Tips for Cooking with Parkinson’s

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.” -George Bernard Shaw

Enjoying a meal is a simple pleasure in life. When we cook and eat, we use many complex motor skills without thinking. For someone living with Parkinson’s preparing or enjoying a meal may become challenging, frustrating, or even embarrassing if you struggle with tremors, rigidity, balance, coordination, dysphagia and other symptoms.

There are plenty of kitchen tools specifically designed for Parkinson’s patients that can make cooking and eating with Parkinson’s easier and more enjoyable. Below are a few of our suggestions.

• Weighted utensils help steady your hand, keeping food on your utensil as it journeys from your plate to your mouth.
• Get gadgets with big, cushioned handles such as a potato peeler, spatula or even spice grinders and more. The larger grip will also help steady tremors while in use. You may also want to consider grip foam tubing that can be added to your existing utensils.
• Consider ditching the knife and use manual or electric vegetable choppers or food processers to chop, slice, and dice your food.
• Not ready to ditch the knife and cutting board? Look into an adaptive cutting board that has built-up sides and non-slip backing to keep items in place while cutting.
• Look for pots and dishware with suction cups at the bottom to stick to the counter and table.
• Using a straw can reduce the need to pick up and hold a cup, assisting with grip and tremors.

These are only a few suggestions of kitchen gadgets to help make cooking and eating easier for individuals living with Parkinson’s. Visit your local home goods store or visit Amazon to find more Parkinson’s must-have kitchen gadgets.

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