Tips for fatigue-friendly cooking

Eating a healthy diet can be a big part of MS self-care. But MS fatigue can make planning, preparing and eating balanced meals seem like impossible tasks. It can be easy to reach for convenience foods, but these are often high in salt and sugar. How can you eat well when you have fatigue?

We’ve collected these tips from dieticians, occupational therapists and people living with MS. Not all the tips will be appropriate for your situation. We hope that some of them help you to eat well and feel more in control of your nutrition.

Organising your space to save time and energy when you cook can make your kitchen easier to use. An occupational therapist can help you find aids and equipment such as stools or easy-grip utensils that can take the effort out of preparing meals. 

You can read more information on finding and funding household aids and equipment in our home and travel pages. 

• Keep the items you use a lot close to hand. 
• Get all the ingredients and utensils together before starting to cook.
• Temporarily turning off the heating or opening a window can help ensure the kitchen is cool. This can help avoid heat sensitivity when you are cooking.
• If there's space in your kitchen, a perching stool means you can stay off your feet when prepping food at your kitchen counter. 
• Make use of labour-saving devices where possible, such as electric mixers and can openers.
• Microwave cooking and air frying do not involve having to lift heavy pans and do not heat up the kitchen as much as a traditional oven. 
• Use wire baskets inside your pans, so that you can lift out the food without having to lift heavy pans of water.
• Opt for a shopping delivery if you can and save your energy.
• You might find a trolley useful to avoid extra walking and carrying when cooking and serving meals.

Deciding what and when to cook can make a difference to your diet. Rethink your schedule and your shopping list, and do what works for you.

Dietitian Claire Fenlon lives with MS herself, and brings personal experience to her practice at the Chilterns Neuro Centre. She shared some of her tried and tested tips in this interview.

• Plan ahead for those times when you are too fatigued to cook a complicated meal. Keep the basics in stock for some simple, healthy meals such as beans on wholemeal toast or a jacket potato with tuna.
• Use ready-prepared foods such as grated cheese, diced meat and pre-washed salads to reduce the energy required in preparing these foods.
• Cook at times of day when energy levels are higher. A slow cooker or a timer setting on your oven or microwave can help you prep when you have the energy, for a meal later in the day.
• Cooking in bulk and freezing potions for use at a later date 
• Frozen fruit and vegetables are as high in vitamins as fresh, and last longer, reducing wasted food.
• Take breaks through the cooking process to rest.
• Choose one-pot recipes to save on washing up.
• Soak your dishes rather than washing up straight away.
• Consider using a meals delivery service for some meals. You may be able to get help from Social Services for this.
• If large meals make you feel bloated and sluggish, opt for more frequent, lighter meals or healthy snacks between meals.
• Prepare and eat your main meal when your energy levels are higher.

• Diet and MS: What is a nutritionally balanced diet?
• Diet and Symptoms: What dietary changes can help manage MS symptoms? 
• Types of MS diet: A round-up of the different dietary regimes suggested for managing MS
• Can diet affect the course of your MS?: Research update
• Is a ketogenic diet good for people with MS?: Research update
• Demystifying Diets and MS 1: Podcast looking at two popular diets for MS, the Wahls Protocol and Overcoming MS diet.
• Demystifying Diets and MS 2: Podcast looking at advice from a dietician and how diet research is done.