A Complete Guide to Cooking with Arthritis

helping the physically challenged regain their independence in the kitchen

About Me

 
 
Good Morning All!
Today I would like to talk about following your dreams with arthritis.  When I first got sick, 26 years ago, I thought any hope of living a normal life was gone, much less pursuing my dreams.  I must admit I did allow my disease to define who I was for many years.  I had more pity parties than I care to admit.  I gained over 100 pounds.  My life was spiraling out of control.  One morning I looked into the mirror and had no idea who was looking back at me.  I was sickened!  A very wise friend said to me it you do not get up and move you are going to die.  As I returned to my favorite spot on the couch, with yet another enormous spoon of peanut butter, I began to think about those words.  I watched my son playing on the floor knowing I could not get on the floor with him.  Hell, I never could have gotten up.  That was my light bulb moment.  My life was passing me by.
I gathered up my 3 year old and went outside to take a walk.  I could not walk far.  I was in so much pain and so very out of shape!  I remember making it about 1/4 of a block before I thought I was just going to die.  The next day came and I walked again.  I did not eat my daily dose of peanut butter (about 1/2 cup) on this day.  Over the next month I continued to walk, everyday adding a few feet.  I also cut out a different fatty food.  At the end of the month, I had lost nearly 10 pounds.  I then replaced my breakfast and dinner with a fresh fruit smoothie.  I still enjoyed a nice lunch.  I was now walking over a mile.  At the end of two months, I had lost over 30 pounds.  The more weight I lost, the better I felt.  I joined a support group for arthritis.  The weight continued to melt away as the months went by.  I began to have dreams and feelings of happiness that had been gone for so long.  By the time a year passed, I was 5'9" tall and 128 pounds of happiness.  A whopping 100 pounds was gone.  I lost an entire person!  That was almost 14 years ago and I am still 128 - 130 lbs and yes, I am still 5' 9" tall.  I now have dreams that I have pursued and achieved.  I have written two books, won over 50 national recipe contests, cooked off on the food network, worked as an art director in the motion picture industry and was a celebrity interviewer.  I have a wonderful life!  I do anything and everything I desire.  I tell myself on a daily basis "pain and sickness can no longer control me, I control it".   I am not saying life is a breeze.  Its not for any of us.  I am simply saying, find your dreams and never lose sight of them.  Anything is possible when you believe!
 
 

ENDORSMENTS FOR MY LATEST BOOK:                                    A COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO COOKING WITH ARTHRITIS

As a nurse, it is so inspiring to see someone like Melinda who does not let her disease define who she is or set limitations in her life.  Melinda does not let pain stop her; it is merely a hurdle that she chooses to jump over.  I once read that "the pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change and the realist adjusts his sails."  Melinda is a realist.  While being dealt more than her fair share of obstacles, she has adapted and persevered to fulfill her dreams.” Elizabeth Jenne, RN “
 
Melinda has created a unique recipe, physical therapy, and inspirational book.  If you have arthritis and love to cook, you must have this book!  Even if you don’t have arthritis, you will love the great mix of traditional and modern recipes.” 
Gayle Long Ward, Cape Fear Garden Club, Wilmington, NC
 
Melinda Winner has rheumatoid arthritis.  The thirty-five years that I have practiced rheumatology have seen incredible advances, but rheumatoid arthritis is still a terrible disease.  The therapeutic goal has gone from delaying confinement to a wheelchair to achieving remission.  Even when treatment is less than completely successful, the relentless progression toward deformity and debilitation can often be halted.  However, these treatments come at a high cost, both financially and in terms of risk.  Not everyone responds well.  Damage already done cannot be reversed.  Pain and fatigue still disrupt lives.  Disability, starting with employment and then intruding into everyday activities, threatens the capacity of patients to care for their families and themselves.  There are good days and bad days.  Even on good days, courage is required to make plans, to take on responsibilities, to get involved, because on bad days it can be hard—really hard—to so much as get out of bed, much less to lead a normal life.  Such has been the life of Melinda Winner.  There are pills.  There is counseling.  Adaptations and attitude adjustments help some people cope.  And then there are people like Melinda Winner who do not merely make peace with their adversities, but, by the example of their lives, extinguish our fears as well.  The healthy and the ailing alike are made better by them.  Anything really is possible.  Thank you, Melinda.  May all your recipes contain a little of the spice that sustains you and enriches the lives you touch!
John C. Huntwork, M.D. Arthritis blog

 

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Cooking terms and abbreviations:

c. = cup

T. = tablespoon

tsp. = teaspoon

lb. = pound

lg. = large

Pinch = app. 1/8 of teaspoon

Allemande: one of the four mother sauces. It is an egg-enriched velouté. A velouté is a white stock-based sauce.

