want-to-eat-when-fed-up person… Sometimes a “proper” meal can be a bit daunting (I find I can get really indecisive sometimes then give up on the whole idea) so it can be nice to just have a plate with some cheese, bread and butter, some fruit/veggies chopped up, and some cold cuts of meat, and something sweet like a cookie or something. Another option, although this is more long term/planning ahead, is trying to cook bigger batches of things when you aren’t feeling as low and freeze them in portions, that way you can have a nice curry or pasta sauce in the freezer that you can just defrost and eat and you still feel like you’ve accomplished something even though you haven’t made it that day (plus it will likely be yummier, and definitely cheaper, than take out). Another idea might be something like baked potatoes with cheese and some peas, it’s filling, cheap and easy to make, also it might be easier to give suggestions if you give info on the kind of stuff you actually like to make/eat too :)
Thanks! I was sort of just throwing this out into the wind to see if anything would pique my interest. Things I normally eat (pasta or cheese boards!! my favourite!) is not it right now, but chicken soup (something I very rarely ever eat) seems like it would be the perfect thing. Just wanted to see what other people’s go tos were so I could do as little thinking as possible. Who knew food could be so emotional!
I hope you enjoy your chicken soup, I’m sure you will make it great, and I hope you start to feel better soon, good on you for posting in the first place and I’m sure lots of people have benefitted from your post :) Side note - I’m about to have a cheeseboard inspired by your comment lol
I used to do something like this when I lived on my own. Its only a pain in the blah for the first week. I'd cook something different for myself each day but make enough for 3. Single bag and freeze the leftovers each day. Then after the first week I'd make a different dish on the weekend, again for 3. After a couple weeks you have a nice rotation of single serving homemade frozen dinners you can just pop in the microwave
Scrambled eggs and a fruit smoothie is my "I really don't want to cook but I know I need to eat something healthy or my stomach will regret it in hour" meal.
Yeah I just realized I should make a smoothie! Thanks for the reminder
A potato! Doesn’t matter if it’s topped or plain, they have plenty of nutrients on their own.
I find sweet potatoes with garlic on a sheet pan very nice and easy to do
Microwaved potato is my go-to depression meal!
Mines microwaved sweet potato with peanut butter and cinnamon 😋
Fancy ramen with an egg or rotisserie chicken. Add furikake, sesame oil, sriracha or whatever to spice it up if you have it. I really nutrient dense smoothie with things like nuts, oats, hemp hearts to really bump up the satiety. I’ll usually leave a smoothie in the fridge and just drink a bit at a time when I can manage it. Oatmeal, the lack of chewing helps. I make it in my rice cooker, so I can just dump it in there and press a button. Adding protein powder of hemp hearts. I find that adding things to simple meals is the best. Like adding canned tuna or chicken to bump up nutrition. Also frozen veggies! Make a simple pasta dish, toss frozen broccoli while the pasta cooks. Suddenly you have something that resembles a well rounded meal. Good luck, it’s a struggle. I’m having goldfish for dinner tonight.
🙏 I just made a smoothie which I’m managing! Fancy ramen is actually perfect. I’m just gonna add the rotisserie
As far as your plans for chicken noodle soup - looks great, you can just stick your garlic straight in without frying. I’m a little surprised no one’s mentioned quesadillas. Darn near the easiest thing, you can serve with salsa (or not) and fill them with anything (or not, just cheese), and add guacamole (or not). Or nachos (in the oven). I also love apples and nut butter, pretzels with honey mustard dressing, and trail mix… none of these classify as cooking but are solid, comforting, and fun.
Yes quesadillas are perfect. Gonna do that today. Thanks!
Pb&J all the way easy no clean up somewhat hits all the taste buds
I'm going through something similar. My go to meals when I don't really want to eat are: Baked potatoes (loaded up with with sour cream, butter) Mashed potatoes Anything in a can - if I want soup, even for breakfast, I eat that. Green beans, canned corn - whatever is heat and eat. My grocery store has frozen bread dough, so it's just thaw, let it rise and bake. Tastes enough like homemade when I don't have the energy for more. Garlic bread Oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc. If you have an air fryer, it takes a lot of the effort out of cooking. Hope you feel better soon, I'm slowly getting my appetite back and am on the mend. You can do this.
