Thursday 26 July 2018

Lunch

It is hot here, and airless, and quite dangerous for the elderly 'they' say.   Certainly I am finding it all rather hard going and could happily spend the whole of the day doing absolutely nothing.   But I am making myself keep going, albeit at a slower rate.   Inactivity just makes me feel useless, so I am doing inside jobs which need doing (admin mainly) with the patio doors open and a breeze blowing through the bungalow.

Cramp is being a problem at night - mostly in my feet.   My mother suffered from it greatly and one of my memories of her when I was a child   is of her wandering up and down in the night to shake it off.   On my visit to the Physiotherapist on Tuesday I mentioned this to her and she suggestion Magnesium may well be the answer - that and making sure I drank enough to keep hydrated in this very hot weather.   So yesterday I called in to our excellent Pharmacist in our little town and discussed it with her.   After chatting about it and researching the effect of Magnesium tablets on the medication I already take she finally looked at which foods contained Magnesium - and we found that they are foods I eat plenty of anyway.   Salmon, broccoli, spinach, most green veg - and I eat a lot of all those things, preferring salmon to meat.   So she suggested just upping my intake of liquid - and lots of GOOD QUALITY Tonic Water.   Drank a couple of glasses yesterday - still had cramp but  can't expect miracles overnight.

Lunch out with friend W today.   My starter was a little work of art on a plate.   Some people suggest that fancying up food in the so called ' modern' way is ridiculous.   I just thought this was beautiful in both looks and taste and because it is so easy I shall certainly do it at home.   What do you think?   Salmon tartare.   Smoked salmon made into a small patty on a bed of dill sauce which was very 'dilly' and also quite sweet.   The surround is leaves of chicory with the same sauce and a dressing of pea shoots.   Yummy and perfect on a day like today when it gets hotter and more humid by the minute.


 Try it sometime.
 

27 comments:

Gail, northern California said...

I Just spent half the night pacing the floors of my bedroom trying to release the cramped muscles in my feet. Please, Weave, if you find something that works, post it. Retired, I'm grateful that I don't have to get up early and get to work! This nightly ritual would make me a real dud at the office.

Wilma said...

That starter looks beautiful. I get more pleasure from eating food that is presented in an artful form; I am a fan of taking the time and effort to produce beautiful dishes that taste as good as they look. Regarding muscle cramps - dehydration definitely plays a role for mine. I have also found that the quinine in tonic water is helpful, although nothing I have tried has completely stopped them. Let us know how you get on.

Dc said...

I have been taking magnesium tablets for a few months for cramp. I still get it occasionally but that is better than nightly. I have a half dose of magnesium oxide and a half dose of magnesium citrate (also helps me go to the loo!) I can’t stand tonic water but a friend of mine had a short treatment from her doctor of quinine tablets which helped her greatly.

donna baker said...

I think you got good advice. Plants and foods are medicine.

Barbara said...

What a lovely presentation! It's almost too pretty to eat.
I hope you get some relief from the nighttime cramps. Pain that interferes with a good night's sleep is awful. I've had the chiro and PT tell me that magnesium tablets would help with tense and tightened muscles. The chiro suggested soaking in Epsom Salts. (haven't tried this yet)

justjill said...

Sorry about the cramp, I have odd bouts. Out of bed feet onto cold floor. Stomp to loo and back. Hope something works. Cooler weather I wish.

thelma said...

Well it is getting very dark here (5-0 clock) maybe there is a storm on the way. We did lunch today, both had the special starters, me - a green salad, underneath slices of avocado and chicken in a delicious raspberry sauce. Paul had the squid in a chili/garlic sauce, with a bowl of chips on the side, and a 2 hour chat with Ben the manager on divorce and mortgages;)

Derek Faulkner said...

My partner swears by soaking in a bath with Epsom salts, very good for tired and aching muscles. and of course it's magnesium.

I'm not a fan of food presented all ponced up, it's what it tastes like that matters most to me, I don't care what it looks like.

angryparsnip said...

I like food to be lovely if called for. The Japanese do this with even the most simple foods.
Your Salmon looks wonderful. We can eat with our eyes first especially on hot days this looks to cool and refreshing.
Now some food look great just the way the are a basket of fish and chip is beautiful just like that.

cheers, parsnip

A Heron's View said...

I prefer fresh salmon the smoked is too salty for my health and as I can buy a whole fresh salmon for
£12.50 which does for the two of us for four meals - it is my preference to accompany it with mixed salad leafs and brown soda bread nicely buttered.
Cramp is an awful bane, though I have learned not to eat chocolate after eight o'clock at night or three hours before going to bed and keeping that rule leaves me cramp free.

