Accommodating the Kitchen: Making Cooking Easier for People with Chronic Illness and Pain

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A woman standing at a kitchen counter with her forehead in her hand, as if she is exhausted. On the counter is a chopping board and some vegetables.

If you live with chronic illness or pain, you know that cooking can be a challenge. Even simple tasks like chopping vegetables or stirring a pot can be exhausting. But eating healthy meals is essential for your physical and mental well-being. So how can you make cooking easier and more enjoyable? Here are several tips for turning a kitchen into an accessible and healthy place to prepare nourishment for bodies with chronic illness, pain, and fatigue.

Simple accommodations for your kitchen

A pink container on a countertop holding kitchen utensils that are covered with soft-grip coating or made of lightweight wood.

Use lightweight, soft-grip cookware and utensils. This will make it easier to hold and maneuver them.

Closeup of a green silicone coffee cup, held by a man in a green shirt.
Wheatgrass plates, bamboo utensils, and silicone cups make eating, drinking, and washing up less taxing for someone with limited energy or hyper-sensory issues.

Kitchen sink with a pull-down sprayer faucet in a cream colored countertop with a window looking outside. Two bud vases holding red flowers sit off to the side.
Install a pull-down faucet or a faucet with a sprayer. This will make it easier to wash dishes and keep the sink clean.

A barefoot person wearing blue sweatpants step up on a black stool next to the kitchen cabinets.

Get a step stool so you can reach things without standing on your tiptoes.

A rolling stool to the side of a clean kitchen, awaiting use by someone who needs to cook with fatigue or pain.

A tall bar stool will allow you to sit at the counter or stovetop while you prep and cook your food, taking pressure off your feet, legs, and low-back. Alternatively, a rolling stool with adjustable height moves effortlessly around the kitchen and then easily stows away when not in use.
A tidy kitchen with everything in its place

Clear out any clutter from your counters and stovetop. This will make it easier to find what you need and move around safely.

Automation Saves Precious Energy

An open refrigerator stocked with colorful food including fruits and vegetables.

Automation assists humans in doing functional things and helps us honor our limitations. Look for where you can incorporate automation into your daily life. Automation allows everyone to focus on what's important, including people with plenty of energy and vitality. The refrigerator is an example of automation that helps everyone. We no longer have to buy and carry ice into our homes to preserve our food. 

Tips for an Automated Kitchen

A white air fryer with its drawer open and full of cooked chicken and vegetables

Slow cookers, Instant Pots, and air fryers are valuable tools for effortless meal preparation. They allow for simple one-pot cooking, where ingredients can be combined, set to cook, and left to simmer until ready to eat.

Kitchen counter full of tomatoes, leafy greens, and cheese. The cook is holding a food processor bowl full of orange chopped vegetables.

If chopping vegetables with a knife is challenging, invest in an electric food processor. 

Automatic vegetable grater with orange carrot shreds falling into a bowl

If a hand-grater zaps your energy, get an electric one. 

Inside an electric coffee grinder with metal blades. Image shows the coffee ground with a few pieces of coffee beans

Likewise, an electric coffee and spice grinder can replace a mortar and pestle for the freshest spices possible with no "elbow grease." 

These simple machines can process vegetables, meat, herbs, and spices for soup or stir fry in very little time. Processing and cooking more for freezer meals is as effortless as chopping just enough for one meal at a time.

Creating and Sustaining Energy with Simple Foods

Man in a red shirt, black pants, sitting in a wheelchair, cooking food at the stove. There's a paper grocery sack with fresh leafy greens sticking out of the top, and a clear bin with red peppers beside it on the countertop next to the stove.

Another way to make food more accessible for your body is to prepare fresh food whenever possible. This may seem like a lot of work, but it's much healthier than processed foods. We've already explored many ways to make it easier.

A woman in a blue shirt wearing black-framed eyeglasses speaking with a woman wearing a white lab coat, perhaps a registered dietician. Next to them on a wooden tabletop sits a bowl of vegetables: Yellow and red bell peppers, tomatoes, and green zucchini.

