When someone is depressed, they typically have disruptions in their sleep (either too much, or not enough, including lots of waking when actually trying to sleep), they feel “anhedonic”, meaning, they do not get enjoyment from things that they typically enjoy (ie, a favorite television show, favorite place to go, favorite band), they feel everything is their fault, typically have either very low energy, or too much energy, they can’t focus on the most basic things, like watching television, reading even a cereal box, they either eat too much (“emotional eating”), or have no appetite at all.
Therefore, since cooking can be very therapeutic, help a person feel better generally, but since the person is depressed, they need something to make that requires very little effort, but the payoff will be “worth-it”. You really don’t need to know how to cook to make this recipe.
OVERNIGHT OATS – a great way to start the day, very nutritious, lots of calories that keep a person feeling “full” for a long time – but requires very little effort. Oatmeal for breakfast typically involves cooking. This way, you don’t need to cook anything and you have a great breakfast waiting for you in the morning. Make this the day before, stick in the refrigerator, and enjoy! The soaking process allows the oats to absorb liquid, soften, and are edible without being cooked.
Really, all you need are oats and liquid. The nicest thing about this breakfast is you can play with the ingredients to your own taste. Adding Yogurt increases protein, the honey adds sweetness, the chia seeds add lots of nutrition and give the mixture a pudding-like texture. Of course, you can skip the chia seeds. The berries, fruits, nuts, all are toppings. You can also add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, or different sweeteners like maple syrup, brown sugar, or syrups one uses in coffee, like hazelnut, caramel, mango….
How much to make? If you are making just for one person for the next day, then use a small bowl, add ½ cup of dried oats, 1 cup of milk, ¼ cup yogurt, ¼ cup chia seeds. You can also make a lot more and keep it in the refrigerator to use through the week. Consider this a kind of meal-prep.
Ingredients:
- Rolled oats
- Milk (or plant-based alternative, like soy, oat, almond, coconut…)
- Yogurt
- Honey
- Chia Seeds
- Berries, Fruits, nuts
—
Harrison Levine