Penhill said...

I had the same problem with leg and foot cramp.I used a Magnesium oil spray from a well known Herbal shop and found it stopped the problem.I am not paid by them and was totally sceptical,but it worked for me.Iwill e-mail you the name if you are interested.

Heather said...

Your lunch looks so pretty and I'm sure it tasted delicious too. I think 'they' could be right about extreme heat being dangerous for the elderly. I do a few chores then have a break, then a few more, and so on throughout the day. I do find that if I don't go out I don't feel quite so bad. However, that will become very boring. It surely can't go on much longer. Can it?
My husband suffered from cramp and used quinine tablets which I think are readily available. Maybe they might help. I think he only took one when cramp was threatening and they worked very quickly.
Is it very wicked to look forward to days when I need to wear a cardigan?!!

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

I read that the government are going to issue advice on how to keep cool - the idea of MPs telling us how to avoid hot air seems a little ironic.

Gwil W said...

Hello Pat.
Magnesium is no use by itself. For it to work it needs to have two kinds of magnesium and other things in it. Natrium (salt) and Kalium included. The best product is Magnosolv Granulat. Importantly it contains no sugar. Maybe you can get it over the Internet? It is made by Meda Pharma GmbH in Vienna, Austria. It comes in small waterproof satches. A fresh pack bought now will have an expiry date in 2021.
In some countries you may need a prescription. In Austria not.
I swear by the product when running my long trails in hot weather. I'm 70. I've been running for 30 years. I can prevent or get rid of cramp in my legs or feet with it. It's the only 'dope' I use.
Hope this info is of some use to you,
Gwilym

Sheila said...

I have also found that quinine tablets offer great relief from leg cramps. As a matter of fact our supermarket sells a brand simply called Leg Cramps. However, it's my understanding that one shouldn't take them for months at a time for some reason, but I've taken them for ninety days with no adverse effects. I finally stopped, and they've pretty much stopped too, but I make sure to stay hydrated.

Anonymous said...

Magnesium oil, rub into your feet:)

wherethejourneytakesme said...

I like my food to look nice so I am in favour.
I too would suggest the Magnesium Oil spray from H&B or any wholefood / health shop.
Take care in this hot weather.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thank you to everyone who has suggested cramp remedies - I shall go through them all along with my friend.
Thanks to you all for contributing to a good read just before bed time and after a very welcome thunder storm with lots of good rain.

Rachel Phillips said...

Try to remember what you did/had/daytime activity/food/night time/evening activity/food/ repeat and then see if something is regularly causing the cramp and then eliminate it and see if it makes a difference and carry on until there is nothing left to eliminate. That is all I can suggest.

Alphie Soup said...

As a fellow cramp sufferer I find keeping up your water intake is important & a doctor recently suggested tonic water to me, in place of magnesium.
Do you have a fan you can use to keep cool? I find moving air helps inside if it is a very hot day.
Alphie

Cro Magnon said...

I used to suffer from nighttime cramps. When I was reading about possible remedies I found one that suggested putting a bar of soap under the sheets. I didn't try it.

Pipistrello said...

Your lunch looks lovely! Ditto the comments about magnesium but I wanted to add that one of my octogenarian friends swears by potassium and says a banana a day helps her, which I'm trying these days with only mixed results.

Derek Faulkner said...

Once again you've had your weekly rain Pat, something we are still dreaming about. Another hot day around 30 degrees for us today. At 6.30 last night it was 33 degrees here.

Rachel Phillips said...

Same here. No rain since beginning of June and 33C when I went to shops at 5pm last night.

liparifam said...

Cro - I found that while searching online for ANYTHING to help, too, and I laughed... but then I tried it in desperation. it worked for me! I can only think there is some ingredient in soap that helps. My cramps were awful, in the calf as well as the foot, enough to make me scream in frustration and cry in pain, and they could last up to a good half hour. I put a bar of Ivory soap down near my feet, and when I would wake and feel the first stirrings of a cramp starting, I found it with my foot and just rubbed and rested my foot on it, and tried to relax completely. I could literally feel the beginning cramp subsiding. I even packed a bar to take with me when traveling! It obviously doesn't work for everyone, but there is a lot of anecdotal info out there from those for whom it did. I had tried pretty much everything else. For some weird but wonderful reason, the dreadful cramps that plagued me for so long have now stopped; I haven't had one since I moved last, so that's been over a year. I kind of think they may have been related to wearing heels to work daily before I moved.

Pat said...

I get leg cramps and foot cramps. But, if I keep up with my Magnesium, I am free of the cramps. They always came in the middle of the night to keep me company. A friend told me about it and I looked it up on the internet. It does help !

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks everyone.