What is depression meal bingo?

This article will center on explaining what depression meal bingo is. It will also show how depression can affect your eating pattern, and why. Finallyq the article will explain what are ways for people with depression to try and improve their eating patterns.

What is depression meal bingo?

Depression meal bingo is a trend that went on online in which people will make a bingo sheet of how their eating pattern has been since they are depressed.  Each bingo box is filled with a way they have dealt with food, eating, and hunger since they are depressed. An example of a depression meal bingo sheet is this one:

This bingo sheet, for example, is written about many situations through which a person with depression may have gone through. In it, we are faced with how common it is that a person with depression will forget to eat, or that even if they know they should eat, it seems they can’t sum up the strength to do so.

The depression meal bingo also highlights how, when you are depressed, you may just grab whatever is right in front of you to eat. Showing how the person will also pay little attention to the quality of what they are eating, the amount, or how nutritious the food may be. 

They can have moments in which they will fill themselves up with things that will likely harm how they feel, for example, having a full pot of coffee. Which ultimately can even make their depressive state worse. But this just goes to show how depression makes it extremely hard for people to care for themselves.

Depression has such an impact on the person’s eating habits that people began to share, along with the depression meal bingo, pictures of the meals they were having. That, in some way, may be a form for people to raise awareness of how depression damages a person eating.

It may also be a way for the person that posted the picture to take a look at the eating habits they have been having, try to reassess them, or even look for some help. But once a person with depression realizes they are having trouble with their eating pattern, they may not quite understand why this is happening, although it seems quite common. 

Let’s discuss what are the ways depression may be impacting your eating pattern.

How does depression affect my eating pattern?

Depression can change your eating pattern in many ways. The condition in itself can make some people eat more, while others may begin to even not feel hungry anymore, and eat a lot less, leading you to even forget to eat at times. But that is not the only way depression impacts how you eat.

Because of the lack of energy that depression can bring, you will most likely feel unable to cook, go grocery shopping, or even prepare a quick snack for yourself. You may find it hard to get out of bed, and put all the little energy you have left into preparing a meal, and because of that sometimes you can not eat as much as you should.

Aside from that, depression will affect your cognitive functions. This means that your attention span and your memory will surely be affected. Making it harder for you to follow through with one activity. 

And since we know that cooking or even grocery shopping depends on those, you may just run to the easiest thing available such as canned soup, or a bag of chips.

Depression will also take away from you every once of the joy you had before. And this seems to be something that will impact your eating pattern. We, as a society, have often seen a meal as a social event, or a chance to delight ourselves. When you are depressed, pretty much every food will taste the same. 

There will be no joy or satisfaction in eating. This will lead you to eat only when you need to, and the quality of your food seems to make no difference whatsoever.

If you are feeling depressed, and you have been taking part in the depression meal bingo, know that there are other ways in which you can cope, and maybe even improve your eating habits, while coping with depression. Let’s discuss what you can do.

How can I improve my eating patterns when I am depressed?

If you are depressed, talking to a family member, a friend, or someone close to help you with caring for your eating pattern may be one of the best ways. You can ask them to help you with your grocery shopping, or even cook you a meal.

Making an appointment with someone you love so they can have a meal with you can surely help. This will create a commitment that, at least once a day, you will have a full meal with a person. You can talk with the person that lives with you, or a friend that can come for dinner, for example.

Planning may be a positive way to care for your eating while you are depressed. You can cook yourself a lot of food, in one day, if you feel up to it, and freeze it all in little portions which you can just heat later when you need to eat. 

You can also ask someone to do that, or take part in that with you. It will not only help with the eating but also with the sense of isolation that depression can bring.

If you are ordering a market to deliver your grocery, or if someone is getting it for you, make sure to make a list of healthy snacks you can keep around the house. So even though sometimes you won’t have a full meal, you will still have, within your reach, some healthy food.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): What is depression meal bingo? 

What is emotional eating?

Emotional eating is what happens when a person is eating not only as a way to end their hunger but also to make themselves feel better. What is known, though, is that, even though emotional eating will make you feel better at the moment, it won’t bring a solution to whatever is making you feel bad.

Because of that, a lot of people that end up having episodes of emotional eating will often feel guilty afterward. There are a few signs that will show you that you are emotionally eating. 

One of them is realizing that you have been eating a lot more when stressed, or that you are eating at certain moments even when you are not hungry, which will often indicate that food has become a form of reward to you.

When a person emotionally eats, they can eat even though they feel stuffed. And it may be that you feel powerless when it comes to food. And because of that, it may be important to look for professional help.

Why do people crave sugar or carbs when they are depressed?

People can often crave sugar and carbs when they are depressed because it can give them a rush of serotonin. When that happens, you can feel your mood will improve, and the sugar and carbs will lead you to a sense of comfort and well-being.

What I shouldn’t eat if I am depressed?

When someone is depressed, they should not eat some types of foods because they can harm how you will feel. The first of them is caffeine and energy drinks. Be sure to be careful of your caffeine intake, since it can harm your sleeping, making you even less energetic.

You should also not have alcoholic drinks, because, even though they make you feel better at the moment, later they can make your symptoms of depression worse.

You should also be careful with processed and fried food since it can harm your mood. And sugar and artificial sweeteners should also be eaten with care since they can make you feel good at first, but then make you worse.

What is the most common food traps people go through when they are depressed?

When you are depressed, some food traps can happen. One of them is eating too much. When you are depressed, it can be that you turn to food to make yourself feel good. And in that, you turn to food that is not healthy, such as greasy food.

Those can make you feel good at the moment, but with time you realize that they won’t fix your depression. And not only that, the shame that can come with binge eating can make you feel even worse.

Another food trap that can come with depression is not eating enough, which can take a huge toll on your energy levels. To deal with that, you should try to keep to a healthy eating routine. 

The final food trap when you are depressed is eating whatever you can find. Sometimes it can be so hard to focus on cooking, or caring for yourself, that you can just eat whatever is closer. Ask for the help of people around you to have better neals.

What type of food should I eat if I am depressed?

If you are depressed you should firstly have healthy foods, and that will make you feel good. Foods that are high in antioxidants, such as blueberries, and good carbs, such as bread made of whole grains can help you feel better.

Foods that are high in protein, such as turkey, and tuna can help with something called tryptophan, which can increase the serotonin level, improving your moods. If you don’t eat meat, you can have low-fat cheese for that.

Eating Mediterranean food, which is often rich in a vitamin called B12 can help you feel better. Those are often found in many vegetables, such as dark green veggies, nuts, and fruits.

Foods that are rich in selenium are also ones that can have a positive impact on your mood. You can easily find selenium in beans, and legumes. But they are also present in lean meat, such as turkeys and skinless chicken.

Food that is rich in Omega 3 is also one that will improve your mood. To have those you can add fatry fish to your diet, as well as flaxseed, nuts, canola, and dark green vegetables.

Conclusion 

This article showed what depression meal bingo is, how depression may affect the person’s eating pattern, and how they can cope with it.

If you have any questions or comments about this article, feel free to write them in the section below.

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