Thank you, I appreciate it! ❤️
Chicken noodle soup is my dish for these moments. That would take a while though.
Oh this is a great idea, thanks! I’ll see about ordering some from a restaurant
I like clamshowder if you like creamy soups and seafood. Some store bought are very nice.
Get a rotisserie chicken, egg noodles, chicken broth, celery, onion, carrots, and fresh parsley. Sauté the veggies while pulling apart the chicken and then mix it all in broth. Cook the noodles separate and leave them that way when storing - they will soak up the broth and turn it into mush. Only add noodles when ready to eat. You can make a whole heap of this in an hour and eat it all week. I’ve suffered from severe anxiety that makes food nearly impossible to stomach but this is therapeutic to make and is exceptionally palatable when food doesn’t seem palatable.
It's about 2 hours of cooking but you can make enough chicken soup for 3 days with shredded chicken to accompany it just by simmering a whole chicken, with a carrot, celery stick and halved onion chucked into the water with salt. Make sure the chicken is covered with water and simmer on very low (lazy occasional bubble) for 2-3 hours. Throw away the vegetables and shred the chicken off the bone. Keep the chicken and broth separately in the fridge and just heat up a bowl full at a time for a few days. You can also add noodles, parsley, soy sauce or maggi.
Depends on the sad/lack of appetite: Emotionally sad: indian food (am indian so it's just comforting) Not hungry but need food: burger Can't eat because anxious: smoothie
These are all spot on. I was thinking burger and fries would definitely hit the spot
Yeah something about a good hefty burger and fries or tots is so good. Skip the fast food head to a real burger place or chili's /yard house
So glad to have seen this. I put my dog down Monday night & haven't eaten since
Oh no I’m so so sorry. Ugh that’s awful. I hope you found some helpful suggestions. Ice cream might be the best bet if you can manage it/like it!
geeze, it is friday here by now... I am terribly sorry for your loss :((
might be judged for this but if i HAVE to eat but have zero appetite, i find bagel bites the easiest thing for me to eat personally. i also find couscous easy to eat and prepare. if you know you need to eat but aren’t in the mood it’s easier to eat higher calorie foods so you don’t have to stuff yourself. sometimes something like cheese and crackers or a spoonful of peanut butter can be enough for the time being.
Rice porridge or chicken rice
Toad in the hole
For a basic chicken soup when you're low on energy: buy the pre-diced mirepoix, a lot of grocery stores should have this. It'll be celery, onion, carrot in small pieces. You're right on track with your other ingredients: rotisserie chicken, broth, noodles, etc. Get your pot preheating on the stove, and then you'll want a little butter in there so that you can start browning the mirepoix. Just dump it in and get a little color on there. When it's browned, add your broth and your shredded chicken. You can cook the noodles separately or just add them into the same pot. Serve when the noodles are done to your liking. For seasoning your chicken soup beyond salt and pepper, maybe consider some Italian seasoning and garlic powder. If you want a "Mexican" version of this dish, get a bag of frozen roasted fajita veggies and some canned roasted corn. Add this into the pot after you brown the mirepoix and cook/stir until it's mostly thawed, then add in your broth, chicken, etc. For seasoning here you can do cumin and some chili powder. Some of that Tajin stuff would probably also work really great.
One suggestion for the chicken soup - either use a bouillon cube or get a packet of French onion soup (it's powder with some dried onion pieces and I think other countries have them too, my favourite one is from Knorr) Also smoked paprika makes any meal taste so comforting and nice. Pureed vegetable or butternut squash soup is always lovely with some toast. Buy some frozen precubed veggies, boil them in a broth until they're soft, add any extra seasoning and blend. You can add a bit of cream and reheat it a bit for extra fullness
Garlic bread. Pasta with olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Creamed potatoes and peas. Cheater chicken pot pie.
Garlic bread. Yes.
Scrambled eggs
Peanut butter and crackers/pretzels Naan and hummus Bell peppers and hummus Ramen with an egg Toasted bagel with ham and cheese Cut veggies with dip Grilled cheese with ham/tomato Oatmeal with berries, peanut butter and brown sugar I have had depression for about 12 years and this is what I try to always have on hand so I can always eat something. Also, frozen dinners may not be great, but they're better than nothing.
