Looking for tips for healthy eating? Look no further. Just the other day I received this touching email from one of my readers Nicole, a young woman dealing with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I won’t get started on the health insurance aspect of her words. Sometimes that issue is absolutely heart breaking.
In any event, as you will see below, Nicole has written to me for advice on what to eat. In spite of this site, I am a very boring eater.
My husband makes fun of me at dinner time when I eat an entire 2 heads of steamed broccoli (with this yummy Mustard Marmalade Dressing of course), all the while chomping away like a rabbit and teasing him that I need to get my 5-9 servings of produce every day (neurotic, I know). Of course I have a decent helping of protein with said broccoli and do so at every meal. More on that later, let’s get to Nicole and her lovely epistle:
Hey Elana,
I first want to say that I absolutely love your website and recipe ideas. My name is Nicole and I am 20 years old, and I am looking for your advice.
I am currently saving up money to treat my Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I am doing this because I have aged out of my parent’s insurance. I recently got a job, the first one since my illness, and have been working the best that I can to save up.
I love food, and have gone grain free for the passed 3 months to help me lessen the symptoms of my illnesses while i work. Being that i am so tired all the time, and work takes the energy that i do have, i am finding myself slipping into my old eating habits because i don’t have the energy to prepare my meals anymore. I am also completely boring myself with my lack of ideas. If i eat one more salad, or one more plate of grilled chicken with veggies, i think i just might lose it!
You mentioned that you were grain free. So i am curious if there are any tips you have, or any ideas, on how i can still eat grain free, VERY low sugars/fruits, and still have time to sleep,so that i don’t want to eat every grainy, sugary food in my wake. I sadly, almost purchased a package of Oreo’s and was going to admit defeat while watching Pride and Prejudice. I was even going to dunk them in milk, which i also have been avoiding. So you can see, I am coming VERY close to undoing all my hard work.
My main problem is also breakfast, because the standard omelet or anything egg just DOESN’T fill me at all. I have to tell you, I am a hungry hungry girl in the morning, and without grains as an option, i am losing ideas. Any advice you could give would more than help me I’m sure.
Thanks so much for your time reading this novel of a question,
Nicole
First of all, I think what Nicole is dealing with is common for so many of us. We live in a world of processed junk food and are likely addicted to foods that aren’t so good for us until we break the habit. At least that’s what I’ve found to be the case for myself. We often crave the foods we are allergic to and this is called an allergic-addiction. Quite a lot of interesting information on this can be found in the book, Dangerous Grains
.
Anyway, on to some solutions (and confessions). And you might not be very impressed. At all. An ideal day for me consists of eating the same meal for dinner, then breakfast and lunch the next day. This meal repetition saves a lot of time and I also find it strangely comforting. It’s not boring though because I use so many flavors in the dishes that I make. I love to snack on nuts and berries (goodness, that sounds so puritanical and annoying, I do apologize).
While I have gluten free junk food in my house for the boys, after years of going without it, I do not have cravings anymore. It takes time. And remember, patience, as so many of us are dealing with chemical cravings to sugar or other substances of choice that we might not feel so great eating. When I look at the stuff instead of thinking of a good sugar buzz, my brain somehow automatically goes to the migraine that I would get after that. My goal in dealing with both celiac disease and multiple sclerosis is to eat as clean as I can and to have as much energy as I can to keep up with my boys.
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I would say that it is this passion (for them and for living) which helps to keep me focused on my goal.
When I do get cravings I find myself munching on organic fruit sweetened dried cranberries –I am obsessed with everything cranberry right now.
I have read books that claim that MS (and other disease) symptomology can be kept in check with diet. In particular, the book The Gift of Remission
espouses this way of living and eating.
However, I know this way is not for everyone.
I do want to post a couple of yummy menu items that might help Nicole (and you) out. This week is so busy that I will be making a double batch of Ina’s Grilled Lemon Chicken and stretching it into 2 nights of dinners, plus my breakfast and lunch. I’ve been making double dinners this whole week since it is a zany one and I’m out of the house so much.
My Favorite Entrees:
Favorite Sides and Salads:
For Snacking I Love:
You’ll notice I incorporate fruit with my meals. I like to do this as I feel more satisfied after eating a meal with something sweet in it.
