Follow up from my previous posts about meals while living with chronic pain now I'm going to talk about food preparation.
Food preparation can be rather difficult for people living with chronic pain because it's something that takes time and energy - which can really exhaust a person with chronic pain and make the pain worse. All the way from shopping for the kind of groceries needed to sustain a healthy lifestyle, to preparing the ingredients, to cooking the meals themselves can be a real challenge if one is living with chronic pain. This post will focus mainly on shopping, whereas my next post on preparing meals will have some pretty nifty tips for easy and healthy food for people living with pain. :)
Why is shopping important? I find that with clients who come to me for weight management (my main clinical area of practice, before I started developing skills in pain / sleep / mental health management, because I found that people with weight issues usually needed help in these areas as well) not eating healthy is generally a shopping problem. The problem was that "healthy food" was regarded as something inconvenient, inaccessible, and sometimes expensive (particularly for those working in the more posh areas of KL city). It's a shopping problem, and also a meal planning problem (as what one eats for meals tends to be linked to what one manages to buy) hence I've actually dedicated an entire post to shopping solutions. :P
1. Online Shopping
We are very fortunate that we are living in the age of online shopping where it's so accessible if you're living within the Klang Valley. You don't even have to leave your house to get groceries, which is really great if you want to save on time and energy. ;)
The most well-known option is probably Tesco Online Delivery http://eshop.tesco.com.my/
(Note: I've never used it and I don't endorse it - however, my friend is on the back of their truck and seems like she likes it enough to be their poster girl!)
Another option if you're looking specifically for fruits and juices, is owned by my friend Cynthia Wong. I would recommend you contact her directly via her Facebook page.
For other online grocery shopping options, do check out this cool link with all the research properly done:
2. Group Buys
Group buys are very convenient and also a great way to maintain a bit of a social life (also a concern for many people living siwht chronic pain.) Basically the idea of a group buy means a bunch of people from a specific location (i.e. same office or close by housing area) getting together to buy specific items directly from a supplier (typically fruits, vegetables, other fresh produce). This is a strategy which can allow purchases to be 20-30% cheaper than what's available at the local supermarket, and because the main buyers would typically be living close to a certain area, if you happen to find a group by near to you then that would really save you plenty of travelling time!
Group Buys kind of started from my all time favourite health discussion resource Raw Food Today group (of which I'm an admin) - there are still occasional group buys these days, but there was a time when they were really hot and I think the trend picked up from there.
There are plenty of group-buy groups on Facebook (just search for "group buy"). However, there are some that I have personally used and where I know the people, like PJ Fresh Seafood And Fruits Group Buy run by my long-time real-life friend Michelle Woo, and a relatively new one called Health Food Group Buy run by my FB friend Michelle Mak who owns www.gohealthy.my
If you do plan to start your own group buy with neighbours or friends and family (just have someone assigned to pick up groceries each week, as an example to start with - and sometimes you just have to let yourself be surprised and make do what's available), here are some great places people would normally go to get their fresh produce at very reasonable prices (thanks to my wonderful clients who keep me updated with info like this!)
- Pasar Borong Selayang
- Pasar Pudu
- Pasar Chow Kit
If you want tips on how to do your own group buys, am sure the admins of the groups above would be willing to give you some ideas (especially Michelle Woo who is already very experienced with group buying and would probably be able to educate you very well on the subject!)
For previous posts on this topic:
Part 1 of meals while living with chronic pain, why meals are important - http://painmalaysia.blogspot.com/2015/01/meals-while-living-with-chronic-pain.html
Part 2 of meals while living with chronic pain, what to eat and how it helps you - http://painmalaysia.blogspot.com/2015/01/meals-while-living-with-chronic-pain_9.html
Not part of the series but still helpful and relevant: Supplements for pain management
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