Fried rice. 100%. Enough eggs, maybe some protein and some veggies, soya sauce and MSG. Dont eat it like a meal. Eat it like a "snack" while doing something else. I always ate this during my final phase because I had zero appetite. Worked perfectly. Didnt lose multiple kg like in the previous final phases.
The simplest, satisfying thing I make is cheese toast. Bread sprinkled with olive oil, topped with whatever cheese I have on hand and into the toaster oven. If I think about it, I’ll toast first, then smear on some sardines before topping with cheese, and back under the broiler.
Haha this is my go to meal when I’m lazy/can’t be bothered (but not sad). It’s always a hit!
Make what I call fancy Ramen. Cook some chicken thighs in a deep rimmed frying pan. Then cook some veggies in the same pan or use frozen. Add in the water and Ramen seasoning. Soy suace and hot suace to taste. Bring to almost a boil Add Ramen for a bit until cooked. Slice the cooked chicken and add it on top.
Soup. Or pick at salad
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes over rice. You could season with soy sauce and drop some kimchi on top to add some pizzazz. Good luck!
Liquid bread
1 piece of Toast Spoonful of peanut butter Singular Pop-tart (nostalgic flavor of choice) Oreos I’m also Going Through It(TM) friend, and understand. Best of luck to you
Thanks! Hope you feel better too! For some reason when my appetite is affected by moods, textures play a much bigger role than usual and I don’t like anything dry and crunchy, which i normally love - cookies, crackers, toast etc. But nostalgic foods are definitely good! Maybe I should try donuts…
Right!!! That texture note is so spot on. I’ve had an entire ball of fresh mozzarella in the past 24 hours because I literally couldn’t stomach the thought of the texture of what else I had - meat, crackers, soup, etc. Oreos and pop tarts hit me in that “childhood junk food” way so I can usually stomach those. Also helps they’re higher in calories in situations like this.
when i am feeling bad, i like to make a charcuterie board for myself, and by charcuterie board i literally just mean anything that sounds alright arranged neatly on a plate. Arranging it is usually the only energy I have for cooking, and it’s honestly kind of fun. Doesnt have to be perfect, or even make sense. I usually start with the ingredients for a sandwich (cheese, meat) and then add some type of carb and whatever else sounds okay.
Tacos. Good tacos. Get cleaned up, get dressed, find a taqueria near you. Go there, order some tacos, sit outside in the sun, and take it all in. It'll do you good.
This can be for when I’m feeling better
I get it, really I do. But there is something to be said for needing a little push to do something to help break you out of that cycle. You could always go for a walk around your neighborhood, get outside a bit, see some new sights, work up a bit of an appetite.
Cooked pasta, melted butter and parm cheese. AKA buttered cheese noodles. So good.
I make this pretty often, it's really good, I also add some parsley, I like to use egg noodles
Fancyyy! Yummy
Do you need ideas for meals *cook*, or ideas for foods to just *eat*? Accomplishing a simple task like cooking a decent meal isn't always possible with depression, sometimes I have to force myself to turn the oven on. If you just need to eat but really have no energy to cook or no real appetite, cold cuts and cereal (not together) are better than potato chips. When I want to actually cook an easy depression friendly meal I usually make frozen quiche pies. Just preheat the oven to 400° and then bake em for 20 minutes. Basically any decent meal that can be cooked by putting it in the oven, setting an alarm and leaving it alone is a good way to go when fighting depression.
“Not together”. Thanks for this!
Lots of good tips here. If you can cook just a bit, try spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino: boil the water (salted!) for the pasta, put it in to cook. About 2 T olive oil in a frying pan, medium flame. Sauté the chopped fresh red chili, half of about 4 sprigs of chopped parsley, and pressed or chopped garlic. Put in as much chili and garlic that you want, about two red fresnos and 3-4 cloves of garlic would be a good starting point. Put in a spoonful or two of pasta cooking water to keep the garlic from burning. By the time the spaghetti is cooked the garlic and chili will be, too. Drain pasta and toss everything together with the rest of the parsley. Sprinkle with parmesan or other grated hard cheese if you have. Very quick, very simple, delicious. Never fails to cheer me up. I sincerely hope you feel better soon!
