Leave the Zoloft in the medicine cabinet. There is a science around eating non-medicated foods to help one ward off the blues. According to wholehealthmd.com, eating foods that contain complex carbohydrates (broccoli, brown rice, potatoes, wheat pasta), folic acid (asparagus, beets, spinach, avocados, chick-peas, soybeans, oranges), magnesium (chocolate, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds), niacin (brown rice, pomegranates, tuna, turkey), and omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, trout, tuna) can decrease the symptoms of depression.

Here is a recipe for California Pizza from wholehealthmd.com that combines many of these essential antidepressant ingredients. I have not tried this recipe yet, but I will likely have it for dinner in the next couple of weeks, because my mouth is watering.

1. In large nonstick skillet, combine tomato sauce, carrot, 2 tablespoons of chopped basil, the oregano and black pepper, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until carrot is tender, about five minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about four minutes. Stir in spinach and remaining 2 tablespoons basil, and cook until spinach is wilted, about four minutes. Drain in a strainer.

3. Preheat oven to 500øF.

4. Spoon sauce evenly over dough and bake on lowest shelf of oven for 10 minutes. Spoon spinach over tomato sauce and sprinkle cheese over spinach. Arrange bell pepper, pear tomatoes, onion, and jalape¤o rings on top. Continue to bake pizza on lowest shelf until crust is browned and cheese is melted.

However, expecting someone to make this recipe when they’re feeling blue is a little optimistic. When I am feeling down, I want to curl up on the couch with a warm blanket, vegg out, and gorge myself on my favorite junk foods, not slave in the kitchen as I usually enjoy doing. So I have put together a more realistic list of my favorite foods to gorge on when I am feeling down-and despite the fact that many of these foods lack any nutrition, I still often feel better afterwards.

1. Ben and Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, which is a banana ice cream with fudge and walnuts. I discovered the joys of Ben and Jerry’s when I spent a long, lonely summer on Cape Cod where I was working for a radio station and didn’t know a soul in town. On lonely nights I would grab some Ben and Jerry’s at the local grocery, drive down to the local beach, and enjoy. It always made me feel better.

2. An Oreo shake from Jack in the Box. I needed a Ben and Jerry’s fix recently, but with the grocery strike going on, to avoid breaking the picket I went to Jack in the Box for some fries. I was delighted to find that they had Oreo shakes, took one home, which was the perfect companion for a night of self-reflection on the couch.

3. A large order of cheese fries from Steak and Shake. This is not, mind you, a solitary affair. But if you have a friend with whom to share your misery, sharing some cheese fries can be great, especially laughing at each other with fake cheese smeared across your face.

4. Pretzels with peanut butter. This is just a good snack that I discovered one night when I came home from the bar and needed a snack. I didn’t have many choices, so I tried this combination and was very impressed.

5. Graham crackers and chocolate frosting. Again, a great snack, and it includes chocolate. Just when you thought things couldn’t be worse, suddenly things are looking up.

Then again, the experts remind me that these are just short-term fixes, especially in regards to sugary foods. According to ivillage.com feelings of depression can actually be helped by avoiding sugar and caffeine in one’s diet. If you cut these things out of your diet, your mood should improve to some degree within three weeks. But I don’t plan my social calendar three weeks in advance. What is going to keep my company on the couch next Friday night?

Sauce & Toppings
2 cans (8 ounces each) no -salt-added tomato sauce
1 large carrot, shredded
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chopped stemmed spinach
1-1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into thin slivers
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup finely slivered red onion
1/4 cup fresh jalape¤o pepper rings

To suggest a recipe to Brendan or for a copy of one of the recipes that appear in this column, e-mail him at [email protected]

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