Cooking with Arthritis

Melinda Winner with a selection of kitchen tools she uses to overcome arthritis.Photograph by: Jana Chytilova, The Ottawa CitizenFace it, we've all had excruciating moments when the lid on a jar of mayonnaise just won't come off.

We may bang on it with the handle of a kitchen knife, or hold it under hot tap water to loosen, or ultimately hand it to a teenager to do the deed. Frustrating, certainly.

But for millions of Canadians who suffer from arthritis, even everyday kitchen tasks like lifting pots, slicing roast beef or popping the stubborn lid on a jar of pickles can be more than exquisitely frustrating -- it can be down-right painful.

Some might add, impossible.

Florida cookbook author Melinda Winner, 48, knows the problem exactly. But Winner, who's had limited use of one arm since birth and has suffered from five types of crippling arthritis since she was in her 20s, long ago decided she was not going to allow the disease to keep her from what she loves: Namely, being a virtuoso in the kitchen.

To that end, her latest book A Complete Illustrated Guide to Cooking with Arthritis is stuffed with clever ideas and recipes showing how anyone with sore joints, including the elderly who may have lost strength in their fingers and limbs, can once again move heavy pots, chop, fillet, roll out cookie dough and decorate a cake.

"Every day I work with people with arthritis and all have difficulties in the kitchen," says Kimberly Lambert, occupational therapist with the Canadian Arthritis Society in Ottawa.

"That could be because of pain, deformity in the hand or fatigue that makes it difficult to turn on a tap, open a jar, getting into the fridge or reaching into a cupboard."

With three children and five grandchildren, Winner says giving up was definitely not an option for her.

But first, she needed to have her own epiphany to get her motivated.

"One of the biggest light-bulb moments for me was the day maybe eight years ago I was sitting on the couch stuffing spoonfuls of peanut butter in my mouth, and my son asked me to get on the floor and play cards with him. But I knew if I got down on the floor I'd never get up again.

"I was 231 pounds at the time had had severe rheumatoid arthritis and was having a major flare-up. I was sobbing, I was sitting on the couch eating peanut butter and getting even bigger.

"So that triggered a series of events where I knew I had to act."

She started eating properly, getting exercise, and working with her doctor to eventually discover the correct medication to give her relief. In a year, she lost roughly 100 pounds and was well on the road to becoming what she proudly calls an arthritis survivor -- not an arthritis sufferer.

"When you have arthritis it's very important to keep moving, to listen to your doctor. When I first got sick they couldn't find a medication that worked.

"I tried over 25 or 30 medications and finally they found one that worked for me, thank God, because I was in a wheelchair. It's a biologic drug, Enbrel, that treats autoimmune diseases, and as a result I was able to walk and move and I started losing weight."

She also realized that diet is integral to good health, and with renewed determination set about to reclaim the kitchen -- not only because she truly loves to cook for friends and family, but because the act of busying herself doing what she does best was also great exercise.

Eventually she developed enough strategies and tricks to launch her own website www.cookingwitharthritis.com where she shares tips, provides an information exchange and encourages others to talk about their physical challenges.

"I really wanted other people who were in the same boat to realize that life is not over, because I felt my life was going to be forever lying on the couch in pain and watching everybody else grow up and live their lives while I did nothing.

"But I realized you don't have to be an arthritis sufferer, you can be an arthritis survivor -- you just have to want it."

Among her valuable tips, Winner warns arthritis survivors not to fall into the trap of buying convenience food because it's well, convenient.

"You cannot buy pre-portioned, packaged and processed foods because, first of all, when you have these kinds of diseases you need a healthy diet. It's not healthy to eat processed foods. Even a pre-cut, pre-washed bag of lettuce has preservatives in it to make it last on the shelf three weeks. And if you have inflammation disease, autoimmune disease, the preservatives aggravate it and cause further swelling.

"Why would you want to buy food that's salty, full of sugar, contains MSG or Red Dye No. 9 or whatever, that's going to make you sicker?"

