JRA.... Journal of a Radical Arthritis Chick

Here I give advice, speak of my experiences and give information to those who want to better understand Rheumatoid Arthritis. I am NOT a medical professional, and you should always seek advice from a doctor.

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Location: MA, United States

Hello everyone! I am 28 years old and was diagnosed with JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) when I was just 3 years old. I've had my battles with this disease over the years, and have decided to create a blog. I want to share my stories and adivce with other RA chicks, or anyone interested, to raise awareness and get insight from others. Feel free to comment/question me about anything. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Holiday Cooking Tips with RA

Christmas is approaching!  How many of you are the ones cooking Christmas dinner?  It's so tough on us with RA, if our hands are bothering us, it makes cooking that much more difficult.  If our knees, or ankles are bothering us, standing in the kitchen is difficult.  Here are some gadgets and tips that could help us through the holidays. 

If you're the one hosting the dinner, it might be easier to go with a potluck, that way most of the cooking isn't put on you.  Design a menu, and ask guests to bring 1-2 dishes.  This will help you immensely. 



Arthritis pain can affect cooking in general, especially our hands. 
Ergonomic, lightweight cooking tools which have easy grips and non-slip handles are very helpful to people who have arthritis. There are many choices and designs for cooking tools and kitchen aids. Spatulas, spoons, ladles, whisks and other cooking tools which feel comfortable in your hand can greatly improve manual dexterity, reduce pain, and compensate for swollen and deformed joints.





Pots and pans can be heavy and clumsy, especially with swollen or deformed joints.  Lifting pots can be troublesome, if your in pain it be very unsafe and could lead to dropping the pot. Using pots and pans with two handles, can make things a lot easier.   The two handles distributes the weight more easily for both the hands and wrists. 



A necessity in the kitchen for RA sufferers, is a food processors, especially for people who have difficulty with manual cooking tasks like chopping, cutting, and slicing. It will automatically chop, shred, or slice after you load it.  Make sure you choose a food processor which is manageable for you by considering physical limitations you have developed from arthritis. Before you buy it, be sure you are able to change the blades easily and remove the plastic bowl and plastic lid from the food processor. Consider mini food processors for your needs as well.






Another great tool for cutting is the Rocker knife!  It's a great tool for cutting and chopping, it's two handled design adds strength and control. 






To help ease the pain of standing for so long, kids play mats are a great idea.   I've seen them for sale at Walmart.com, check them out.  They're a soft idea instead of standing on our floors.  They might sell cheaper elsewhere, but it's an idea.








Next, pull up a stool!  While the mats are a great comfort for standing on, let's face it, standing for long periods of time will have strain on our joints.  Always have a stool nearby, a high one that you can still work on the counter comfortably.  Don't worry about the stool ruining your decor, think of it as part of your life managing your arthritis.  It will definitely help. 




It is helpful for people with arthritis pain to be able to cook nutritious meals but in less time or more simply. Crockpot recipes are just that - simple, one-pot nutritious meals.  Click Here for some great Holiday Crock Pot recipes. 





Another handy-tool to have in the kitchen is a Jar Opener.  Pampered Chef makes an excellent one!  I always have trouble opening bottles and jars of different sizes.   








I hope these tips and tools make your Holiday cooking easier and more convenient!  I love to bake myself, so these tips will help me and make me want to bake more often. Wishing everyone Happy Holidays!!

3 Comments:

Blogger Project Journal said...

Mal!!
This post is awesome! And such a good idea : ) The Chickies are gonna love you when you post it on the wall, seriously. You have some great things on here like the jar opener and mats. We have those mats at work in our stations for us. Also, the first thing you mentioned (well technically 2nd I think) about the utensils, Pampered Chef has those too. They're nice and lightweight, easy to use, etc. But they're still durable too! You should check them out!
Anyway, great job. Loving seeing you in the blogosphere too, girl : )
Hannah

December 9, 2010 at 12:58 PM  
Blogger Mallory said...

Thanks Hannah! They are indeed at Pampered Chef, I own a few of the tools, I'm a big Pampered Chef lady, haha. :)

December 9, 2010 at 1:00 PM  
Anonymous Adijat Feta said...

Hi
Thank you so much for writing this blog
im 29y old and i have Juvenile chronic arthritis i would like to chat with u i dont know how to find u and to say thank u for writing this if u have a facebook add me antimunafikun@live.com or Adijat Feta

April 8, 2013 at 11:54 PM  

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