One of the main things I have noticed since my Fibromyalgia diagnosis is that I still cannot get to grips with a healthy diet and being able to prepare healthy meals consistently. To be completely honest, it’s a lifelong thing, but my Fibro pains do make holding utensils and preparing food along with standing cooking for long periods excruciating.

But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try does it? There are always little changes you can make to help you have an advantage in the kitchen and be able to prepare healthy meals easier. I have put together a list of tips for living with Fibromyalgia.

Tips for Living with Fibromyalgia

Prepared Foods

There is no shame in buying prepared foods to help to make meal prep easier. From buying fully ready-made meals, where all you need to do is pop in the oven and heat up, to packs of ready chopped vegetables, buying foods that are prepped and ready to use can make life easier for everyone.

I regularly use packs of frozen veg or buy fruit ready cut up for Olivia. This takes away the need to stand for long periods when making meals, and you aren’t feeling too great. Look for healthier prepared food options that can assist you in making a healthy meal such as steam fresh veg and rice packs. Vegetables are good for you no matter how they come, and while fresh is best, there is still plenty of nutritional value in ready prepared packs and frozen veg mixes.

One of my favourite breakfast options is to use frozen smoothie fruit mixes to make my morning smoothie. Some days I do need as much help as I can get and if the difference between you eating well or binging on junk is simply food prep, then take away that pressure and make things as easy as possible. Save the chopping and prep for when you feel better.

Meal Subscriptions

One issue when it comes to preparing healthy meals is sourcing the ingredients. With all the best will in the world, when a flare-up hits, the last thing I want to be doing is food shopping. The only things that will end up in my basket are chocolate, chicken nuggets along with coffee, red bull and wine.

Imagine how much easier it would be to have your meals sent to your front door all fully complete. Services such as Hello Fresh can provide you with complete meal options and a step by step how-to recipe card. Alternatively, head over to check out the recipe section on Hello Fresh and find all the ingredients you need for some different and tasty meals. Don’t feel like shopping? Order your shopping online in the dead of night when you can’t sleep! Or in the day time like a normal person if you sleep all night! My own night time shopping sessions are now few and far between thanks to my current medication.

Slow Cookers

This one is a gem: slow cookers, one-pot, multicookers. Whatever you use, they are a godsend for people with Fibro and have to be included in my tips for living with Fibromyalgia.

My most productive time is first thing in the morning. Whether or not I am at the day job or working from home, chances are if I am planning to make a nice meal and don’t do it first thing, it won’t get done. This is where slow cookers come in (I don’t own other types of appliances). Simply pop in everything and let it do its thing!

One of my favourite slow cooker meals is super simple to make. And remember, if you’re not up to preparing fresh vegetables, using ready-prepared works just as well!

Tracey’s Slow Cooker Pulled Gammon (a variation on a recipe my sister gave me from her slimming group)

• Small gammon joint
• Baked beans x2 tins
• Tomato puree
• Onion
• Green pepper
• Mushrooms
• Herbs or seasoning optional

Pop your gammon join in the slow cooker; I cut off the excess fat if there is any before adding the rest of the ingredients. Add one tin of beans, around half a tube of tomato puree and the chopped onion, pepper and mushrooms. Add in the second tin of baked beans on top and your seasoning or herbs if you’re adding them. Leave on low heat all day. After approx 8 hours, using a fork, pull apart the gammon join into small strips, so it resembles pulled pork. Serve on its own, with chips or over a baked potato!

The best thing is, cooking this way allows you to batch cook with little to no effort. Simply portion out the leftovers and freeze for another day when you aren’t quite up to cooking a full meal.

Kitchen Gadgets

Everyone loves a good gadget—especially one for the kitchen that makes life easier. The best ones I have found are tools that help me to chop food up easier. An electric 4 in 1 blender that also chops food to save you cutting is one of my favourites. Whatever works for you and makes your life easier is a win as far as I am concerned. I am aware that not everyone will suffer from hand and finger pain as I do, and some tasks are more manageable for some than others.

You!

There is a tendency to push yourself too hard. To ‘keep up with the Joneses’. If you see someone else can do something the temptation to berate yourself for not being able to do, it can be hard to ignore. The thing is, no two people will experience Fibromyalgia the same way.

We all have our own personal pain threshold, our own coping mechanisms, our specific pain points and triggers and so on. And while you may know others who have Fibro – many of the customers in my shop do, we can all sympathise, but we won’t feel the same. I am lucky I can go to work. Others can’t do that. But some days (most) it takes all I have to be present for my day job and my freelance commitments, then there isn’t much leftover. Direct what is left to parenting and adulting at home and honestly, cooking and eating healthily always comes a dead last.

What I am getting at is it is OK to cut yourself some slack. Our bodies don’t work the same way as other peoples bodies and if all you can cope with is snoozing on the sofa eating junk food and ordering takeouts, then so be it (FYI – I always order the salad on my burger or chips with salad in pitta bread, so I at least get something healthy). Pushing yourself to what you are physically unable to do will only lead to a longer recovery time from a flare-up. So take it easy on yourself. Know when to go for it and when not to push it and if you need to order takeout then order the takeout.

These are my tips for living with Fibromyalgia and still being able to eat healthily as much as possible.