While most cooks have trouble opening a jar now and then, for those affected by arthritis or other ailments that limit mobility every jar can be a challenge. A wide variety of adapted tools are available to meet the needs of millions of individuals who face this type of problem every day. But do they work? According to an article in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, adapted kitchen tools with thicker, "easy grip" handles can help ease food preparation tasks for those with illness-impaired hands.

Researchers from Indiana State University recruited 47 older women, the majority of whom reported some degree of physical limitation due to arthritis or other medical condition. The researchers equipped the women with commonly-used kitchen tools (paring knife, can opener, jar opener, grater, and kitchen scissors) adapted for those with diminished hand strength and flexibility. They then asked the women to cook with these tools for two weeks in place of their usual kitchen tools, and then to evaluate how easy they were to use. More than half of the women rated the adapted can opener, knife, jar opener, and scissors as preferable to their standard ones. They women were particularly impressed with how easy the can opener and paring knife were to use.

Access to an easy-to-use jar opener and other adapted tools may seem like a small detail, but these tools allow people impaired by arthritis or other debilitating conditions to prepare foods that they might not otherwise be able to handle. People who can't use a regular paring knife, for instance, are less able to cook fresh vegetables; those who can't use a regular can opener or jar opener are less able to rely on "easy meal" options like canned soups. People who are unable to cook for themselves may eat a less varied diet, consume fewer essential nutrients, and thereby put themselves at increased risk for nutritional deficiencies. (The researchers did measure the nutrient intake of the women before and after they received the adapted tools, but the study was too brief to assess changes in nutritional status that could be attributed to easier food preparation.)

While tools such as the ones tested in this study are usually more expensive than their standard counterparts, they may be worth the investment if they can make the difference between a nutritionally adequate diet and endless meals of "tea and toast," or any other monotonous and nutritionally poor equivalent. The Arthritis Foundation sells some of these adapted kitchen tools on their website. Healthcare professionals who work with individuals with handicaps that limit their manual dexterity may know where similar tools can be purchased locally.

To quickly access additional accurate information on this and other nutrition-related topics, visit Tufts University's Nutrition Navigator