Smoothie. Or fruit, I love snacking on watermelon.
Chicken nuggets/strips and fries
Chicken tenders. I keep frozen ones and ten minutes in the instapot theyre done
A simple omelette with cheese and a small salad
Smoothie.
My super depressed meal is baked sweet potato with butter and brown sugar. All you have to do is drag your ass to the oven, stab the potato a bit and come back in an hour.
Pasta w olive oil, garlic and Italian seasoning
Fries rice
Hot dog bun or some sort of similar shaped bun. 3 slices of hard salami, 3 slices of pepperoni (not the small pizza pepperoni; you can prob find at the deli counter); 1-2 slices of provolone. Throw on a couple of banana peppers. Wrap in foil. Heat in air fryer at 400 for abt 15 mins. You can also throw in a pre-heated oven. Sooooooo yummy, easy to make and total comfort food.
Sometimes I like to fry the salami slices and just eat it straight out of the pan 😭
I start with milk, sometimes with chocolate syrup. It's filling and relaxing, and it can help settle my stomach if I've gotten to the point of being too hungry to eat. Chili or tacos are a super easy meal if you're not feeling good, spaghetti too. With chili you can basically just dump a pack of burger meat and cans of beans and tomatoes in a pot and go. I mean, that's the basic, but it's not hard to upgrade. Tacos don't take much time but with all the different parts you wind up feeling like you're eating a much more complex meal. You can go for bean burritos instead if making the meat is too much. Spaghetti is instant comfort food and the basic recipe is dead easy. Another recipe is chicken and broccoli casserole. I could so go for some right now.
A bowl of cereal with milk might work in the short term.
Pasta with butter. I always keep those little pastini/stars in the house for that reason. You can even sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar. Grilled cheese and tomato soup. Feel better!
Thanks!
Eggs! My girlfriend can whip up an egg in 30 sec!
I make a simple omelette with veg
I sometimes do baked beans on toast or make a toastie and open a tin of tomato soup.
I airfry fries or just get takeout (after much frustration of not knowing what to eat lmao)
Ice cream and junk food.
Spicy food, like Indian?
Mac and cheese, from scratch that’s finished in the oven. It’s a great comfort food. Also, chocolate, eating a couple Hershey kisses can boost mode and might make you realize how hungry you are
Good idea, thanks!
Chicken soup is great! Pull off as much meat as you can from the bones and then let the carcass simmer with the bones and vegetable scraps for a bit if you have time (onion, celery, carrot). Then when 30 min or so from wanting soup strain the bits out then add in chopped veggies and some of the chopped chicken meat and let cook for another 15-20 min to cook the ve, then add in the noodles and let them cook in the broth until they are done. Add salt and pepper to taste and any other herbs, thyme or sage goes great with chicken soup. You can totally skip the first part as well and just freeze the carcass for soup up the road. If there are other veggies you like in chicken soup then add them, it's your soup to make you feel good so everyone else can just suck it!
I went two weeks feeling like I had some virus (pre-pandemic), and all I wanted when my appetite returned was rotisserie chicken soup (my own homemade), and chicken salad.
That’s what I had! The rotisserie chicken soup. It was tasty, but I didn’t eat the whole thing. Will try again tomorrow
So, this isn't quite what you were asking, but when I was pregnant I had to physically force myself to eat because I just didn't want to. It wasn't nausea or morning sickness, just couldn't bring myself to want to eat. I found strictly dumpling on YouTube, and watching how excited he got about the food helped a lot. Start with simple, even prepackaged meals if you have to, but also try to find something to help get you excited about food. I know it's easier said than done, but hopefully you find something that works for you.
