A lot of people will be experiencing blue moods and depression in the next few
months, why?
Shorter days, less sunlight, colder temperatures and an endless supply of
carb-rich, highly processed foods, sweet treats and plenty of alcohol.
And if you’re one who’s prone to sad and blue moods then you may want to
try some natural methods to combat it.

The natural methods:
* Exercise. Be it dancing in your living room, chair stretches or doing some
serious cleaning in your home or apartment. Just be sure to try and move for
20 mins. each day.
* Eat a cleaner diet. Yes, you’re going to indulge at Thanksgiving and Christmas,
but make sure to eat plenty of veggies, fruit, lean meats, fish,poultry, nuts, seeds
and a top quality olive oil.
* Communicate. Make sure you get out and talk to family, neighbors and friends.
Can’t get out? Communicate via the internet, (Skype).

There you have 3 things you can do to sidestep the blue and depressive moods
that affects a lot of people this time of year. And as one of the tips suggest eat
your way to better moods and to help you along in this endeavor, here’s a recipe
that not only tastes great, it’ll also boost your mood.

The Dish: Cider Roasted Cabbage with Bacon!
How does this dish boost moods, you ask?
One ingredient is responsible and that ingredient:
Apple Cider Vinegar.
Usually taken as a weight loss aid or to quell heartburn, it (A.C.V.) also
boost moods. The tangy beverage increases the feel-good hormone
serotonin, by 35% helping you to feel less sad and blue.

The recipe:
Ingredients:
3 lbs. of cabbage (green or red) cored and cut into 1 1/2″ strips
6 strips of bacon
3/4 cup of A.C.V.
1 Tbs. of red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. of caraway seeds, crushed
Heat the oven to 400*F
Arrange cabbage in a roasting pan. In a skillet, cook the bacon over
medium heat until crisp, 7 to 8 mins. With a slotted spoon, transfer
to a plate with paper towels; crumble the bacon. Stir the cider vinegar,
caraway seeds, 1/2 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp. of black pepper into the
bacon drippings, cook on medium heat and bring to a boil.
Pour the vinegar and bacon drippings over the cabbage; cover with foil.
Roast until almost tender, 20 to 30 mins. Flip the cabbage and roast
another 10 mins. (until tender). Spoon the pan drippings over the
cabbage and then sprinkle on the bacon bits.
Calories per serving- 135, Prot-4g. Carbs-11g.
Pair this dish with steak, pork, chicken or fish.

One last tip:
In the above-mentioned tip to eat better, fish is mentioned as a food to eat
more of during this time and if you go back and reread some of our older
posts, you’ll find one or two posts that recommends fatty fish as a safe
and natural remedy to blue and depressive moods during the fall and winter.
Consider this cabbage dish with some fatty fish (Salmon, sardines, mackerel
or trout) a “natural antidepressant”.


Sources:
* American Journal of Natural Medicine
* First For Women Magazine, Oct. 16th Edition

Please pass this article and recipe on to friends and family
who experience blue moods during the fall and winter months
and or who just love a good cabbage dish.
Share it over at Facebook, Instagram, (stories), Pinterest, Reddit,
Snapchat, Tik-Tok, and X (formerly known as Twitter).