I take medication.

Yep, I do.

I am not ashamed of this.

And if I wasn’t so open about breaking the stigma of mental health….

If you met me in the street…..

Or met the women in this photograph above….

You wouldn’t know.

Because medication doesn’t alter your personality.

It doesn’t alter you as a person.

It is the lifeboat that keeps you afloat.

It is completely and utterly NORMAL.

I owe my LIFE to medication.

Honestly, I do.

There have been periods in which I’ve decided to come off and I’ve felt the effects.

Massively.

My doctor once said to me you wouldn’t tell an insulin dependent diabetic to come off insulin. You wouldn’t tell someone with a broken leg to get over it and manage it alone.

In the same way, if you need anti depressants. Take them.

Research has shown that if someone isn’t clinically depressed and they take anti-depressants it has zero effect on their mood.

On a depressed person, it stabilizes their mood. It doesn’t mean you stop feeling things. It means that you are not crying and bed bound all the time.

Research last year by the University of Oxford tested 21 different anti-depressants in controlled trials randomized with a placebo.

All 21 anti-depressants included were more likely to work than a placebo. Effectiveness varied with each one.

This research was applied after 8 weeks of treatment.

It didn’t show effectiveness of long term use of anti-depressants.

Now you may be reading that and think, well that doesn’t show much.

But what it actually shows is that anti-depressants are more effective than taking NOTHING.

Using an anti-depressant HELPS.

It doesn’t solve all problems.

Only good therapy combined will.

Sorting out the things in your life that need to be sorted.

But I am a complete ADVOCATE for medication.

If it is needed.

What terrifies some people is the side effects.

I had a lovely person message me recently asking me about this.

That the side effects were horrible and they weren’t sure whether to continue.

I can admit that new anti-depressants DO have side effects.

To begin with.

When I first started medication, I had HELLA side effects.

I was exhausted. My stomach was a mess.

My doctor told me this was likely. Especially in women.

But to stick with it.

And if they didn’t work.

He’d try me on a different one that he was advised for me by a mental health professional.

And you know what happened?

My mood stabilized.

The side effects went.

Things got better.

Because that is what medication does.

It doesn’t change your personality.

It doesn’t stop you from feeling.

It directly treats a chemical imbalance in your brain.

You are still you.

It never takes that away.

The stigma needs to be broken.

People you would never know take medication on a daily basis.

I know often people look celebrities to feel like they’re normal in taking meds.

Kristen Bell, Jim Carrey, Ellen Degeneres, Cara Delevigne, Chris Evans, Jon Hamm, all people who have or still take medication.

You wouldn’t shame someone for taking ibruprofen.

You wouldn’t treat someone differently if they had to take cholesterol tablets.

You wouldn’t not hire someone if you knew they took insulin.

So why is medication that directly treats a chemical imbalance in your brain any different.

I take medication.

And I am not ashamed.

I am also not ashamed about making and eating these mood boosting sweet treats.

(Love a poorly written segway LOL)

I recently met Jake from Jake’s Boost at Vegan Nights London.

I’m a nut butter OBSESSIVE…

So the opportunity to try out a new nut butter I haven’t yet tasted is always EXCITING.

What I like so much about Jake’s Boost is there is absolutely ZERO added sugar.

Not even unrefined.

They’re insanely clever because he sweetens them with the natural flavour of the nut or the addition of dried banana chip or coconut.

All purely natural ingredients.

A brazil nut or a cashew nut or an almond is naturally sweet within itself so to utilize that flavour is INSANELY clever in my opinion.

And I know of no other nut butter like this on the market right now.

So I wanted to create a sweet treat that was naturally sweetened.

Hence these millionaire slices.

These are SOOOO ADAPTABLE and you can change the main ingredient to which ever flavour you wish.

I’ve used Jake’s Boost Super Boost which has Almonds, Cashews, Hazelnuts, Brazils, Pecans, Sunflower Seeds, Walnuts, Linseed, Chia Seeds & Hemps Seeds. It’s super CRUNCHY and super flavourful so a perfect naturally delicious addition to the natural caramelly middle.

I’ve used dates blended with this with a touch of orange zest to counter balance the sweetness of the dates.

For the chocolate topping I’ve used Green and Black’s dark chocolate with Ginger to compliment the slightly orangey flavour of the middle.

And I’ve kept the base largely plain using a little bit of cinnamon to contrast with the ginger and orange flavours.

The B Vitamins, Magnesium and minerals found in the Super Seed Boost is fantastic for energy levels, anxiety and stabilizing mood.

Tryptophan the amino acid that helps your body absorb serotonin, the happy hormone is also found in a selection of the nuts and seeds used in the Super Boost Butter and also in the oats in the base.

So this is an all round natural sweet treat which naturally boosts your mood and energy levels.

I may have had one as a snack today when my energy levels were dipping and I felt my energy levels rise and a smile come to face.

(Don’t worry, I wasn’t madly grinning for the rest of the day, that’s not how it works.)

Super Boost Mood Boost Millionare’s Slices.

Ingredients –

• For base –
• 160g oats
• 2 tbsp of vegan butter melted.
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp of cinnamon.
• 80ml of maple syrup
• For the caramel-
• 90g of soft dates
• 50g of Jake’s Boost Super Boost Butter
• 1 orange zested.
• 1 tbsp of olive oil.
• For the chocolate topping-
• 100g of Ginger Dark Chocolate
• 3 tbsp of plant based milk.

Method-

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
• Line a baking tin with grease proof paper.
• Mix oats with melted vegan butter, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and maple syrup until fully incorporated.
• Press into the baking tin and pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes until slightly golden on top and it has firmed up. Allow to cool.
• Using a hand blender/normal blender/food processor, blitz the dates with maple syrup, olive oil and orange zest. Put into a bowl and mix in Jake’s Boost Super Boost butter.
• Dollop onto the oat base and spread evenly with the back of a spatula.
• Gently melt in a pan the dark chocolate with plant based milk on a low heat on the hob. Take off the hob before fully melted and stir until completely smooth.
• Pour onto the top of the date caramel and using the back of a spatula smooth out until all even.
• Pop into the fridge for a few hours then cut into squares when solid.
• EnJOY the crunchy, zesty, naturally sweet flavour and allow it to fill your body with energy and mood boosting qualities. EnJOYYYYYYYYY!

Never be ashamed of something that keeps you alive.

Let’s break the stigma together.

Much love,

Joy xx