Al dente: usually referring to pasta—slight crunch to the bite.

Au jus: the drippings released from meats as they are slow cooked.

Bake: to cook food in the oven, usually with little fat or liquid. Also refers to the cooking of baked goods.

Bard: the process of wrapping meat in a thin layer of fat to retain moisture.

Baste: to pour or spoon liquid over food while cooking.

Béarnaise sauce: an emulsified butter sauce made with egg yolks and clarified butter, seasoned with tarragon, shallots, and vinegar. Usually served with steak.

Béchamel sauce: This is also one of the four mother sauces. It is a white sauce made from a butter and flour roux. There are hundreds of sauces that start with this classic white sauce.

Beurre blanc sauce: a classic French sauce made from a wine and vinegar reduction finished off with butter.

Blanch: to immerse food into boiling water briefly to par cook. The food will then be finished using a second cooking method. This method is also used in the canning process of fruits and vegetables to remove the skins.

Braise: to simmer foods on the stovetop in a very small amount of some form of fat to brown.

Break: usually means a cream sauce has separated during the cooking process.

Butterfly: to cut food in half but not all the way through; when completed, it will resemble a butterfly with open wings and will lay flat on any surface.

Caramelize: to cook food over a fairly high heat until the foods’ natural sugars are fully released, and the food turns caramel in color.

Chiffonade: to roll leafy vegetables and cut into small strips.

Chutney: an Indian condiment made from fresh fruits, vegetables, and spices; usually spicy and sweet.

Confit: usually refers to duck or goose that has been slow cooked in large amounts of fat and stored in the fat until service.

Deglaze: to use liquid to remove the remits of the item cooked in a pan, such as meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables. Wine is usually the first choice for deglazing—some use stocks, broths, and water.

Egg wash: equal parts of water and beaten egg used to brush on baked goods for added color during baking and to seal pastry before baking.

Espagnole: one of the four mother sauces. It is a brown stock-based sauce used to make various other sauces. For example, to make this sauce you could start by using a beef stock and finish with seasonings and slurry.

Fillet: To remove the bones from fish, meat, or poultry.

Ganache: a creamy mixture of melted chocolate and heavy cream used over cakes and desserts.

Julienne: to cut vegetables or any food into small, even strips.

Leaven: the act of rising in baked goods. This usually happens when leavening agents are used such as baking soda, baking powder, potato starch, air, and whipped eggs.

Marinate: to soak foods in a seasoned liquid to enhance flavor.

Mince: The procedure used to chop food in tiny little pieces. This is usually performed with a chef’s knife.

Mirepoix: celery, carrots, and onions that are chopped and used as a soup base and to season other foods while cooking.

Mother sauce: There are four basic sauces that are referred to as mother sauces simply meaning they are the base sauce where many other sauces are created from them. Some believe there are five, the fifth being emulsified sauces such as mayonnaise and hollandaise sauce.

Pipe: This is when you are decorating cakes, cookies, and pastry using a pastry bag and a decorating tip. It is also when you are filling foods with a filling using a pastry bag.

Poach: to cook food in liquid.

Puree: to puree, grind, or mash solid foods to a smooth consistency.

Reduce: to boil liquid to concentrate its flavor and thickening.

Render: to cook down, melt the fat in meat.

Roux: flour and butter or any fat mixed to form a paste. Used to make a base for sauces or stews.

Sauté: to cook food quickly on the stovetop over high heat with little fat.

Sear: to brown quickly over high heat.

Simmer: to cook food over low heat for long periods of time.

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Conversion Charts

Metric Conversion Chart

US Canadian Australian

 

1/4 tsp 1 mL 1 ml

1/2 tsp 2 mL 2 ml

1 tsp 5 mL 5 ml

1 Tbl 15 mL 20 ml

1/4 cup 50 mL 60 ml

1/3 cup 75 mL 80 ml

1/2 cup 125 mL 125 ml

2/3 cup 50 mL 170 ml

3/4 cup 175 mL 190 ml

1 cup 250 mL 250 ml

1 quart 1 liter 1 litre

 

Weight

1 ounce 30 grams 30 grams

2 " 55 " 60 "

3 " 85 " 90 "

4 " 115 " 125 "

8 " 225 " 225 "

16 " 455 " 500 " (1/2 kilogram)

Temperatures

Fahrenheit Celsius

32 degrees 0 degrees

212 " 100 "

250 " 120 "

275 " 140 "

300 " 150 "

325 " 160 "

350 " 180 "

375 " 190 "

400 " 200 "

425 " 220 "

450 " 230 "

475 " 240 "

500 " 260 "