I have of course fibro and ibs (and other various conditions)
My question is, I don't know what to eat most of the time. As I don't have the energy to cook a meal from scratch. Ready meal would be great but my ibs won't let me. And I'm not sure what to do, as im just eating a load of crap. And I would like to lose weight. But at this point I can't see that happening.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated xx
The only thing I can suggest, is to pace yourself, try and do little and often eating, my ibs has a absolutely ridiculous, so I graze, I don’t eat meals, but I don’t eat cr**I graze on fish and crackers, Advocado, I leave alone some fruits and I , or oh makes smoothies, you have to find the right balance for ur ibs, especially if it’s ibs-d, but be careful of ur intake, I have CFS and ibs-d and my muscle waste is crazy, so be careful, and find a diet that suits your ibs, keep a diary, omit some foods that aggravate you, then try them at. A later time, if they still aggravate you, omit them from your diet.
Don’t go down the route of ready made meals, they are full of sugar and salt, and you know they trigger you.
Try using your microwave more too, you can find lots of different recipes online, would make it easier for you.
Good luck.
Thank you x
I too have IBS and find many ready meals because of all the additives make it worse. Like Hidden I have experimented by trying different fruit and vegetables and seeing how they affect me and have slowly been able to take much more varieties of food. For example I can tolerate apples and pears as long as they are peeled. White bread makes me really bloat, multigrain has me doubled over with pain but I can tolerate a couple of slices of wholemeal or High fibre. Best to avoid big meals.
If I am having a really bad IBs day I stick to soup as it js easy to digest. Very easy to make your own and as I knownhiw difficult it is to get the energy to cook I do a big pan of soup when I am having a good day and then freeze it jn individual portions.
Hooe you can find a diet that suits you better and is easy to cool.x
Thank you. I do need to stay away from bread a bit as its making me fat. But was naughty today had a cheese sandwich. Just didn't have the energy or the appetite to do anything else. Xx
I must admit a cheese toastie is something I treat myself to occasionally. Husband hates it as he loathes cheese and especially the smell of cooked cheese. Just add something like tomatoes to get your veg in and use thinner bread, no need to deprive yourself just do little tweaks here and there. Good luck.x
Most people have been there ,especially with more than one chronic condition affecting your energy and fatigue all the time.It's so tempting when you are so exhausted that you look and feel like a limp Church salad just to give up and eat rubbish, or give up on other self care things.
Of course , that creates a vicious circle doesn't it.
The high carb , high fat , high sugar processed foods cause big spikes and drops in your blood sugar making you too edgy then too fatigued so you crave more sugar.
It imbalances your blood sugar , makes you insensitive to insulin , and then you end up putting on weight more easily.
If you eat like that long term , as well as making you feel like yesterday's fish supper , and bothering your IBS , you can be at risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
I try and keep my food fresh and unprocessed but have to keep meal prep as simple as possible . My Dysautonomia doesn't allow me to stand up and still for long so meal prep is short , with help or adapted.
I also have a glass of water or a green tea if I have hunger pangs and it isn't a meal time. Often , our craving for food isn't because we are hungry but because we are thirsty.
The internal body is dehydrated , wants water, but asks for food because it get its message crossed.
I sit in a comfy chair at a table to do any preparing.
I collect together my ingredients well before doing prep and cooking , leave them at the table and have another sit.
If I have EDS or Fibro problems in my hands I get my husband to chop the ingredients , or , I will buy pre cut fresh foods. I take another little rest between prep and cooking.
My friend , or my daughter's , often come and chop big batches if fruit and veg for me to put in the freezer so I can just get the portions out that I need.
I only cook when I can , my OH and family over the years have learnt they will quite often need to cook dinner.
I usually make a bit extra so that we have some portions to freeze or have at lunch which only needs nuking in the microwave like a ready meal.
Most meals I cook now I do using a slow cooker or bake in the oven, because you can just prep it and it cooks without needing to stand stirring it.
I eat five small portions of things not three big meals to reduce the IBS pain and the flare of Fibro from bloating.
Try live yoghurt for breakfast ( dairy or vegan ) with fruit or overnight oats ( oats prepared the night before that you can put in the fridge and eat cold or heated when you want it).
Hard Boiled eggs and cooked meat or fish is good for breakfast or lunch and you can boil the eggs in a batch and keep them for a few days in the fridge.
Salad veg is great , chop when you have the energy and keep ready in the fridge or buy preprepared , wash it before eating.
Make really good soups or stews with prepared vegetables and pre cut meat , fish or Quorn , cooking it as suggested above. Add things like buckwheat , pearl barley or couscous to it instead of pasta or potato.
Roasting a chicken can just be washed and thrown in the oven ( in a pan of course!) and it can last days for dinner , use in soup , salads , sandwiches. The bones make great stock with little effort on your part.
Keep off the high sugar , high carb foods and artificial sweeteners. Reduce those white foods like bread , potatoes , pasta and sugar. Eat wholemeal or brown if your IBS can stand it you feel full longer.
Limit your portions on snacks , you can just grab a couple of rice cakes or a portion of fruit or a yoghurt.
You can make a bunch of jellies with frozen fruit in them very quickly for a sugar like fix .
If you really aren't up to anything find a friend or family member whom loves to cook and ask for help. Get them to make you a bunch of homemade meals with ingredients you provide that you can freeze or fridge and just heat up.
The healthier your eating pattern becomes the less fatigue you feel and then preparing food and other self care becomes easier and you risk less Fibro Flares.
If you want any more tips please contact me on Messages and I will help if I can , you will get there , Bee
Thank you for that. I can't ask my friends, as they aren't great either health wise. Not fibro. But they do have problems. And here's my problem when it comes to eating, which I forgot to say. Is that I'm also a fussy eater. I don't like fish, and not a great veg lover either.
But your tip for preparing food at the table I will take on. And I do have a slow cooker, I think I know where it is! Lol
Anyway thank you for your help mu h appreciated xx
Sorry, you are struggling with food. I don't have ibs as such so I'm not a lot of help to you where what to eat is concerned. Have they tested you for gluten and lactose intolerance and other allergies. ? But in the mean time, the 'cooking chore' when not well is a nuisance.... all I can tell you is that one a good day I tend to batch cook something...as there's only me to cater for, so I freeze the main meal portions, then there's usually something in the freezer I can just defrost and reheat- all I need to do is steam the veg....sweet potatoes are very quick to cook in a steamer. I also freeze portions of cooked rice, lentils, beans etc. Processed food is full of hidden nasties in the flavourings like hidden msg, so I cook my own..works out cheaper too.
Would using your freezer to do that help you on the bad days?
Breakfast for me is sometimes porridge oats with blueberries & cinnamon.. or a red grapefruit. lunch is something like rye cakes( not rice cakes) with hummus. I can't eat lettuce but can eat rocket and watercress.... odd that!. I do find supermarket bread is doughy and awful... it just gives me gas and bloats my stomach because nowadays it's proved too quickly with extra accelerants and raising agents, so I buy an organic traditional bread which is proved the old way without all the crap in it. Take care x
Thank you on and I will certainly buy the bread you mentioned.Problem I'm in at the moment is, I can't remember when I last had a good day! Xx
IBS - severe pain from under ribcage to groin
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