Cooking from scratch is not only healthier, it's cheaper, too.

Yet she's the first to admit even everyday tasks like opening a vacuum-sealed refrigerator door can be a challenge for those with arthritis.

"At home I have pretty ribbons tied to the door of my refrigerator, so when I can't open it I just hook my arm through it and use my whole body weight."

She uses her forearm, elbows and her chin to take some of the pressure off her hands when cooking. She also wears a ring on her thumb, which helps her to grip and open jars. "You have to pick up little tricks every day," Winner says.

Her recipe for stuffed chicken breast might at first seem intimidating for some, but she makes the slicing easier by wrapping a kitchen towel around the handle of a fork to add stability.

"People often ask how they can eat healthy when they're in so much pain," Winner says.

"And I say, of course you're in pain but that's why I wrote this book. There are ways around it.

Kitchen tips for living with arthritis

- Store things like flour, sugar, coffee and tea in glass containers with lightweight lift-off lids on the countertop;

- Purchase an ergonomically designed knife with large handle to improve leverage and stability, allowing you to use your body weight to manoeuvre the knife;

- Store pots and pans on wall hooks to eliminate unnecessary bending;

- Fill large pots of water by placing them empty on a plant stand with castors, then use a small cup to transfer the liquid. When filled, wheel the filled pot to where it's needed;

- Use a small kitchen funnel to easily separate egg whites from yolks -- the white slides through while the yolk remains in the funnel.

"Yes you need to rest, but you need to move too. You need to find a balance because, with arthritis, if you don't move then your joints will get very stiff.

"When you're cooking you're constantly moving your fingers. When you're washing dishes by hand, it's like giving your hands a soothing hot-tub treatment.

"And after I wash dishes in warm water I wrap my hands around a glass of cold iced tea -- so now I have an ice treatment for my sore hands.

"Nobody wants to hear you say I hurt, I hurt, I hurt all the time. You have to pick up little tricks along the way. Every day is a learning experience."

Greek Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Rosemary and Thyme

Yields 4 medium breasts or 2 extra-large breasts

- 4 small to medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 2 large ones (butterflied)

- 4 tablespoons (65 mL) olive oil to coat breasts

- 3 teaspoons (15 mL) all-purpose Greek seasoning mix (for coating the chicken)

For the stuffing:

- 4 ounces (115 g) goat cheese (soft)

- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) rosemary

- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) thyme

- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) fresh ground pepper

- Pinch, kosher salt

- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) . Line a medium baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Wash, pat dry, and fillet chicken breasts. Set to the side.

3. To make the stuffing, put goat cheese, rosemary, thyme, pepper, salt and garlic powder in a small bowl. Using a fork, thoroughly mix all the ingredients together.

4. To stuff the breasts, divide stuffing equally among chicken pieces. Using your hands, form each portion of cheese into a small log, open a breast, place stuffing in, and simply fold breast over. Lightly press together.

5. Rub each breast with olive oil (or softened butter if you prefer) and liberally sprinkle about 1 teaspoon

(5 mL) per breast with Greek seasoning. Use more if needed. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking another 20 minutes or until meat reaches 180°F (82°C).

Per serving (when recipe serves 4): Calories 424; Fat 27.1 g; Cholesterol 117 mg; Sodium 244 mg; Carbohydrates 1.8 g; Sugars 0.8 g

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How is your new book comming, I see your leaking a few tips,  daily survival tatics for the modern arthritis cook.         oops    !!!!!          better hurry up, we're waiting!!!!!!!!.                                                  your biggest fan. grampata

Its coming along Great !

Great story ! Melinda wow what a sexy gram your are ! beautiful !

Love this photo I can see you in all your glory yes Miss she is a natural beauty and the story is one of hope and inspriation proud of you Mel

love it you do so good mel !

great shot Melinda you never seize to amaze me girl I proud of you

you look beautiful so proud of you

AMAZING WORK MEL ! BEAUTIFUL PHOTO

you are beautiful inside and out !