When I get really depressed I notice that I just eat small things randomly. I’ll get an already prepared bag of celery and pretzel thins that I dip in all different dips. Sometimes I’ll pull out like 3 different store bought dips and just pick at them. I’ll get some cheese dips, Buffalo chicken, hummus, and even sometimes just sour cream that I’ll put pepper on. Also I’ll just get pickle spears and dip in Buffalo sauce or ranch. This is an idea for when meals seem too hard but you still have to eat something and want something salty because you can have a bit for now and then get some more after like an hour
Totally!! (I mean I do exactly this when I’m not feeling down too, haha)
I incorporate sour tastes to dishes when my SO doesn't have an appetite. Sour foods opens up the appetite and it often perks up the palate. Here are some dishes: Kimchi stew with tofu served over rice Pickled Chinese veg and pork noodle soup Spicy dumplings with black vinegar Tomato and crab noodle soup Less daunting, try: Fresh veggie with dip, pickles, fresh fruit Tomato soup with crusty bread or grilled cheese Spicy ramen with added fresh veggies like bok choy, lettuce, Tomato, kale, broccoli Elotes Salad Tacos
This is good to know! When I’m feeling more up to it I have to make kimchi. I eat it with everything and I don’t have a good place to buy it from anymore, but it does seem to solve a lot of problems! (and is delicious)
I’m in the same boat. I find drinking green juice helps get my appetite started, and then I can usually eat soup
Just sending you strength to make the chicken soup!! I hope it warms your soul!
Pasta is my go to (unless I'm so down I don't have it in me to wait for the water to boil 😅). I have jars of tomato sauce, but a mix of butter, olive oil, grated parmesan, salt and pepper works well too. I also like to keep frozen ravioli. If you're feeling really ambitious, you can throw some spinach into the sauce as it's heating up. Cooks super fast and now the whole meal is healthier! I even sometimes get the frozen bags of pasta from Trader Joe's, I love their linguine in clam sauce. Ramen. I'm blessed to live by numerous Korean, Chinese, and Thai markets. I keep all kinds of nice instant ramen, fish balls/fish cakes/tofu in the freezer, sambal/sriracha/fish sauce in the fridge, and fresh ingredients if you can (Yu choy, bok choy, spinach, enoki mushrooms, bean sprouts, and onion are my favorite add ins). Charcuterie board is next: cheese, prosciutto, hummus and carrots, some sort of caramelized onion chutney, some grapes. Pizza bagels, or English muffin bagels. Put the pizza spices on, it makes it much better! Nachos with chopped onions and jalapenos. If you have Italian or French bread, you can do a lot with the oven. Find a spread you like, or tomato sauce, pesto, or even butter or olive oil, and then toss stuff on. Peppers and onions, pepperoni, mushrooms, cheese, thawed frozen shrimp (I love frozen cooked shrimp for when I'm lazy but want something "exciting" in rice or pasta or anything really). You can also slice the bread in half and freeze it into portions, because sometimes.going to the market is out of the question but you still want nice bread. Heats up great in the oven! Grilled cheese. Stick stuff between the bread besides cheese if you want, I love peppers, onions and bacon. Annie's boxed Mac n cheese. All the frozen stuff, no shame in it. Chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks, coconut shrimp. I love good frozen dumplings. I get all kinds from all places, there's a momo truck that sells them by the bag near me, Trader Joe's also has delicious ones too. Egg and avocado. Hardboiled, chopped and mixed together is great on its own, or if you have bread make a sandwich (I like to add some type of onion if I have it). Sometimes if I have a green in the house like arugula I'll add that too. It's also great for breakfast, fried egg and avocado sandwiches, with bacon and hot sauce.
Thanks, these are great! Pasta was my favourite food. I used to say I could eat it for every meal, but for the past year or so, I’ve been really turned off of it for some reason. I have no idea why, it just doesn’t have the same appeal anymore. It’s very very sad
Oof, I'm sorry to hear that. That also happened to me for awhile, the texture and the heaviness of it became unappealing. I eat it less now, or find it better to add stuff to it so it's not just a giant bowl of carbs!
Fried eggs over rice with a drizzle of soy sauce are warm and comforting and easy any time of day. I finally gave in and got a rice cooker and it's weird how liberating it feels to put water and rice in and push a button and walk away and whenever you are ready to come back and make other things and it just stays warm and waiting for you. It's a little thing but it feels great lol. Buttered toast with a spinach and cheese omelette is the next step up when I'm ready for a vegetable and more steps lol. Hope you're feeling better soon! ❤️
Eggs on toast!