I hope this post is helpful to you, Nicole and others who may be dealing with similar situations. This is just the way I do things, it is what works for me and simplifies my life. It may have no baring on anyone else’s. Just my humble offerings. Enjoy and laugh at it if you must :-)
charlotte says
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue syndrome. My experience turned out to be severe candida overgrowth. After researching the connections of Candida and Fibromyalgia I did the home “spit test” and it resulted in a strong possibility of Candida. I decided to try Fivelac probiotic (a Japanese product) and Vitamin B12 supplements…I started expelling the candida within a few days, and after 2 weeks all my pain was gone and my energy was back. I did not need medical intervention anymore and now live a normal life….unfortunately many doctors will not acknowledge this connection nor will they test for it. Sad how modern medicine snubs at this reality…I’m living proof that getting rid of Candida can help overcome Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue…
elana says
Wow to everyone who is contributing to Nicole. I’m lucky, I have energy and no known ailments but have familial genetics that predispose me to several. I have watched my diet for years until I astonishingly got pregnant. After it took forever to give up the dairy, sourdough and all the foods that drain my energy, I recently was referred to Elana’s Pantry. This is a place of nurturance, support, ideas, creativity and learning. I’m so thrilled to be a part of such a conscious community. Eating healthy is not to be taken lightly and many have chosen the easy way… but more and more are realizing easy may not be healthy and making time for “me” is important. To quote a friend, “If you don’t take care of your inside, where ya gonna live?”
I’ve learned so much. Thank you Nicole, Elana, and everyone else.
Liz says
Thank you for thist post. Ditto was everyone else said. I make all of my meals for the week over the weekend (with the exception of a couple of dinners). I make this my priority and have jsut decided to be ok with not studying or working as much as I think I should. After all, I won’t be able to study or work at all if my health issues flair up and eating well is one way I take care of myself. It takes me a while to make all of my food, however, because I get tired in the heat of cooking. So I have to take a lot of breaks in another room with a cold glass of water.
Lindsey says
Hi Nicole,
I am 28 years old and have had various health problems throughout my life also. In high school I developed CFS and had the hardest time being a normal teenager. I’ve been so sick for the last 10 years that I’ve become obsessed with health information and tried so many different fads to help. Here is a list of what I think are the most important items to help and a couple to beware of.
-Educate yourself as much as possible on what illnesses could be associated with your symptoms and be prepared when you visit a doctor (also be careful what type of doctor you see, b/c not all are in agreement about some little-understood illnesses like CFS and some may just blow you off even). Keep a list of your symptoms, no matter how trivial seeming (for example, my swell as the day progresses… weird, right? But my doctor thought it was connected to my inability to regulate heat very well, which is connected to both thyroid and mitochondrial disorders.) Keep a list of possible causes for your illness – don’t assume you have a different illness for each symptom, but don’t assume it is all one great big illness that can be solved in one swoop. You might have a couple issues that play off each other and exacerbate each other. The better informed you are, the more attention and care you can demand from a doctor when you see one. Demand that they run comprehensive tests on you (another example – my previous primary care doctor did a thyroid blood test and found it normal, my new integrative medicine doctor did a thyroid blood test and found abnormal reverse t3 levels, which interferes with t4 and t3 – my previous doctor only checked t4 levels, my new doctor checked everything – and the full panel doesn’t even cost more money).
-Make your primary goal taking care of yourself. This may sound silly, since you’re obviously trying to take care of yourself, but I mean it on multiple levels. First, make sure you sleep, eat, dress, bathe, laugh, have sex, read, whatever makes you happy, etc. But taking care of yourself is really an attitude also, where you don’t guilt-trip yourself for having a bad episode or for not living up to the restrictive diet you need to be on. Ask your significant other for foot massages, give yourself one if you have tough thumbs, allow yourself to feel grumpy and frumpy without shame, sit and stare at a plant or out the window all day long without feeling guilt or pressure to do something productive, buy yourself something special (yet relatively inexpensive) on occasion, like cute new mittens or a fabulous Oxo non-spill sealing thermal mug or a wooden roller to massage your feet. It may not work miracles, but at least when you start to feel the pressure of so much illness, exhaustion and pain weighing down on you, you’ll know that at least there is one person who always takes care of you.
