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20 HELPFUL TIPS TO EASE LIVING WITH ARTHRITIS
WELCOME TO COOKING WITH ARTHRITIS. A BLOG WHERE YOU CAN FEEL FREE TO TALK ABOUT ARTHRITIS AND COOKING .SHARE YOUR FAVORITE RECIPES MAKE FRIENDS WITH OTHERS WHO ALSO HAVE PHYSICAL CHALLENGES OR FRIENDS WHO SIMPLY LOVE TO COOK!
Twenty tips for living with arthritis in the kitchen
For people with arthritis, simple kitchen tasks—mixing, chopping, handling heavy pans and bowls, and even shopping—can be difficult. The following are a few helpful suggestions to help you out along the way.
1. Store things such as flour, sugar, coffee, and tea in glass containers with lightweight lift-off lids on your countertop.
2. To accomplish your cutting and slicing needs, purchase an ergonomically designed knife with a large handle. This allows you to have leverage and stability using your body weight to maneuver the knife.
3. Store your pots and pans on wall hooks or a pot hanger from the ceiling. This will eliminate unnecessary bending.
4. When filling or emptying large pots of water, follow the method in this book. Use a plant stand for transport and a small plastic measuring cup to transfer the water.
5. When you have a lot of prep work to do, sit at the table instead of standing.
6. Purchase a rubber mat to stand on when you are cooking at the stove. The padding helps prevent back and leg pain.
7. Use a small kitchen funnel to separate egg yolks from the whites. Simply place the funnel over a glass. To separate the egg, crack the egg into the funnel. The white will slide into the glass while the yolk stays in the funnel.
8. Learn to incorporate other parts of your body in the lifting process. For example, use your shoulder to help get the platter on the top shelf of the refrigerator.
9. Purchase arthritis friendly tools: a food processor, standing mixer, lightweight utensils, electric jar opener, and rubber-bottom mixing bowls for stability, just to name a few.
10. Many times when you buy a bottle of sauce, it needs shaking before opening. Don’t shake it, roll it. If your hands are sore, use your forearm and the weight of your body.
11. Sometimes I have trouble opening doors, especially doorknobs. I replaced most all of my knobs with handles. This allows me to use my elbow and forearm to get the door opened. However, there are a few doors that do not have that option, so the following is my solution. Simply tie a pretty ribbon or scarf on the closet bi-fold door and the refrigerator door. When you cannot pull it open with your hands, hook your arm through the ribbon and use the weight of your body to open the door.
12. To cut and peel apples and vegetables, use an apple corer. Simply place the corer over the item you are cutting, place your forearms on the fruit, and use the weight of your body to push it through. To peel, lay the slice on its side, hold the slice in place with a fork and cut the outer skin with a pairing knife. (Method # 5)
13. Arrange your kitchen cabinets so that lighter, easy-to-handle things on the upper shelves and the heavier items are on the lower shelves.
14. Place your spices and canned goods on lazy Susans. This allows you to easily spin to find those needed items instead of moving heavy canned goods around or having to move ten items just to get the spice you need.
15. Try washing your dishes by hand. It is a welcomed relief to soak in the warm soapy water. This will also help with joint mobility.
16. Freeze fresh herbs and spices in tablespoons, teaspoons, and half-teaspoon measurements. Freeze in water, milk, tea, and cream. Also, freeze tomato paste. Use an ice cube tray for the perfect measurement, once frozen, place in marked bags in the freezer. The next time you need a teaspoon of basil, just grab a cube. This is a time saver as well as an energy saver.
17. To fill water baths, fill the bath pan while in a cold oven and then just preheat the oven. This will also bring the bath water up to temperature.
18. Removing trash bags is a tough job. Buy a smaller can and bags that have handles. When it is time to be emptied, just slip your arms through the handles and pull the bag out.
19. Having problems whisking? Substitute a whisk for a hand-held electric drink mixer. They are lightweight and have thick handles.
20. To wipe off counter tops, buy thick sponges. They are easy to hold and relatively inexpensive. They also hold up well in the wash. Therefore you can get one week out of each sponge. Use for two days and wash. Also make sure the sponge is stored where it can air dry after use.
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ENDORSMENTS FOR A COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO COOKING WITH ARTHRITIS
As a nurse, it is so inspiring to see someone like Melinda who does not let her disease define who she is or set limitations in her life. Melinda does not let pain stop her; it is merely a hurdle that she chooses to jump over. I once read that "the pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change and the realist adjusts his sails." Melinda is a realist. While being dealt more than her fair share of obstacles, she has adapted and persevered to fulfill her dreams.”
Elizabeth Jenne, RN
“Melinda has created a unique recipe, physical therapy, and inspirational book. If you have arthritis and love to cook, you must have this book! Even if you don’t have arthritis, you will love the great mix of traditional and modern recipes.”
Gayle Long Ward
Cape Fear Garden Club
Wilmington, NC
Melinda Winner has rheumatoid arthritis. The thirty-five years that I have practiced rheumatology have seen incredible advances, but rheumatoid arthritis is still a terrible disease. The therapeutic goal has gone from delaying confinement to a wheelchair to achieving remission. Even when treatment is less than completely successful, the relentless progression toward deformity and debilitation can often be halted.However, these treatments come at a high cost, both financially and in terms of risk. Not everyone responds well. Damage already done cannot be reversed. Pain and fatigue still disrupt lives. Disability, starting with employment and then intruding into everyday activities, threatens the capacity of patients to care for their families and themselves. There are good days and bad days. Even on good days, courage is required to make plans, to take on responsibilities, to get involved, because on bad days it can be hard—really hard—to so much as get out of bed, much less to lead a normal life. Such has been the life of Melinda Winner.There are pills. There is counseling. Adaptations and attitude adjustments help some people cope. And then there are people like Melinda Winner who do not merely make peace with their adversities, but, by the example of their lives, extinguish our fears as well. The healthy and the ailing alike are made better by them. Anything really is possible.Thank you, Melinda. May all your recipes contain a little of the spice that sustains you and enriches the lives you touch!
John C. Huntwork, M.D.
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