Chrissy Teigen Recalls the Painful Time in Her Life When Cooking Was "Torture"

Cookbook author and home cook Chrissy Teigen has always found joy in the kitchen. And it was when that joy escaped her in her sacred realm of cooking that she knew she was in a tough spot.

The mom of two has long been been outspoken about her struggles with postpartum depression — and now, she’s sharing more about how that affected her inspiration around food.

“I started looking at food and was like, ‘I’m just not in the mood.’ It’s like going to the grocery store when you’re full. You just don’t want the same things. Food wasn’t that thrilling for me,” Chrissy told People. “That was one of the first times I knew something was wrong.”

She was describing the period shortly after daughter Luna, now 2, was born. Then, she had been developing recipes for her second cookbook. But the work felt like drudgery.

“When I wasn’t feeling great, being in the kitchen was like torture. It felt like such a job, and you want to be excited when you’re in the kitchen,” she says. “I cook because I love food and I love to eat. It makes me happy to serve people. And when you aren’t feeling that way, it was like torture.”

Fortunately, Chrissy moved out of that tough time — and her second book is out now.