Living with MF

Eat right

A balanced diet is important for everyone, including people with MF. 
That’s because eating a balanced diet will help you:

Reduce your chances of cardiovascular disease. 
Too much salt is connected to high blood pressure, while too much saturated fat is linked to high cholesterol, both of which can further raise your chance of having a heart attack or stroke.

Keep to a healthy weight. 
Being overweight can raise your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Conversely, some people with MF find it hard to eat enough due to loss of appetite and symptoms such as nausea. Eating the right way can help you maintain your weight.

Small changes to try

Sometimes, symptoms can get in the way of having a healthy diet. If you have an enlarged spleen, you may feel uncomfortably full, which can put you off eating more than a small amount, while fatigue can mean you don’t feel up to preparing nutritious food. Here are some easy ways to supercharge your diet:

Pick heart-friendly foods.

Have at least five daily servings of fruit and veg – try having a fruit smoothie or glass of juice, topping your breakfast cereal with chopped apple, snacking on dried fruits, having salad with every meal, and throwing extra veg and beans into dishes like curries and pasta sauces. 

Eat regularly. 

You may find it easier to go for small, frequent, high-calorie meals and snacks instead of three main meals, such as yoghurts, fruit smoothies and rice puddings.

Reduce salt and fat. 

Try to cook meals from scratch as processed foods can be high in salt. Try flavouring dishes with garlic and herbs instead and choose lean cuts of meat.

Plan ahead.

Getting organised can help ensure that you eat healthily even when you’re tired. Cook dishes like chicken casserole, vegetable curry or bolognese sauce in bulk on days you feel well and freeze individual portions for the days you don’t.

Looking after your mental health

It’s natural to feel worried about certain aspects of your life, especially when you have a long-term condition like MF. According to health psychology specialist Clare Moloney, ‘It’s important you address your worries, as they can affect your mood and enjoyment of life, and feeling down may mean you don’t feel as motivated to look after your health. Often, sharing our concerns and taking practical steps to deal with them can relieve you of a lot of your worry.’ Try her tips to help you deal with some of the most common concerns for people with MF.

Small changes to try

Get your priorities in order.

When you’re living with a chronic condition like MF, it can be tempting to try to carry on as normal. But symptoms such as fatigue can make this harder, and overloading yourself can lead to stress. It’s important to be realistic about what you can and can’t do, particularly on days you don’t feel so well. You might find it useful to make a list of everything you would like to get done that day and number each task according to its importance. That way you know you will get the most important things done first and the rest can be done the next day if necessary.

Ask for help.

It can sometimes be difficult to ask others for help but chances are that the people in your life will be glad to know how they can help you out. For example, perhaps you could ask your grandchildren to water the garden, or a neighbour might be able to pick up a bit of shopping for you when they go to the shops. These small things can help take some of the pressure off you and can create a nice sense of community.

Have fun!

This should be an easy step, yet socialising and enjoyment can fall by the wayside when you’re busy with work, family duties and jobs around the home. And when you’re coping with a long-term condition like MF, you may also get focused on your appointments and management schedule, which may seem to leave little time for fun. So make a point of doing at least one enjoyable thing every day. 
This could be as simple as sitting down to watch an episode of your favourite comedy, inviting friends over for a takeaway, listening to a record you love, browsing social media sites or meeting up with a friend for coffee.