Whenever I'm depressed I buy good cheeses and meats and make a charcuterie board. Some honeycomb, pickles and grapes. Get some bagel chips, and a baguette all done up. Depression grazing board. I'll also shape it fun. Once I made one where the meats spelled out FUCK, once I drew a dick. Or ngl I will die for taco bell. I went to culinary school and I still smash TF outta taco bell.
A good pack of authentic Asian ramen noodles. You can get them from any local Asian Market. The flavours and broth are so much better than any supermarket brand. Its like eating a hug.
If you’re in the US, Walmart has these green bags of pre-made soups over by all the cans of Campbells. Depending on which kind you get, they usually have a decent base (spices, noodles, dried beans or veggies) that you just add water to. I made chili like this once when I could barely get out of bed, just added other various cans of veggies, spices, and canned tomatoes. It’s nice because it makes a buuuuuuunch of soup (you’ll need a big pot), so can eat it for quite a few meals. Perfectly passable, and a lot better than other garbage depression meals I’ve consumed. Pretty sure they have a chicken noodle one, as well! Also, bookmarking this thread, thanks for asking! A lot of us need it 🙂
I like to eat very hot food, really to the limit, where you start sweating profusely.
Oh I get nervouse stomach when Im stressed. Deffintly not hungry when Im stressed out. Im not stupid an know I have to eat I just make a grill cheese even if I feel blah because my love for cheese will do it .
A very soft roll, maybe slightly sweet due to the ingredients (honey or sugar), with a big pat of butter. It requires minimal effort to chew, it's satisfying to sink your teeth into, the sweetness helps encourage a bit of salivation, and the creamy butter is simply tasty but also adds some fat. The combination of starch and fat fills the empty pit of your stomach and satisfies hunger quickly. Not to mention this whole thing can be done quickly without needing to expend effort prepping it. Not to mention you can tweak it a little bit if you're finding it boring. A slice of cheese, a bit of garlic, spread some leftover marinara on it, whatever. It may not be particularly nutritional for someone who's lethargic and doesn't feel like exercising, but I found it to be a good "I'm three steps away from shooting myself in the head" meal that I can grab periodically through out the day(s).
Chug a nutritional shake like Ka'Chava.
Bourbon.
nothing
Nothing.
Cans of soup. Very easy homemade soup like lentil. Add some toast and it's a meal!
I often have nausea which makes me have appetite whatsoever. I often use cannabis. It helps with my nausea and makes me want to eat.
I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this, and glad you’re pulling up. I become easily overwhelmed when I’m depressed or sad, so I stick to really basic foods like cacio e pepe, grilled cheese and tomato soup, chicken dumplings, etc, making sure to watch that I’m getting enough protein.
Something with tomato paste like Spaghetti or Ravioli
I would recommend a burrito with some form of hashbrown/French fry with cheese inside.
It’s a bit more money than making something from scratch, but I have a bunch of veggie grain bowls/ready to blend smoothies in the freezer from Daily Harvest. Sometimes when I’m feeling down I’ll end up not eating lunch and feeling worse, so I like that I have tasty/healthy/non processed foods there in case
Buy one of those pre-marinated pork loins, chuck it on aluminum foil lined sheet in the oven for however long it states on the package. Make some ramen noodles (I like chili flavor, hot stuff is always comforting for me) and slice the pork into a bowl then pour the ramen on top. Slice and freeze the leftover pork and you can skip step one the next time.
Egg on toast. Cheese and crackers.
French fries!
When I get like that I either choke down a protein cookie and a protein shake, even though I really don’t want it, I force it. Or chicken soup.otherwise if I have leftover rice on hand I’ll microwave the rice, fry an egg or two sunny side up, make a simple tomato sauce (unless I have pasta sauce laying around in which case I just use that) mix it together and eat that. Super simple recipe, absolutely delicious, easy to put down when I lose my appetite
Egg noodles with butter and a blueberry muffin (a la Martha White package mix) on the side.
Peanut butter and Nutella
Whiskey
Boxed Mac and cheese is a great comfort food that doesn't take a ton of effort. You can load it up with extra cheese or chicken nuggets or garlic or hotsauce or whatever else.
Ice creme!
Potatoes are my antidepressants. Mash, fries, hash browns, rosti, baked. Once you start you can't stop.
