It was around 2016 when I started to notice the more obvious signs of what would become ME/CFS (aka chronic fatigue syndrome). It started with bouts of illness and flu-like symptoms that I never recovered from. Soon, more frequent exhaustion and fatigue started to set in leaving me unable to commit to social activities. I tried to increase my exercise but that only started the first ‘crashes’ I would experience - following exercise I would hardly be able to move for hours as if in a fog, and my overall fatigue continued to increase.
By autumn 2018 I was struggling to maintain my job, finding myself unable to do the travel and events required, and eventually having to take a break from work as I was deteriorating quickly. I soon became bedbound, unable to complete any functions of daily life, and requiring care. I started seeing a naturopath who wanted to treat adrenal fatigue, and began with an elimination diet - this was the start of my new way of eating.
After 6 months we had discovered that I was intolerant to gluten, and responded badly to inflammatory foods such as (cow) dairy and refined sugars. Taking out these things led to my discovering new foods and recipes - using more beans and pulses, the complete protein that is quinoa, cooking from scratch, and using nut flours and butters became the norm. I started putting all the things that could power and energise me into my body, and leaving out empty calories, processed foods and most inflammatory foods.
At first I felt deprived - I was sick, barely able to move, and couldn’t even enjoy a bit of junk food!
But as time went on I soon lost my sugar addiction, found healthier alternatives, and discovered a delicious new way of eating that I prefer. I now have a healthy, balanced diet, and still enjoy a bit of cheese though mostly goat or sheep cheese rather than cow dairy. Even though I barely moved and still ate the same amount of calories, as I was mostly only putting the right food in, I lost 18 kg over 18 months.
It reduced the inflammation and improved my fibromyalgia, and most importantly reduced my ME symptoms enough to be able to potter about a bit and occasionally leave the home. While that doesn’t seem much of a life from where I’ve reached now, at the time it was a huge improvement and gave me the energy and the optimism to keep searching for a way to recover from ME.
Some of the first recipes my sister and I discovered are staples on our menu both at home and for our customers.
The Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Tagine is a delicately spiced bowl of warmth with contrasting textures of crunchy pistachios and chewy cranberries that come in a pot for you to sprinkle on top! See our August 9 blog post.
Our Power Rounds are a mix between a cookie, a cake and a granola bar - a powerhouse of nutrition and a delicious, filling snack.
The Carrot & Courgette Cake Bites are just sweet enough, light and fluffy and packed FULL of courgettes and carrots but all you taste is a delicious bit of cake! Tasty and a great way to get some vegetables in (or to sneak in if you have a child like mine!).
Our Spicy Cauliflower, Chickpea and Butternut Squash Tagine has crunchy sweetcorn, firm chickpeas, and a sweet & creamy sauce with a kick of spicy jalapenos - warming, satisfying and bold.
We can’t get enough of the Mexican Bake which is packed full of vegetables, black beans, sweet potato and great mexican flavours - so hearty and delicious!
Naturally the dietary component was only one factor in my recovery, albeit the one that was easiest to tackle and allowed enough improvement for other avenues to be explored. I’ll go into some of the other factors that aided my recovery journey in more depth in later posts, you can also find an overview of my journey and the resources I utilised on our website.
Take care for now!
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