-Use the trick of substitutions to eliminate your cravings. A lot of posters who say that once you go off certain foods long enough, you never crave them again are totally right – but it takes a long time to get there, especially at the beginning! The best tip I can give you is to make sure that you indulge your cravings with a substitute that is okay for you to eat. For example, I bought gluten/dairy-free pizza crusts from a local bakery and top it w/ whatever I want – think of your favorite pizza toppings and switch it up every few nights (as a note, although I am dairy intolerant, I have no problems whatsoever with goat cheese, so use a goat mozzarella on my pizza toppings – it may cost more than cow mozzarella, but if you use less, it is less fat anyway and still just as tasty). The first week that I went strict gluten-free, I made pasta every single day from a gluten-free brand that uses a rice, quinoa and amaranth blend – and I got that in my supermarket! For breakfast-food type cravings, I have started making some muffins based on a recipe Elana gave and it works wonders for me – I am fuller in the mornings and haven’t craved any gluten-type items in a long time b/c it feels like I am eating them everyday – my taste butds don’t know it is almond and coconut flour, but my intestines do! Instead of ice cream or soy cream or rice cream, I have started buying Luna & Larry’s coconut milk ice cream, most of which is either not sweetened or sweetened with agave – they don’t use cane sugar, which is fabulous for eating something sweet like ice cream without actually eating any dairy or sugar. I’m sure that you and other posters can come up with more examples that suit you specifically, but hopefully you get the overall idea – don’t deny yourself b/c it will just send you into a spiral or cravings, indulgence, pain and regret. Sounds extreme, but addiction is real. If you can feed the addiction with substitutes that don’t wreak havoc on your body, your mind will be able to calm down and accept your new diet changes more easily.
-Try multiplying your recipes by 4 or 6 and freezing half to cut down on the time you have to cook. Cooking dinner for a week will definitely take a lot longer than cooking dinner for one night, but then the other 5-6 nights, you won’t have to cook at all. And I suggest that you wait for days where you have more energy and take advantage of those days to do your cooking. It may feel painful that you don’t spend your leisure time on a Sunday morning relaxing, but if that’s when you finally have an hour of energy, make your food for the week then and visualize yourself relaxing for the rest of the week instead of worrying about food. Numerous sizes of tupperware and a big soup pot (or crock pot if you prefer) helps this process along. I really like to make a red lentil w/ carrots, celery, kale, onion and canned diced tomatoes that takes less than an hour to prepare/cook/clean/etc. and feeds myself and my spouse for 5-6 nights (that’s 10-12 nights for just you!) and provides well-rounded nutrition. If you have an idea for what you like to eat, but don’t know how to make it, look up recipes until you find one easy enough to try.
-Try supplements and vitamins, but beware of fad “miracle cures”. For example, I got this book on the benefits of colon cleansing and thought that it had to be true b/c he made so much sense and used so many personal testimonials and used science-y things like testing the ph of your urine, but $400 and one month later, I was no better off than before – a lot of people may report that it helps, but very few people with life-changing illnesses like CFS or Fibromyalgia have ever benefited from such crap, indicating it may really just be a placebo. There is so much woo like this out there in alternative medicine b/c traditional Western medicine has been so dismissive to “strange” problems like CFS or celiac, so a lot of people are desperate for help and get very wrapped up in hoping that this next new fad is going to be it, the one true thing they need… This goes back to the point about educating yourself, but knowing all sides about some supplement/vitamin/fad/miracle cure/etc. may save you lots of money and time and exhaustion. In terms of vitamins/supplements, I recently started taking B12, CoQ10 and D-ribose together and have had an amazing change in energy. I noticed that something was definitely better the other night when I came home from work and was able to jump up and down at some good news instead of just nod my head and say yeah, great. Jumping up and down! :)
Anyway, it may take time and money, which is all at a premium when you have CFS and don’t have a cushy trust fund. Be patient and gentle with yourself and know that if you keep looking for solutions, you’ll get there eventually – and when you get there, the trouble will have been so worthwhile b/c you’ll finally feel like you have your life back!
Sasha Dyck says
Thanks sooooo much for posting this! I’ve been battling with sickness for almost 3 years now and doctors couldn’t find one problem and started to get quite dismissive and suggest depression. I tried to explain I am depressed after being sick for so long, misunderstood, and unable to care for my family-not the reverse!
My problem is not only am i struggling to understand leaky gut (I’ve decided this is what I have and changing diet has helped so much that I feel like I’m confirming it daily) but I live in a small country where grain free is not affordable and many items are not available. Also I can’t have nuts! So almost done flour is out for me and that seems to be in every recipe! Any suggestions anyone? I’m desperate!
Elana says
Sasha, thanks so much for sharing your story here! It has happened to so many of us and is incredibly important. Here are a couple of resources for you. First, if you have leaky gut this may be of help:
https://elanaspantry.com/how-i-healed-my-gut/
Second, here’s a link to my Nut-Free Recipes page for you:
https://elanaspantry.com/diets/nut-free/
I hope you’ll stop back by and keep me posted on how you’re doing!
