This one is for our dear ALS friends who spend 50% of their day focusing on food!
One of my greater desires in life these days is consistency so saving my mental energy by having a plug-and-play breakfast and lunch saves us all some mental energy and frustration!
Food research/shopping/meal prep/actual feeding/eating time easily feels likes a part-time job, but, getting calories in is a big priority for those with ALS! Their bodies are using so much energy to breath, move, stay upright, all while having constant muscle fasciculations (twitching), so it's helpful to consume healthy calories to counter balance the increased calories burned.
So, I always feel proud if I can get our large smoothie and hearty breakfast and lunch in Justin, because let's face it, with two young kids dinner is usually a crap-shoot!
The kiddos loved to be involved in "helping daddy"!
TIPS: IF you're looking for MAX calories here are some of the foods I try to incorporate:
Cold, healthy oils like coconut, olive, and avocado (unrefined and cold-pressed)
Nuts can be too hard for Justin so we focus on seeds like Hemp Hearts and Chia seeds to sneak into meals because they are easy to eat, add calories and don't affect that overall taste too much!
Avocados- soft, nutritious, and lots of calories!
Grass-fed protein and eggs.
Homemade sourdough- Find yourself an aunt that will make it weekly for you- should out to our Aunt Nancy!
Kerrygold or grass-fed butter for your butyrate/gut needs - google it specifically for ALS!
Homemade ice-cream with quality dairy! (I promise a Dr. early on recommended this to us and Justin took him so seriously he immediately bought this ice-cream maker. We're obsessed.) We need to live a little too :)
This is the breakfast Justin eats daily right now:
Here is the lunch Justin eats almost daily... unless dinner was SO GOOD that he wants it again, OR if our brother in law, Dave, is coming to cook him steak... then he will pound the steak.
Quick and easy, but we have found if you can find a few meals that are loved AND nutritious... stop asking questions, just keep making it.
I feel like this lesson could be applied to other of life too! Food for thought :)
What other high-calorie, nutritious foods that are easy to eat are we missing??
Very interesting, Lori...You are an amazing cook!
Looks very delicious and good high calorie foods! Cottage cheese is really high in protein. My sister adds berries to hers and she said it’s delicious!