Cooking with Arthritis: Tips to Make it More Enjoyable

Cooking can be wonderful social activity or even a stress reliever for many. But for people suffering with arthritis, it can be a whole different story. Think about it: how many times have you cooked without having to pick up a pot or a pan, without stretching or reaching into an uncomfortable position for a cabinet spice, or chopped something up? For people cooking with arthritis, these tasks can be unbearable.rnAmye Leong has had 16 surgeries and 12 joint replacements. As the president of Healthy Motivation, as well as several successful books on arthritis, including “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Arthritis” and “Get a GripAmye now spends her time motivating and educating others on how to cope. “I love to cook and have always loved to cook,” said Amye. Her family owned a Chinese restaurant and she has put on several Chinese New Year dinners for the Arthritis Foundation. Amye says cooking is an attitude and the key is making the proper adjustments so that it can be enjoyable. “When we don’t enjoy cooking that’s when we begin to make poor choices in our diets.”rnHere are six tips Amye offers to make cooking with arthritis more enjoyable:rn1) Make it fun. Remember, if it’s not fun people won’t do it. Finding a way to make cooking fun will encourage a person to cook more and more.rn2) Proper arrangement of refrigerator and other kitchen items. Reaching can be painful for those cooking with arthritis. Focus on rearranging items in the refrigerator, spices in cabinets and also placement of pots and pans. Understand there is not a significant range of motion so set up the kitchen to make it functional.rn3) Don’t be afraid to sit. People cooking with arthritis need to understand that it’s not about having limitations but rather being smart about the overall experience. Having plenty of time to sit and rest makes cooking more successful and it offers good rest for those with less than perfect joint mobility.rn4) Have the right gadgets. From and L-shaped knife to a neat little gadget that helps pop open a bottle cap, gadgets are essential for anyone cooking with arthritis. Amye loves Oxo products because they’re very functional for people with arthritis.rn5) Make everything simple and easy. Don’t over-complicate things in the kitchen otherwise you’ll ruin your appetite for cooking.rn6) Make more than what you need. Warming up leftovers is always easier – and faster – than cooking from scratch. People cooking with arthritis should always make more for leftovers so the next day’s menu is already done.rnEllie Krieger, one of the Food Network Channel’s many stars, says it doesn’t have to be difficult for those suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Ellie offers all kinds of tips and recipes at NewWayRA.com, a fabulous online resource for those living with RA. The website shows people living with RA that cooking with arthritis can be accomplished any time of the year. And as the summer months lead into the winter months, it’s time for people to plan some really delicious recipes that are simple to prepare and always easy to enjoy.