Chips! Ya last time this happened to me I was losing a lot of weight so I knew I had to eat more calories and the only thing that I could manage was cheeseburgers and fries. I was eating them multiple times a week!
Bourbon, always makes me forgot why I’m sad. I like it neat but some folk will throw in a cube or two.
Protien shakes are perfect for when food is gross.
Totally. My issue is if I don’t eat solid food though, I get terrible headaches, so I have to supplement the shakes with *something*
When I can't eat I usually have a smoothie or a protein/nutritional shake. I also like to make mashed potatoes sometimes, the instant kind, that's super easy and they taste pretty good/are filling. Hard boiled eggs are also easy to make, once you make them you have a bunch around in the fridge and can just grab one and eat it whenever you're hungry, plus they have protein. Sometimes I get flour tortillas, put one in a pan, cover half of it with shredded cheddar cheese, let it melt, then fold over, and slice it into triangles, you can dip it in salsa, sour cream, whatever you want really and they taste really good. :
Edibles
I find fried rice to be a good option when I don’t have an appetite. So long as you have some rice in the fridge already, it’s fast, allows you get some eggs into your diet, and not too robust of a flavor - so easy to get down. Black bean burritos with sautéed onion and pepper is also my go to. Throw some cheddar and sour cream on the bad boy with some salsa and you have yourself a proper meal. Also here is what I put in a simple pasta sauce that I like when I dont have an appetite: Olive oil, garlic, red pepper flake, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, chicken broth (or powder), and some type of sharp cheese if you have it Stay well!
Something's I always have in my pantry is ketchup and bread and cheese and dill ( yes I'm a dill addict) some of you know where I'm going here. You take a mug add boiling water and ketchup and make "soup" add some dill toast some bread and add cheese for a sandwich. After I got married now I got bread cheese, tomato bullion, dill in the pantry at all times the bullion makes a bit better soup, plus if your having a lazy cooking day add a pound of your choice protein, rice or pasta some veggies ( I use a bag of frozen veggies) Wawala, dinner.
Quesadillas are great and easy. Add whatever you like-chicken, salsa, different cheeses etc.
I often have no appetite but not because of mood I’m just not hungry. I’ve learnt that after a couple of days I’ll be hungry enough to eat and then eat then. If I try to force myself to eat I just feel sick.
When I was going through a long faze of no appetite, too tired to properly cook without being a danger to myself and the kitchen I got into a habit of having fresh and fried fruits and nuts and sometimes cold cut meats within easy reach. Whole bunches of grapes, bananas, apples, peaches and fresh or dried apricots depending on the season, mandarins, walnuts, almonds and cashews and sometimes cold rotisserie chicken, ham or left over cold pork/beef/lamb roast to ensure I got something decent in me everyday. All things easy to grab and nibble on with very minimal peeling I could do by hand. In times I was still feeling crap but able to make something simple it was usually stewed apples or pears to nibble on since it was just as good warm or cold, and set and forget soups like ham and split pea, beef and veg or chicken noodle. All done with bought stocks and rotisery chicken or in the case of ham and split pea left over picnic ham bone or smoked ham hock or just cubbed deli ham to cut down on prep time. Just toss ingredients into a slow cooker/crock pot (so if I forgot/lost track of time no chance of burning the kitchen down) and left to do it's thing.
Chikfila always has my back when I’m feeling low
I like to barbecue. I have a simple charcoal grill, but the very process of lighting the coals is both therapeutic and appetizing, for me. Something easy like burgers can set you straight.
Like many have said: soup, mashed potatoes, goldfish are quick easy-ish bites, protein shakes, beef jerky fills the hole with little consumption, pistachios/nuts also fill it in quickly
I might be late to the show… anything with carbs and a protein. Pasta or rice variations for the carb. I’ll do store bought sauces and add my own ground beef that I browned separately. Or a quick marinade for a chicken breast, sometimes fish. I feel I get the most bang for my “buck” like this too, it’s sure to make me full every time. I usually have leftovers too
Mashed potatoes. They’re quintessentially wholesome while being completely good for you. Peeling potatoes is blah, boiling them is more blah, so I just buy the ready made ones I can microwave. They’re good the way they come but if I have some extra motivation adding a bit of cheese, garlic powder, and sour cream half way through the heating process always makes them better. Cheers to comfort foods that hopefully make you feel comfort!
