When your mental health is BAD or your MOOD is LOW, do you

A) Deprive yourself of FOOD, STARVING YOURSELF and PUNISHING yourself?

B) Lose your appetite completely and FORGET to eat?

C) Binge eat turning to all the DELICIOUS and ‘TRASHY’ comfort foods, eating so much that your body HURTS and you HATE yourself?

Whether you picked A, B or C (or a variation of a few) ….

YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE!

And I’ll be honest, at different points of my life I have been in Team A, Team B and Team C.

In fact most recently, especially when my drinking and depression got bad, I was flipping from TEAM C (binging to excess) back to TEAM A (starving myself for days).

YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS.

Our brains are hardwired to be addicted to food because we NEED IT TO SURVIVE.

So it’s no wonder we decide to TAKE CONTROL and DEPRIVE OURSELVES OF IT or ABUSE OUR BODIES WITH IT.

Here is an IDEA for you…..This is not an INSTANT SOLUTION….

however something I have found helpful recently is TALKING TO MYSELF.

When the moment arises in which I’m like…

‘NO FOOD FOR YOU TODAY, JOY, YOU STUPID BITCH!’

or

‘LET’S EAT 15 LARGE CHOCOLATE BARS TO SEE IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY OR REALLLLLY HURT! ‘

I stop, BREATHE and ask myself ….’WHY?’

Why do I want to do that?

What is really going on?

What is the EMOTION or THOUGHT or PANIC behind this?

Can I talk to somebody about it?

Can I write it down?

Is there another solution to making it better rather than abusing my body with lack of food or excess of food/alcohol/drugs/sex/whatever?

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL TAKE TIME.

But try it. See if you can be a little more mindful the next time your head goes into OVERDRIVE.

ALSO…… and I will say this very simply and nicely…

CUT YOURSELF SOME BLOODY SLACK!

Everybody has days where they EAT TOO LITTLE and everyone has days where they EAT TOO MUCH.

Food was meant to be enjoyed.

But also, lives and minds are busy.

Stop beating yourself up!

(I need to remind myself of this too)

Sugar is like a DRUG. The benefits of CUTTING BACK ON SUGAR when you first wake up is that you steady your blood sugar levels aiding you to feel more BALANCED and STABLE MENTALLY and ….

less likely to BINGE or HAVE A PANIC ATTACK.

Which is why most of my recipes encourage you to NOT to use sugar OR if you MUST, to use a natural sweetener. Basically no refined sugars.

I have always found refined sugars make me feel anxious, manic and SUPER HUNGRY.

If you want to TRY having this low sugar and don’t have vanilla protein powder (I recommend Macacha or Missfits) try grating an apple into to this or stewing some apple/pear in cinnamon to top.

Today’s oatmeal recipe is ONE OF MY FAVOURITES.

You can find different variations of this recipe all over the internet.

But mine is dairy free, low in sugar (for your energy levels), high in protein (for your energy levels) and full of slow release carbohydrates and good fats (for your ENERGY LEVELS!!!!!).

It’s got Vitamin A, K and Zinc in it as well. 😉

I’m including certain foods HIGH in the HAPPY HORMONES (Serotonin) and HAPPY AMINO ACIDS (Tryptophan) like walnuts and of course, the magic ingredient … OATS to give you that extra boost in the morning.

These are all AMAZING natural things which can aid boosting your mood in the morning.

It is also SUPER SIMPLE and such an EASY WAY of SPICING up your porridge routine.

(Low Sugar) Carrot Cake Oatmeal

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Serving: serves 1 (double quantities as you go if serving for more)

What you’ll need:

• 45g of oats
• Plant based milk (enough to cover oats)
• 3 tbsp of water.
• 1/2 grated carrot
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp of mixed spice
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• Sweetener – 1 heaped tablespoon of Macacha Protein Powder (or other vegan vanilla protein powder) or 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract or 1 tsp of stevia (If you NEED THE SUGAR, go UNREFINED -1 tsp of coconut sugar/maple syrup/honey.)
• 1 pinch of salt (always)
• A handful of walnuts
• Fruit of your choice to top (I recommend blueberries or cinnamon stewed apples/pears for that extra NATURAL sweetness)
• Optional – Dollop of coconut yogurt.

How to make it:

• Put porridge oats, spices, ‘sweetener’, pinch of salt and grated carrot into a pan or bowl.
• Stir ingredients together.
• Pour enough milk to cover the oats and the tbsps of water.
• If heating on the hob, heat at a low temperature stirring gently to avoid porridge sticking to bottom of pan. Keep stirring until the porridge thickens. Keep stirring until it reaches the consistency that you desire. You can add more milk if needed.
• If heating in microwave, heat for 2 mins. Then stir and sit for a few seconds.Heat for another 2 mins. Stir. Heat for an extra one minute if you want it slightly thicker. You can add more milk if needed.
• Top with walnuts and extra fruit. And a dollop of coconut yogurt for that cream cheese frosting feel.
• Sit down with your oatmeal and take a second to check in with yourself. How are you feeling right now? Breathe, and slowly eat your carrot cake porridge. EnJOY.

Much love,

Joy xx