Eating a balanced diet is sensible advice for anyone, but it is even more important if you have lupus. The body needs vital nutrients and vitamins in order to keep healthy, fight infections and perform at its best. When you are already ill, eating well can help ease the symptoms of your disease, help you recover better from treatments, as well as give you more energy and help maintain a healthy body weight.

However, lupus treatments can make you feel nauseous and leave you with little appetite. Here are seven recipes you should try that are both nutritious and flavorful, but are light and easy to eat:

Beef Stew with Vegetables

Hearty and warming, full of flavor, protein and vital nutrients, this stew ticks all the right boxes for a fall or winter meal and is great served with some crusty bread.

Ingredients (serves 8):
2 pounds of cubed lean beef
2 Tbsp oil
6 carrots, sliced
6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium-sized zucchini, cubed
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup of water
1 Tbsp of chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, parsley, oregano)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Heat the oil in a skillet over a medium to high heat and brown the beef (you may need to do this in batches). Set the beef aside and slightly turn the heat down. With a little more oil, cook the onions and garlic until they become translucent.

Add the water, tomatoes, herbs and seasoning and cook for one to one-and-a-half hours on a low heat until the meat becomes tender. You may find you need to add more water if the stew becomes a little dry.

Add the potatoes, carrots and celery and continue to cook for 15 minutes.

Add the zucchini and cook for a further 15 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft.

Source: Life Without Lupus

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