WASHINGTON: Ending a relationship is traumatic. The aftermath can be even harder. It doesn’t matter if you initiated the breakup or not, the lingering cocktail of sadness, anger and hurt can take a while to wear off.
So often, a loss of appetite accompanies a breakup. You may be depressed and generally not interested in food, or perhaps certain foods remind you of your ex, and are therefore too sad to eat.
But if you want to expedite your path from post-breakup misery to back-to-yourself-and-back-in-the-game recovery, you have to nurture your broken heart and feed your soul. And that means rediscovering food.
Here’s how. Step 1: Start with something sweet, to dull the immediate pain you may be in. Go with something rich, decadent and maybe a little salty (your tears alone are not enough to get the job done).
At this point, you may be fully conscious of how sad/angry/depressed you feel.
It’s time for Step 2: You’re going to need some cheese. When you eat gooey, cheesy, creamy foods, you lose yourself a little and get out of your head. It’s important to choose dishes that feature cheese in multiple preparations: Think cheesy lasagna, take-you-back-to-childhood gooey mac and cheese or grilled cheese sandwiches, featuring a crispy Parmesan frico crust.
You are hopefully starting to feel soothed by all the rich decadence, but you may also notice that all that carby indulgence is making you feel a little sluggish. That’s okay at first, especially if the end of your relationship left you feeling as if the last thing you want to do is go on another stupid Match.com date.
But as time goes on, you start to feel stronger.
Head to Step 3: Eat a bit less cheese, and incorporate some vegetables and protein into your diet – just to ensure you have enough energy to make it through a night out without falling asleep on your bar stool. But don’t worry: soothing, comforting and delicious foods are still the name of the game. It’s just time to eat things that contain something other than white flour and heavy cream.
Start with some home-made chicken soup. As they say, it’s good for the soul (yes, we know, but it’s true).
Next, how about some twice-baked kale-cheddar sweet potatoes? They contain that stretchy, bubbly cheddar that was so helpful to you during the worst of times, but in a slightly smaller dose and with healthy kale and sweet potatoes. Kale! You remember kale, don’t you?
Remember, this too shall pass. Focus on moving through your feelings and nourishing your belly and soul. – Washington Post