Ways To Make Cooking Easier With Chronic Illness

Chronic Illnesses are sometimes referred to as dynamic disabilities, meaning that the level of disability can change significantly over time. These ups and downs can make it hard to maintain quality of life. Personally I’ve found that my illnesses all get worse if I can’t eat nutritious foods for some reason. Because of that, cooking healthy foods has become one of my top priorities, even when I feel awful. Here are a few of the ways I’ve found to make cooking easier in the rough times.

1. Use time saving gadgets.

• A food processor can be used for all kinds of things, from making hummus and nut butters to shredding vegetables. Some can even be used for kneading bread. Just be very careful with sharp blades. https://amzn.to/34jufNu

• A slow cooker can really help, especially if you (like me) don't feel up to eating after the exertion of cooking. This way there's lots of time for resting in between the work and the eating. https://amzn.to/34Yfeko

• An induction burner is a portable cook top that is much safer to walk away from if need be. Boiling over won't put out a flame and risk gas exposure like with a gas stove. It can also be used somewhere where you can sit down. It could even go on the coffee table while you stay on the couch. Only to pot gets hot so it won't burn surfaces it sits on. https://amzn.to/3Jtarq8

• A stand mixer is particularly helpful if you do any baking. It will do all the mixing for you and it will usually do it faster. https://amzn.to/3uLn4bX

• An electric kettle can be helpful so you don't have to wait for it to boil or jump back up as soon as it starts to whistle. You can turn it on and if you're too tired to go get it when it goes off there's no harm done. If you've never turned on the kettle and then gotten to tired to make the tea, then I'm happy for you. https://amzn.to/3gMFAIx

2. Sit down where you can. I keep a stool in the kitchen that I can drag over by the stove or my cutting board as needed. I've even been doing my chopping at the coffee table lately. The picture with this post is me making sauerkraut at the coffee table. It seems silly but when my POTS is bad standing up can be incredibly hard.

3. Cook in ways that an be split up into small pieces. Chop veggies ahead of time and store them in the fridge until needed. Cook when someone else is home in case you need a break. Ask for help. Measure out spices ahead of time. Make sure the pots or pans you need are clean before you start cooking.

4. Utilize the freezer. Having homemade food available in the freezer can really take the pressure off when it comes to cooking. If you are having a particularly bad day, you can eat frozen food and not suffer any lack of healthy foods. Some foods freeze better than others so do a bit of research before you do this. Our favorites are pureed or brothy soups and burritos. You can also freeze parts of meals. Having frozen rice at the ready is a good idea. Grains and proteins nearly all freeze well.

I hope some of these ideas are helpful! What other ways do you make adjustments in the kitchen to accommodate your chronic illnesses?