Cooking with fresh ingredients brings a myriad of benefits for those managing chronic illness. Fresh foods are rich in essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, supporting overall well-being and immune function. Preparing meals from scratch also allows more control over the ingredients, ensuring they meet specific dietary needs and restrictions.

A man standing outside in the sun in front of a green hedge, eating a salad out of a clear bowl while joyfully smiling

Freshly cooked meals are more flavorful and satisfying than pre-packaged or processed alternatives. By exploring different recipes and using a variety of herbs and spices, individuals can create dishes that tantalize their taste buds while providing vital nourishment for their bodies.

Closeup image of washed and chopped vegetables: Yellow butternut squash cubes, diced red pepper, diced green zucchini, diced orange carrots, and white/yellowish green shredded cabbage.

Skip the prep and buy pre-washed and chopped vegetables. 

A freezer drawer full of zip-lock bags of washed and prepped vegetables. Includes green peas, orange and red bell pepper, and whole frozen strawberries.

Frozen fruits and vegetables are nutritious and convenient alternatives to fresh produce. They require minimal preparation and have a longer shelf life. 

An open jar of tomato, possibly marinara sauce sitting on a tabletop with a spoon sitting in it, next to fresh tomatoes, fresh green basil, and scattered whole black pepper kernels.

You can also buy pre-made sauces and marinades.

A hand holds up a phone screen that is teal green with the text "Grocery Delivery." The background is colorful but blurred since the focus is on the device and the hand holding it.

If you need more time, energy, or both, many grocery delivery services are also available. These services can deliver fresh, healthy food right to your door. If needed, ask for help from a non-disabled family member or friend to receive and unpack the delivery.

Three to-go containers holding three different balanced meals. Amid them sits tomatoes, leafy greens, and zucchini slices. The tabletop is gray. There are rubber bands scattered about as if they're there to secure the to-go containers.

Here are some ready-to-eat food to keep on hand for days with low energy:

  • Canned tuna or salmon

  • Canned beans, rinsed well

  • Rotisserie chicken

  • Hard-boiled eggs

  • Yogurt

  • Cheese

  • Crackers

  • Trail mix

  • Sandwiches

  • Soups

  • Washed salad greens

  • Nut Butter 

  • Fruit

  • Leftovers

A white tabletop with several meal-prep containers containing balanced meals for easy grab-and-go.

More tips to save time and energy while cooking

A large pan full of brown fried rice full of crab meat and lots of colorful vegetables.

  • Cook in batches and freeze leftovers. This will save you time on busy days.
  • Make one-pot meals. This will reduce the number of dishes you have to wash.

Two clear salad jars layered from the bottom-to-top with purple cabbage, green peas, rice, orange pieces, green lettuce, and red tomatoes or bell pepper. A wooden fork leans against one of the jars.

  • With some preparation, freezer-friendly smoothie packs, salad jars, and rice bowls provide effortless options when it's time to eat.

A woman with straight, dark hair, wearing black, round-framed glasses and wearing a gray, long-sleeved shirt, leans on the back of a brown sofa holding a mug in her hands, indicating taking a break with a cup of tea.

  • Remember to take breaks while cooking. If you start to feel tired, take a few minutes to rest. You can always come back to cooking later.

A woman with her hair pulled back, wearing a black shirt and a gray apron, stands over a pot on the stove. She is holding a stirring spoon to her nose and inhaling with her eyes closed and a blissful smile on her face. The kitchen around her is slate-gray, and there are wooden salt and pepper grinders next to the stove on the countertop.

Making practical accommodations in your kitchen with automation and preparing fresh food can make cooking easier and more enjoyable. And eating healthy meals is essential for your physical and mental well-being. So don't give up on cooking! Make it work for you with a bit of planning and effort.

Two children around nine or ten years old, wearing floppy white chef's hats, are next to a countertop talking and looking happy and engaged with their food. On the counter is an assortment of food: A bowl of leafy green lettuce, an open carton of brown eggs, a small bowl of red onion, and a chopping board holding half a head of broccoli, tomatoes on the vine, and a paring knife.



Location: Atlanta, GA, USA

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