7 Tips for Cooking with Fibromyalgia

Adrienne Dellwo of About.com is a journalist and fibromyalgia patient. She recommends getting kitchen utensils with padded or rubber handles they'll make cooking easier on your hands and wrists.

Dellwo also points out that kitchen gadgets that allow you to easily open cans and jars can be a huge help when you're cooking by yourself.

Dellwo says you should make the tools and ingredients you commonly use such as spoons, olive oil, and spatulas accessible so you wont be hurrying around the kitchen. Put cookware and appliances either on the counters or on a lower shelf to ensure you wont be taxing any muscles while you stretch to gather them.

Rather than strain your muscles while stretching to reach something, Dellwo recommends using a stepladder or a grabbing aid instead.

Dr. Mark J Pellegrino of ProHealth.com goes so far as to recommend using the front burners on your stove whenever possible. It makes for less reaching, and therefore less muscle strain.

A kitchens granite or hardwood floors can be a pest if youve got leg aches and body fatigue. Dellwo recommends wearing sturdy shoes or slippers with comfy padding to ease these aches. For sedentary tasks like chopping vegetables or peeling, sit on a stool to take the weight off your legs.

Dellwo has a simple solution to avoid a lot of kitchen anxiety and confusion: Before you start cooking, lay out all the utensils, cookery and ingredients that you'll need to complete the recipe. That way, you'll never have to scramble for the knife you need, or run to the fridge for the final ingredient.

To cook, youve got to be precise and have an acute memory, which makes cooking more difficult for those with fibromyalgia. If you find yourself taking lots of peeks at the cookbook when you're in the kitchen, Dellwo recommends getting a cookbook holder. A cookbook holder will make it simpler to find and peruse the recipe you're making on the fly.

Giving yourself lots of jobs to do at one makes for an anxious cook and, quite likely, sub-par food. Dellwo says you should forget multitasking. You can ease the anxieties of cooking without altering your dietary regimen by choosing pre-cut or bagged foods, and by modifying some things in a recipe to simplify it.

Dr. Pellegrino has even more ideas for simplifying your time in the kitchen. Instead of serving your food from fancy platters, serve straight from the pot. It means a few less dishes to clean, and less work for you.

If you're eating by yourself, you can even eat right out of the pot or pan that you cooked in. Who's watching? Even better use paper plates and plastic cups when you can.

Anxiety will only make the symptoms of your fibromyalgia worse. Instead of trying to be superchef, Dellwo says you should pace yourself in the kitchen. Take lots of breaks and diversify the things you do so you won't get frustrated.