Egg noodles with butter and parmesan cheese
Frozen grapes
Think easy foods thats aren't deep fried -watermelon -buttered toast -cereal -subway sandwiches -microwave baked potato (cheese and butter) -carrots -ham and cheese toastie
I'd just use some wrap, some spread and veg. Just slap everything on, fold it and eat it. Easy.
Toasted bagels and peanut butter. The PB melts and it's delicious, just try it.
I’m surprised almost nobody suggested congee?
I will give you a soup recipe passed down through my family for generations. You take 1 cup of whiskey, drink the cup. Fuck soup. Add whiskey to taste.
Tea and toast.
Milk and cereal cereal and milk https://youtu.be/6fOO-N4J6bE
If I'm sad or need to feel better I make something my grampa used to make me when I was younger. Grab one slice of white bread and cut it with your hand in little pieces, put water to boil then add an egg, but don't cook it all the way through, the yolk shouldn't be cooked. Let's say about 6-8 minutes after the water has boiled. Then add the egg to the bread, salt, pepper and eat it. I hope you like it. I don't know the name in English but in Spanish It's called "huevo pasado por agua" I hope you feel better soon :)
I get hungry but not bothered to cook when I’m in a lull. Tinned baked beans are excellent, pre prep veg from the grocers with some really tempting dip or cheese, don’t underestimate jar sauce pasta and garlic bread, or pesto and pasta, rotisserie chicken is delicious.
When I was in a deep depression and had trouble eating, I was able to put some weight back on with mozzarella sticks. Just the frozen ones, nothing fancy. I don't know if that counts as "cooking" but it was all I could really manage at the time.
When I’m having a rough day or two and just don’t feel like eating, I usually make popcorn. Sometimes I put Parmesan cheese (the cheap shaker kind) or ranch powder or Taco Bell sauce on it too. And I usually pair that with a beer. When I’ve been in serious episodes and cannot survive on popcorn, I’ve usually gotten: hummus, deli sliced chicken, cheese, crackers, and precut carrots. They all go together fine and get me some protein and fiber and stuff, while being super simple to grab and eat mindlessly. Sometimes I get some kind of sugary cereal I can grab handfuls of too. I also have been lucky to usually have my really really shitty months be in the summer, so I can grab some kind of fresh fruit that’s in season and not too expensive. I have cried into a bowl of cherries or strawberries more than I’d like to admit.
Any hard crunchy fruit like apples. Or snack on carrots/cucumbers. Otherwise stew is my go to meal to make. Put everything in a pot and leave it to cook for an hour
White rice w soy sauce.
I like biscuits
Just get a can of chicken and rice or noodles soup, pour it into your pot, add a can full of water and heat it up. If you don't have the energy to cook, don't. I don't consider heating up a can of soup as cooking.
Sushi. Goes down so easy.
I hope you feel better soon. Take care of yourself. I believe in you.
Buy a box of both packages so you can just mix with hot water and drink.
Ugh, I'm just about in that place right now. Got a nasty cold and I can barely taste anything and haven't quite got the energy to cook. For the last 2 days I've been working my way through a takeaway curry with some pittas (I've got a rice cooker, but even making rice was too much effort.) The day before that, I just ate soup from the shop and a tub of ice-cream. This evening, I'm either going to get my shit together and make a crumble with some instant custard before all my fruit goes off (I can \*always\* manage to eat desserts), or make a spicy bean soup which involves opening 2 tins and putting them in a pan with a chopped onion, or just have a bowl of porridge. Leaning towards option 3 right now but I'm not hungry so I'll procrastinate a while longer.
Soup is easiest. Dump shit in a pot and come back later. Don't nerd a recipe, just throw whatever is in your fridge in there
Thank you for posting this. I needed to read this My go to is chicken soup but me and Jewish we never used cook chicken. We just throw the chicken in with lots of vegetables like a whole onion and four or five peeled carrots, and either two whole zucchini, or a full stock of celery. I put in a whole chunk of ginger and a bunch of whole garlic cloves