Elana
oakie says
Nicole,
You may want something simple for breakfast like sliced organic banana with 2 T of pumpkin seeds, 2T sunflower seed, 2T of dried gogi berries, 2T of almond and if you don’t like dry maybe juiced your organic apple or oranges and pour it on to eat like a cereal. I was initially diagnosed with CFS and couldn’t find any doctors who can help me, but in May of 2006 I removed my massive mercury filling that were in my root canaled tooth and my health turned better. In Feb. of 2008, while I was spending winter in FLorida (it was a place that bordered the state park) in hopes of really getting my health boost up, I was bitten my ticks along with my 3 dogs and we all came down with lyme disease. I used to jog every morning and play golf regularly and all came to halt. I thought after battling lyme disease for 9 months that I was better, but this late June, I came down really sick and my white blood cell count came down way below normal range. It’s been tittering just below the normal range prior to that. I have been at home for 4 months and when I go out I pick everything up. I get dizzy, headaches, numbness, weird tongue pain and sensation and have been having some eye problem and of course fatigue. Then I came across about MSG and hidden label at http://www.msgtruth.org and http://www.msgmyth.com and was shocked to my find 90% of pantry was filled with MSG products even things that said organic had it. I gave up everything that said MSG in 2001 and didn’t think I had any, but they were all in hidden labels. I orginally thought I had celiac and went on gluten free diet, but I would get better and than sick again. I realized once I visited the websites, that it’s the MSG that were really making me sick. I was weak to cook, so I ate canned fruit and tuna and all of cans stuff contains MSG under hidden names. It’s been 2 weeks since I gave up MSG and it has helped me tremedously. I’m still not 100% and my white blood cell count did come up but is still below normal range (but I’m getting there and I hopeful it will). Elana’s website has been very helpful to me to make alternative meals and ideas. There some things I can’t use and consistantly have to refer to label and check and make sure it contains no MSG under hidden name like citric acid or natural flavoring, but gluten free diet is closest you can get to stay away from MSG. Since I gave up MSG, I do not feel hungry all the time. I used to eat a meal and an hour or so later. I feel weak and was consistantly craving for food. I thought it was because I didn’t have enough protein intake. Now, I get full on healthy salad and hardly snack. It does take awhile for your body to break away from the addiction of the bad food and MSG and if you have not fully done so previously, it probably will take about a full month before you noticed how awful those food are and will not want to touch it. The other idea for breakfast may be that you make batch of MacCann’s steel cut oatmeal (since it take about 30-40mins) and warm it up in the morning – it still taste good. You can eat it with fruit and little bit of honey. I also take honey pollen in the morning which gives you some protein and energy for rest of the day. 2 supplements that helped me most with MSG issue have been tyrosine(I was having hypothyroid symptoms even though test says normal) and taurine (gives energy and help detox your body from bad stuff like MSG). I take L-Carnitine and Alpha lipioc acid. I also take co q10 (but the gelatin capsule and gels contains MSG and I squeeze it out of there). I haven’t been able to find mutli-vitamins that doesn’t contain MSG or aspartate yet and had to give up what I was taking. Even my toothpaste and shampoo had MSG in it. SInce I gave all the things that had MSG, my tongue has been feeling much better and my eyes are better.
Annette says
Hello Nicole!
I had an undiagnosed case of Lymes Disease, Babesia and Bartonella for three years and was getting all kinds of dignosis for diseases with no known cause or cure until I finally figured it out on my own. Something that REALLY helped me get better was five-element style acupuncture and Chinese herbs prescribed specifically for me by a trained herbalist. (very important to go with someone who knows what they’re doing!) There is a wonderful acupuncture school near me in Maryland that has a “find an acupuncturist” feature. http://www.tai.edu. If you can find good health insurance–a PPO it will probably be covered. And ask at your job about the Federal Flexiable Health Spending Account. It takes money out of your pay for health needs before taxes. When I did it I was having $100 taken out but my take-home pay only decreased by $50….so it was totally worth it. Good luck with everything!!!
Ane Weed says
I have found some interesting connections with chronic health issues and the work of Dr. Elaine Aron on “The Highly Sensitive Person”. I find that there are ways that we can set up boundaries in every area of our life, in what we eat as well as how we interact with others, our emotions, intellect, etc. I have find amazing improvements with chronic health issues of myself and my clients when utilizing this holistic approach. Please see more about this here: http://www.sensitiveandthriving.com/2009/10/high-sensitivity-vs-disorder-autoimmune.html
c k white says
I feel compelled to share some of my story. I am a 52 year old woman diagnosed with “fibromyalgia” when I was 25. For over 25 years I endured flares, unrelenting exhaustion & all that goes with it. After a “flare” 2 years ago that left me unable to walk, I was actually diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called “Ankylosing Spondylitis”. The disease I have had since my first “flare” when I was 25 & it has worn my body down…I urge all women with “Fibro” symptoms, especially pain in the sacrum, inflammed joints or muscle pain or achilles tendonitis to do some research & make sure your diagnosis is correct. This disease was always considered a “male” disease & now they are finding out different. http://www.spondylitis.org is a very valuable & informative website. And to Elana: Thank you for making it so much easier & tastier for those of us trying to follow a healthier path. Much health & hope to all.
