People
with arthritis can face some physical challenges when they go grocery shopping,
when they are preparing food at home, eating and even doing the cleanup
afterwards. Here are some ways to make it easier to shop, prepare your meals, and
even eat your meals.
Grocery
shopping: Before you leave make a
shopping list. Then, shop at a store
that you know well and look only for the foods on your list. Make sure that you wear comfortable
shoes. To make shopping easier, you
could bring a grabber to help you to reach for items that are on higher
shelves. A shopping cart with a seat
makes it easier to transport your groceries.
Make sure you have some padded handles to put around the handles of the
plastic or reusable shopping bags since
transferring grocery bags from the car to the house can be painful to swollen
hands.
Cooking: Standing for long periods of time can be a
challenge for sore knees, ankles, or hips.
Using a special chair that is on rollers can save steps. The height can also be adjusted to allow you
to work comfortably at the stove or counter...even to wash dishes. A grabber can be a great tool to use in the
kitchen too! It can help you reach
items that are stored on the highest shelves of the pantry, while eliminating
the need for standing on a stool. There
are a number of products available that will help make food preparation easier,
including special cutting boards and knives.
Eating:
Sometimes it is difficult to hold
utensils or glasses in our hands.
Sometimes food seems to slip around on the dish, defying our attempts to
put it on our forks to eat. So, we can
turn to the 2 handled mug, or special plates with a deeper rim that allow us to scoop up our food with greater ease.
Article graciously provided by:
Kim N. Arrey, P.Dt.
Dietitian/Nutritionist
Nutrition Coach, Speaker
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