Too many pit stops with fibro: plus red, white and blue jigglers

Why don't you come out and play, Bailey?

Let's talk about too many bathroom stops because of fibromyalgia. I feel like I spend half my life in the bathroom peeing. My husband decided to get a low-flush toilet so I wouldn't be wasting as much water each time I flushed.

Maybe you're like me and always on the look out for bathrooms when away from home. I always thought it was because I was born with a bladder the size of a shot glass. Or I just drank too many beverages with caffeine. Little did I know it was a problem faced by individuals with fibromyalgia.
 

Why do individuals with FMS "drink like a fish and pee like a racehorse?"

Hormonal problems result in decreased fluid and salt retention which increases urine output and thirst. Drinking up to four times as much liquid as the average person and increasing salt intake will help you feel better.

How do you know if you are drinking enough water? If your urine is bright yellow, you're not getting enough. Dry lips and eyes are another indication.

Drinking more water will help you feel better but it won't keep you out of the bathroom.

What can you do to improve this problem?

•  If you frequently wake up to urinate during the night, do not drink a lot of fluids near bedtime. I limit beverages after 8 p.m.
• Don't consume caffeine after 4 p.m.
• Coffee and tea are chocked full of healthy antioxidants but don't overdo. After two cups of tea or coffee, switch to water or herbal drinks.

"We never drink anything with caffeine after 4 p.m. and we sleep like babies."

• Limit fluids consumed with meals as it dilutes stomach acid and effectiveness of digestive enzymes.

With all these restrictions, how do you consume more liquids?

• Keep water with you all the time. Take frequent sips. Make it your mission to drink more water.

If you have other suggestions, please share.

Red, white and blue jigglers

Individuals with fibromyalgia would do well to steer clear of processed foods which often contain preservatives and other additives rather than whole food ingredients. For Memorial Day, why not try an old favorite, “Red, White and Blue gelatin jigglers?” Instead of using artificially flavored-boxed gelatin, make it with fruits and vegetables, packets of gelatin, and unprocessed honey or other sweetener of choice.

Here are the ingredients in the boxed gelatin, Berry Blue Gelatin:

SUGAR, GELATIN, ADIPIC ACID (FOR TARTNESS), CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, NATURAL FLAVOR, ACETIC ACID, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE AND SODIUM CITRATE (CONTROL ACIDITY), FUMARIC ACID (FOR TARTNESS), BLUE 1.

Here’s what you need to make your own all-natural version:

4 packets of gelatin

1 cup of liquid to be heated

3 cups of cold liquid

Directions:

 

Place the 1 cup of liquid in a sauce pan, sprinkle the four packets of gelatin over the liquid and let it rest for 5 minutes. Heat the liquid and gelatin in the pan over medium heat and stir until dissolved.  Remove from the heat. Pour the three cups of cold liquid into an 8 X 8 X 2-inch pan, add the warm mixture, stir softly, cover and refrigerate until set. Cut into shapes and plate. Refrigerate when not serving.

First layer: watermelon

The liquid for this recipe can be made from the juice of fruit and/or vegetables, alternatives milks, etc.

For red gelatin: try beets, cherries, cranberries, guava, papaya, radishes, raspberries, red apples, red bell peppers, red grapes, rhubarb, strawberries, tomatoes and watermelon.

For blue gelatin: try blackberries, blueberries, grapes, plums, purple endive, purple cabbage, purple potatoes.

Alternative milk beverage gets heated

For white: try bananas, cabbage, jicama, parsnips, peeled apples, peeled pears, cucumbers, water chestnuts,

Make the juice from these fruits and vegetables with a juicer or puree whole pieces in a food processor.

To make red, white and blue jigglers or dessert, make one batch of each color from a fruit or vegetable of your choice. Use a larger pan. Pour the red in first. Refrigerate until set. Next add the white and refrigerate until set. Finally add the blue. Cut into shapes and serve.

Recipe contributed to:

http://www.fibrobloggerdirectory.com/

 http://www.tessadomesticdiva.com/2015/05/allergy-free-wednesday-169.html