Fibromyalgia and Cooking: Part 1

Fibromyalgia patients can face a lot of difficulty when it comes to cooking. The kind and level of  difficulty varies from person to person. While some are unable to stand while preparing the dish, most struggle to hold the knife and apply pressure while chopping vegetables / knead the dough.

A food processor surely is a boon, but sometimes you want to avoid it may be because the quantity is less or you don't want to end up cleaning the food processor jars and blades since that too can be tough with Fibromyalgia.

So, I will try and post some easy recipes and cooking tips regularly. Of course, nothing's better if you have a someone at home to manage it all for you. But what if cooking has to be your responsibility for some or the other reason?

Here are some basic tips to help you manage your kitchen with ease:

1. Since mornings are difficult: Morning stiffness makes even a simple task of preparing tea tough for a Fibromyalgia patient. It is a good idea to clean / chop the veggies or knead the dough (if you can) the previous day, sometime in late afternoon / evening whenever the pain and stiffness is lesser. If you need to leave for work early and also carry lunch, cook at the night before and refrigerate.
2. Know what you can cook easily: Opt for easier and fast (preferably healthy) recipes when the pain is intense. Keep a list of recipes handy so you do not stress out thinking what to cook when you are unable to.
3. Plan the preparation: Plan the preparation before you enter the kitchen. E.g. Keep the rice for cooking and meanwhile chop the veggies. Time it in advance so you need not stand for long.
4. Take breaks: If you plan to prepare a full meal or something that involves a long procedure, take small breaks in between. If your legs hurt, sit for 5-10 minutes at intervals and then continue.
5. Shopping for ingredients: Stock up the ingredients that you use regularly. Do not carry heavy shopping bags if the shoulders / hands hurt. Divide the shopping in a way that you do not end up carrying kilos of grains and fruits at a time. Keep the shopping list handy to beat fibrofog.
6. Post-its help: This one works for me and I am sure it will help you too. Fibrofog often gives me a tough time. So whenever I remember I need to buy something, I write it right then on a post-it on the refrigerator. This helps as then you need not stroll in the supermarket struggling to remember what else you had to buy. Why add to the fatigue, stress and pain?

I assure you that I will try and post as many solutions as possible in the upcoming posts on this site. I have compiled some of my recipes on my Vegetarian Recipe blog. If you like Indian food, these might help. I will soon compile a list of recipes that you'd find easier to cook.

Take good care of yourself