I like to think we eat a pretty healthy diet. For example, we always manage our five a day, easily in fact. However, I continue to have fibromyalgia flare ups, which I am sure are linked to what I eat, as well as my stress levels and how much sleep I get. I need a more fibro friendly lifestyle.
Mr S can eat pretty much anything with no ill effects. I, on the other hand, bloat and get an upset stomach/IBS if I have too much gluten, sugar, certain vegetables, too many spicy foods and pulses. Onions are a no-no, as are soya and lactose. More than a glass or two of alcohol and I have a hangover. If I do too much of any of the above, I get exhausted and achy.
I really hate coming across as a fussy eater, when actually there are few food items that I don’t enjoy. It’s a pain to try to fit my digestive and fibro issues into eating with the family, being entertained by friends, or going to a restaurant. What I tend to do is go with the flow and face the consequences later!
Pigging out on carbs
Day to day, I have had some success with a low FODMAP regime and felt very much better on a low carb, sugar free diet. But it’s so hard to stick to either! If there is a bar of Cadbury’s chocolate in the fridge or Hobnobs in the biscuit tin, I find it almost impossible not to eat them at some point.
I have gradually been eating more and more carbs and pigging out on chocolate. As a result, my joints have been really sore, my muscles feel weak and achy and I am fatigued a lot of the time. With Christmas coming, how on earth I am going to avoid my fibro triggers, I just don’t know!!
What I have decided to do is to be a lot more strict with a low carb regime up to Christmas eve. Then I will eat what I want until the day after Boxing Day. After that, I will get back to a sugar free, low carb diet for the good of my well-being and energy levels.
Keeping it simple & saving money
I have found that the more simply I eat, the better I feel. Avoiding the triggers and eating lots of fresh healthy, unprocessed foods definitely makes me feel well. So, I am currently quite motivated to eat better!
Another advantage of eating a fairly simple diet is that it tends to be cheaper. Cooking from scratch and avoiding processed foods, desserts and treats is quite a frugal way to eat.
It can be more time consuming to eat this way, but it doesn’t have to be. I don’t have loads of spare time to spend hours slaving over a hot stove anyway, so it is important to keep our meals quick and easy.
With all that said, here is this week’s fibro friendly meal plan.
A fibro friendly meal plan
Saturday
Spaghetti Bolognese with grated cheese and salad. I won’t have the spaghetti though! If I am really hungry I will make some 90 second keto bread to go alongside.
I have been looking at some low carb pasta options online. Lots of them contain soya or pea protein, which wouldn’t suit me. Has anyone tried any good ones?
Sunday
Pork medallions from the freezer. We had some of these the other day and they were a bit tough, so I will chop them up and slow cook them with some tomatoes, peppers and garlic, in a kind of Mediterranean casserole. I might risk some brown rice with this.
Monday
Chicken and cashew nut stir fry. I will be lazy and buy a bag of ready made stir fry, as it’s only me in for dinner. I will toast the cashew nuts and put them on top for more protein. That will help fill me up.
Tuesday
Mediterranean mozzarella chicken using this recipe. This looks super quick and easy to make and the reviews say it is delicious. I will serve this with some steamed broccoli.
Wednesday
Salmon steaks with lots of veg and a hollandaise sauce. We like to eat oily fish a couple of times a week.
Thursday
Breaded haddock (because we have some in the freezer) with home made sweet potato fries (made in my air fryer) and peas.
Friday
Smoked mackerel, hard boiled eggs and salad. A nice, easy Friday dinner that involves no real cooking. More healthy omega 3 oils in the fish too.
Although this week’s meal plan isn’t entirely free of carbs, it is pretty fibro friendly. Hopefully I will reap the benefits as we approach Christmas!
What’s on your meal plan this week?
As usual, I am linking up with Katy Kicker for her meal planning linky. For more of my frugal food ideas see here.
Fancy a chat about all things frugal and the joys of buying second hand? Come join my Facebook group!
CurlyTop says
Hi Jane
I know exactly how you feel with the food. As I’ve mentioned previously I follow or should I say, did follow fodmap, as a way of life and felt the benefits but with the miserable mess of covid, working from home and lots of family stuff going on, the food I eat has taken a back seat and I can feel the aches and pains getting worse. I know I have to change my mindset but I’m not feeling in the right frame of mind at the moment.
I do however, wish to mention Meverbrine. This is something I was introduced to by a lady I met on holiday, years ago, who couldn’t understand why I was refusing gorgeous deserts at dinner each night. When I explained, she told me about her daughter who had been incapacitated with pain at meal times and had lost a lot of weight. She had been recommended these tablets and her life changed. The lady I was with also struggled but on a much smaller scale. She gave me a tablet to try. You take it 20 minutes before your meal and it reduces the ‘effects’ greatly. I had a lively meal the following evening without the rapid need to pop to the ladies. No longer on prescription, you can buy this over the counter in Boots. I only take the tablets on high days and holidays, like birthdays and Christmas if I am in company. I’ve recommended them to my hairdresser and she regularly takes them, saying they have changed her life. Just thought I’d mention. I’l also add that you can get these in European chemists over the ccounter: double the amount of what you would pay here.
Kind regards
CurlyTop
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
Oooh! Interesting. Going to check those out
Julia says
Great post which has given me pause for thought.
I’m a bit like Mr Shoestring when it comes to food, but I have noticed I’m becoming more and more achy lately, and I’m wondering if I’m consuming too much sugar. Well, I know I am (I’ve developed a bit of a chocolate habit this year!), but I wonder if that’s what’s causing the aches?
The last time I had really achy hips was due to dehydration and upping my intake of liquid cleared it virtually overnight, so quitting sugar might do the same!
Do you think Pepsi Max counts as sugar? I know it’s not a health drink, but as far as sugar goes I thought it didn’t count. I usually have a glass or 2 of that most days and very diluted apple & blackcurrant squash the rest of the time.
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
Pepsi max is sugar free isn’t it? Although some people feel better for giving up sweeteners…
Katy Stevens says
I hope that this week goes well for you and you’re back feeling good in no time!
Have a great week and thanks for linking up.
Amanda says
I found pasta made with hearts of palm which was a pretty good substitute. It was fairly inexpensive too.
Kim Carberry says
How interesting to read about your eating habits. It must be hard over Christmas but it sounds like you have a good plan on how to deal with things.
Great meal plan. I love the sound of the Chicken and cashew nut stir fry. x