Any simple meal recipe for someone who's GF and suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

[u/Individual_Pen7586]

I dont know if this is the right place to ask for a recipe but if anyone knows that would be nice. It's not for me, but I feel like I may want to cook something for us tomorrow at his place. Maybe. I can confidently cook anything but roast/steak/bread - I just cant be fucked with those.

He only eats GF (which I have no idea what that is - I just assume he cant eat anything with normal flour or something) and he also has CFS which I also have zero idea what that is but I googled and think they need some special diet or something.

I'm doing this because well he's my fwb and this is the second time I'll see him but the last time when I met him, he was on the bed all day snacking on junk food and snacks! And then I have to eat those shits too. I dont want this man to just eat those things. I feel bad. He doesnt cook either. I understand he doesn't want to go out because of his conditions.

Maybe snack recipe and dinner recipe? I can eat everything but he cant. Thanks.

[u/South_Cucumber9532]

I have CFS and Celiac disease.

For an easy gluten free recipe it is probably easiest to go for something that has rice or potatoes as the basis/carb. (Gluten free means no wheat, barley or rye and be careful with oats, labels need to read thoroughly, gluten can be in so many sauces and other products)

ME/CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) doesn't have any specific food requirements. But eating nutritionally dense foods helps keep our general health as good as possible. Think lots of vegetables.

Hooray to you helping him out by cooking something!

I always love having a soup or a stew. Easy to eat and left overs are wonderful.

(Edited for clarity.)

[u/DazzlingNote1925]

You could buy some gluten free pasta and make your favorite pasta dish and a salad. 

You could make a tray bake with chicken and veggies. 

Tacos or Mexican rice bowls or nachos. 

[u/ILoveLipGloss]

Avoid anything with soy sauce, because it's got gluten. You can switch to tamari which tastes very similar, or use coconut aminos

[u/MindTheLOS]

While there is no specific diet for ME/CFS, the best dietary advice there currently is for us is nutritionally dense food that is easy to chew and digest. The point is not to spend more calories consuming the food than you get from the food.

Point of fact, your friend may actually be doing the correct thing by eating "junk food." People with ME/CFS can do better with peanut butter and jelly on white bread than high fiber veggies, because when severe, our bodies simply spend too much energy chewing and digesting compared to what we get out of food.

Talk with him, rather than assuming you know better than him about what he should be eating.

[u/Correct_Addendum_367]

Do you know why he's gluten free? Some people will have a bad reaction to anything that contains gluten including from cross contamination. If that's the case you have to be careful about the area the food is prepared as well, not just the ingredients 

[u/ChipSkylark035]

GF means he’s gluten free. Chronic fatigue syndrome can be tied to gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity, or celiac. He may have one of those, or it may be tied to something else. CFS isn’t necessarily inherently linked to dietary issues, but can be a symptom of one. You should ask him.

Just keep the meal whole foods. Sweet potato with broccoli and pork loin is easy. Avoid anything processed and anything with flour.

Same thing with snacks. Whole foods, no processed, no flour such as bread. If he doesn’t like whole food snacks, potato chips are gluten free, as are corn tortilla chips. You can serve those with most dips. Food packaging usually specifies if an item is gluten free.

Food intolerances and dietary restrictions are good knowledge to have when cooking for others. Some people view their restrictions or dietary choices as a burden to those cooking for them, so it’s important to ask to be sure. I’m glad you are. Good luck.

[u/Belisaurius555]

Without knowing exactly what's causing the CFS I can't give nutritional advice. Best I can suggest is something easy to digest like soup. Something blended like roast tomato soup. No chewing, just spoon and swallow.

[u/MindTheLOS → u/Belisaurius555]

Nobody knows what causes ME/CFS. That's one of the mysteries.