Stabilize Your Mood With Protein

Hello, Average Us readers! This is Dawn…

Do some foods affect your mood in weird ways?

It happens to me all the time. I, like others like me who struggle with depression and anxiety, have to be extra aware of how food choices make me feel.

While food can neither cause nor remove anxiety, I have discovered that certain foods aggravate my symptoms. For example, the sugar in a single doughnut or small bowl of ice cream causes my mood to rush from happy to jittery to nervous, and finally settling into a weird, uncomfortable feeling. During this swing it’s hard not to jiggle my legs and clench my teeth.

Protein, on the other hand, is a good mood stabilizer. I am not a Registered Dietician, so I’m not able to give you the details of how or why. But in my reading on the subject, and my own experience, I have found it to be so. (Learn more about how protein affects mood.)

In light of that, I am excited to share a delicious tofu recipe with you that helps me manage my mood.

Tofu is a great source of protein: It has up to five times more protein than carbohydrates in every bite. This tofu scramble is based on a breakfast dish I had at one of our favorite local restaurants, The Flying Biscuit Café, in Atlanta. It was so delicious I decided to make my own variation at home on a regular basis.

Tofu Scramble with Tamari Sauce

Ingredients

Firm Tofu, one slice
2 T Tamari Sauce
¼ C Purple Cabbage, chopped
1 T Red Onion, diced
4 Baby Carrots, chopped
¼ C Bell Pepper (Red, Yellow or Orange), chopped
1 handful of Spinach

Preparation

Chop and dice all the vegetables.
Spray a cooking pan and heat over medium heat.
Add the cabbage, red onion, carrots, pepper, tamari sauce and lightly sauté.
Add the slice of tofu and scramble into the vegetables (you may need to add a little more tamari sauce).
Add the spinach and cook until slightly wilted.
Serve with your favorite bread, toasted.

I change up the vegetables form time to time for variation, and according to what I have on hand. But, the tofu and tamari are the foundation of this healthy, delicious, mood stabilizing breakfast.

I hope you’ll give it try, and add a comment below to let me know how you like it.

Dawn

P.S. Here’s some more tofu scramble recipes for you to enjoy.

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5 thoughts on “Stabilize Your Mood With Protein”

This recipe sounds delicious, Dawn! Thank you for sharing it and the link to the others. I too, live with depression and anxiety and have an underlying autoimmune thyroid condition that requires medication that exacerbates my symptoms. I have had dietary counseling, and protein is definitely advisable for mood stability. I know exactly what you are talking about when you describe the after effects of a doughnut or ice cream. I commend you for bringing this issue to this venue with attempts to make a difference in the lives of others who may be suffering. It is surprising how a little difference or change in food choices can sometimes make a world of difference in our well-being. God Bless You.

Hello Dawn, my name is Katie Lorange White . I met your husband Lon at Faith School of Theology,where we graduated from on 1984. It was a pleasure t read his “Why I left Pentecostalism” I have had many changes myself since those early days of salvation. I am happy to tell you I too still love the Lord with my whole heart ,just see things a lot differently! I also have suffered depression going through a few years of being on medication I now also am on a high protein diet and see the benefits! Thanks for the insight and also the recipes that I will try even though I am not someone who has ever tried tofu!! we’ll see I will let you know if I like them! thanks and nice blog with the two of you contributing! Katie

Dawn

October 30, 2012 at 7:37 pm

Katie,
Thank you for commenting on my post; I really appreciate it. I understand your saying your love for the Lord is strong, just seeing things a lot differently. I was an Assemblies of God pastor’s daughter, deeply immersed in pentecost. My journey for truth has been long and difficult, but so very, very worth it. Living with depression has been a part of that journey; a part that made me dig even deeper into truth. Speaking in tongues couldn’t answer my questions of why as a Christian God allowed me to hurt so deeply, and what was His purpose in that. The truth in scripture showed me that God is so much bigger, and stronger, and loving, and more capable than I ever imagined. Allow your journey with truth to enter your life with depression. God is able!
Dawn