Got a meal that a person suffering fatigue could make?

[Kurisu]

thanks for the encouragement!
never been a big fan of canned fish but everyone keeps suggesting it, so maybe I should give it a real shot

[DiMo]

I have been suffering from some degree of CFS/ME/Fibromyalgia for the past 10-15 years, but I had a complete physical breakdown that prevented me from working 2 years ago.

When I began eating ketogenically, I would make a big batch of tuna, egg or chicken salad each week. In order to add fat and flavor, I used full fat mayo, added in chunks of sharp cheddar, sliced green olives, diced celery or pickles, etc. Some Dijon mustard, hot sauce and/or fresh cracked pepper would add even more flavor. I would eat it in a lettuce leaf or just in a bowl. A big batch might last all week.

Hard boiled eggs and scrambled eggs are really easy. I would bake up a pound of bacon in the oven maybe once a week (also a really tasty addition crumbled on top of chicken salad).

Chicken broth blended with added butter, heavy cream or MCT oil and an egg (or egg yolk) and some salt/pepper/cayenne pepper could replace a meal and is easy to whip up.

My meal prep might include browning up several pounds of hamburger, some onions or mushrooms (cooked and stored separately). I might rewarm the hamburger and add in a bit of the precooked onions and mushrooms finishing with some heavy cream or cream cheese (just heating it through). It’s easy to add a lot of flavor to a quick omelet by adding in a few precooked onions, crumbled bacon and/or mushrooms and then top it off with some cheese, sour
cream and/or salsa.

Although I wasn’t so careful at first, I found that my inflammatory markers improved dramatically when I began eliminating all the polyunsaturated oils (canola, corn, soybean, etc). So, I either have to pay big bucks to buy mayo made with only avocado oil or make my own. Most purchased salad dressings don’t work for me either.

I would highly recommend reading Dr. Sarah Myhill’s book: Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalitis, 2nd ed.: It’s Mitochondria, Not Hypochondria. Besides eating ketogenically, following her recommendations has been particularly helpful in improving my health.

I’ve shared a bit of my story over in the CFS-Fibro section in the Health category:

My Chronic Fatigue journey... so far

I’ll probably need to break this story into several posts. I apologize for some of the information which is a repeat from other posts in other threads. I’ve decided to consolidate my story into one thread, and stop hijacking others! I have chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), myalgic encephalitis (ME) and fibromyalgia. I have been off work with a medical disability since January 2017. I spent the first 6 months mostly in bed. In July 2017, my PCP provider recommended that I read Dr. Mercola’s book…

Hopefully, I’ve copied that link in correctly.

I wish you well on your journey!

[Littlerose84]

Tuna fish salad wrapped in lettuce

Veggie omelett

Salads
Wilted spinach salad
Any stir fry and baked chicken

[Natasha]

I can’t imagine how horrible CFS must be, sorry you are suffering. I don’t think keto foods need to be time consuming to prepare. They can be obviously but there are plenty of things that don’t require much thought or time or energy. Here are some suggestions (some do require cooking but save those for a ‘good’ day and make in larger quantities so you can have leftovers for 3-4 days):

• Celery and peanut butter
• Coffee with heavy cream
• Avocados
• Pre-boiled eggs stored in the fridge up to a week (or you can buy electric egg cookers very cheaply on amazon)
• Pre-cooked bacon stored in fridge
• Slices of ham rolled around cream cheese and pickle
• Season a pork or beef roast, or a whole chicken with salt and pepper, bake in the oven, store in the fridge for 3-4 days
• Pepparami or chorizo sticks
• Tuna mayo, handful of spinach, avocado
• Pre-cooked sausage links stored in the fridge
• Smoked salmon
• Handful of nuts with a couple of squares of 85-90% dark chocolate

[PaulL]

Season a pork or beef roast,

That reminds me, a pork picnic is dead easy to roast, and will feed a person for almost a week. One of my pre- (and post-!) keto go-tos.

[Kurisu]

Wow, thanks for sharing! That’s really awesome to hear that this work for you, it’s a real confidence booster. I’ll definitely go check out that book!

[Kurisu]

thanks for the suggestions! some great snack ideas in there too, great for when I don’t quite feel like a whole meal.

though, I’ll have to pass on the dark chocolate

[Annzie]

Yes, that is the conclusion I came to also. Unfortunately I am a huge tomato fan!!! I literally ate raw tomatoes at every meal. I also ate lots of eggplant, beans, peppers, but those are gone. I fear I will have to wait cheese too.

[pamplemousse]

There are different varieties. Tuna is mildest, salmon too. Sardines and herring are strongest, but the herring can often be found smoked and is nice. Canned chicken is a good option too.

[Luckymisslucy]

I HATE cooking more than anything. What I did when I started before my energy was increased enough was buy pre-mixed salad, throw some vinaigrette dressing on it, add pre-shredded cheese or cheese crumbles, and precooked chicken or steak strips, toss on some avocado. Picking up as much already prepared stuff was helpful so all I had to do was toss it in a bowl or on a plate. I also cook up a pound of ground sausage in advance and refrigerate it so I can toss it in with scrambled eggs in the morning and then I add cheese and guacamole. Those two things take me about 5 minutes to make. Those are my biggest go-to’s.

[Kage]

maybe a bit of Huy Fong chili garlic sauce

After seeing this the other week, I went out and got some. Now I want it on ALL THE THINGS.

Today I am eating it mixed with Kirkland’s pulled pork.

Thanks for the idea!! Yum.