28 Aug Ultra-Practical Ways To Make Eating Easier

This article includes ways to moderate energy expenditure while preparing food, low energy meals I love, and little “life hacks” I use as a single-person household with chronic illness. I’ve talked a bit about getting rid of shame and keeping a solution-based mindset when eating is tough (which you can read about here), but here are my *actual* tips that I think are worth consideration if this is a struggle area for you. Please feel welcome to share your own ideas or tips in the comments!

4 Ways to Moderate Energy While Cooking

(1) Use a stool. I have a tall stool I keep in the middle of my kitchen. Whether I’m at the stove, doing dishes at the sink, or prepping ingredients at the counter, I sit! 

My groceries last week 🙂

(2) Use premade elements to your meal. One great way to moderate is to use partially prepared ingredients. Buying bags of washed and chopped lettuce instead of whole heads, getting shredded cheese instead of blocks, or purchasing frozen vegetables ready to roast are some examples

(3) Take breaks. Literally go lay down or chill for 5 minutes. Get all your ingredients out, then take a break. Do your prep work, then take a break. Cook, then break. Eat, then break. Clean up, then another break. It’s not time efficient, but you know what? By the end of evening, you’ve made and eaten a homecooked meal and that’s a WIN. 

(4) Use easy recipes. Try out a new no-bake recipe or push the culinary limits of the humble toaster oven. Keep it simple. 

(5) Make enough for leftovers. More meals for a similar amount of energy. 

Favorite Hacks:

(1) My walmart sells cold rotisserie chickens on clearance for $2.93. I get three, and pull them apart at home, lay it out on a sheet tray, and freeze. Then I break up the clumps and fill gallon size ziplocks. This way I can grab single handfuls of meat to add to microwave rice bowls, sandwiches, or chicken salad. 

(2) Same idea – I’ll cook ground beef, spread it on a sheet pan to retain the loose crumbles (not a frozen block), and then bag it to be used in handfuls.

(3) I love to pack those little fuit and veggie squeeze pouches for my lunch at work. 

My snack basket for myself and guests

(4) Hardcore snacking. The “charcuterie” concept is popular, so use it to your advantage! Cherry tomatoes, meat sticks, chips and dip, granola bar, nuts, cheese cubes, whatever you like. I have a snack basket by my front door so that I can always have something easy to grab, whether getting home, leaving the house, or wandering around bored. 

(5) Ok, so I’m aware I’m a bit of a weirdo on this one, but I LOVE kidney beans straight from the can. Experiment with foods in their basic state. Get nutrition in whatever manner is accessible for the day. 

(6) Take diaphragmatic breaths WHILE eating. With a hyperactive fight-or-flight response, I often feel stressed or like I might throw up even when everything is chill. Taking breaths genuinely helps with this. (During my 3-week rehab program at Mayo, I got to watch a friend go from a feeding tube to eating normally, and she said this was the most helpful tool for her in being able to eat enough!)

My Favorite Low Energy Meals

On a scale of low to high energy meals, these are my lowest energy meals.

Lunch/Dinner:

Microwave Rice Pouch + Frozen Grilled chicken + Frozen Vegetable Medley (microwaved until hot)

Tortilla Chips + Rotisserie Chicken + Cheese + Misc Toppings (microwaved until melty)

Frozen Vegetables +  Sliced Sausage (roasted on a sheet pan all together)

Cheese + Crackers + Premade Veggie Smoothie 

Sandwiches

Breakfast: 

Protein Cheerios + Orgain Chocolate Protein Drink

Whole Wheat Bread + Peanut Butter + Jam

Bagel + Cream Cheese + Lunchmeat

Leftovers

When there’s time and energy, of course it’s fun to experiment in the kitchen and make tasty meals from scratch. I once spent 7 hours making croissants, and homemade risotto is by far my favorite meal to make. But as discussed in a previous article, there’s also no shame in full-on heat-and-eat microwave meals if that’s the capacity you have on a given day. 

Things to Consider

As someone who struggles to eat enough (and who also has a bachelors degree in nutrition), these are 3 things I ask myself on a daily basis:

(1) Am I getting enough calories to survive/function long-term? Use this calculator to find your number, and learn about the nuts and bolts here. Occasionally I do a calorie audit for a day or two, and see if I’m truly getting the basic requirement for life.

(2) Am I getting decent amounts of protein, carbs, and fat today? 

(3) Am I eating fruits and vegetables with my meals? 

My personal food philosophy is anti-restriction and pro-moderation. I support goldfish crackers alongside kale salad. I love a wholesome mediterranean meal with a donut for dessert. Befriending food and seeing eating as a way to love and care for myself is helpful to me. 

Our minds and our bodies cannot recover and thrive if they are not getting enough food. It can be a struggle, especially with individual limitations, but we’ve GOT this. We can do it. There are solutions to our problems, ways to moderate hard parts of the process, and a whole community walking the same journey. I hope some of this was helpful, and again, please comment other helpful tips you’ve found! 

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