Megan Hughes says
Here is my favorite breakfast resource. You can order from the National College of Natural Medicine, here in Portland: https://ncnm.edu/bookstore/product_details.php?item_ID=265 What’s for Breakfast?
It is tons of ideas and recipes that don’t include major allergens and problem-causing foods, plus ideas on making it all work with a normal life and time constraints. It is only $8.99!
Emily says
Hi again!
I thought I would leave a few tips of my own since everyone is chiming in with such helpful hints. I am so thankful for this thread of comments, these energy saving ideas are going to help me as well! Hope the rest of you are finding more good ideas from each other. I love our little comment community!
Ok Nicole, hope these help :)
First off, several people have already mentioned some of the things I do to save time and/or making a “poor” food choice (eating something that will make me sick). One of the easiest things to cook is roast chicken (Elana has some fantastic recipes for roast chicken); the chicken basically cooks itself after popping it in a pan into the oven and it turns out SO divinely yummy when it’s finished. Besides that, it gives you lots of leftovers. I usually pull it all apart after dining on some and put half in a glass jar to keep in the fridge and the other half in individual serving sizes, wrapped in baking paper then put into a ziploc freezer bag, into the freezer. This way, I have some fresh in the fridge for snacking if I feel my blood sugar getting low, or as part of my next few meals. The frozen servings come in SO handy for when I come home from work/school/being away and am ravishing for food. Instead of grabbing something that will make me feel bad later, I grab a serving of chicken. Pop it into my steamer (over the stove) with some veggies and it’s defrosted in less than 5 minutes.
Another energy saver I love to do– when you come home from the farmer’s market or grocery store, wash and prep ALL produce before putting it away. I do not always do this because I feel so tired after grocery shopping but it makes such a difference when I do. If I have veggies prepped and ready to eat or cook, I am so much less likely to eat 3 bananas and half a jar of almond butter for a snack. So for example, rinse and break apart broccoli and cauliflower into florets, then store in a container in the fridge. Then when you want to cook it, all you would have to do is throw it on the steamer! Rinse lettuce greens and dry (Elana has a post on this called McKale) and store in fridge. Chop peppers, carrots, etc and store in jars filled with water to keep fresh. Wash apples, fruits, etc. I know produce is “less fresh” when you pre-chop it, but I eat so much of it, and eat it up faster when it’s all ready- it’s usually gone in a few days so it doesn’t matter.
Also I like making high protein, low sugar bars (like Elana’s Power Bars) and freezing them individually so when I am going out for a few hours I can pop one in my purse (in a baggy) and it’s defrosted by the time I need it.
Breakfast ideas are tough without grains; I know it’s hard! I am new to grain free as well and I can say I hope it gets easier. It will eventually I am sure! Just like I don’t even crave bread anymore since I haven’t had it in about 4 years! Protein and good fats plus some healthy carbs are great for breakfast. A big plate of chicken w/ diced avocado on top and some roasted squash = yummy. Salmon and sautéed veggies = delicious! I almost always crave something sweet in the mornings; a few tricks I use to get that sweetness without the actual sugar are coconut oil and cinnamon. These 2 flavors trick my taste buds into thinking my food is sweet. Try cooking a pumpkin or butternut squash and purring it in a blender. Then add cinnamon and vanilla extract (even a little stevia if you like lots of sweet) and that is a scrumptious sweet treat right there! You can also add almond milk to that mixture and freeze it for a bit to get a pumpkin ice-cream-like treat. Sautéing veggies like carrot and zucchini (any mild flavored veggies) in coconut oil also gives a sweet flavor. Squash fries (winter squash cut up into matchsticks, rubbed in oil, baked at ~425) with cinnamon sprinkled on them are a good one too.
Anyway, I have typed a huge long story now, I also asked Elana to please send you my email if you’d like to chat more; I am living with autoimmune illness and relate to you so well! Looks like you’re going to make lots of new friends from this post. I pray good health for you and God’s blessings! <3 Take care