The Accessible Kitchen: Healthy Eating and Vision Loss Part Two
by Polly Abbott, CVRT Tags: Cooking, cooking with vision loss, healthy eating, organization
PART TWO: Identifying Items in the Pantry and Reading Package Information
Approach the organization of your fridge and pantry as you would any area of your home that you need to organize:
- Get rid of what you are not using or haven’t used in two years — old spices, that can of tuna, or the jar of mustard that been taking up space in your fridge.
- Decide what method for identifying items works best for you. Do you like to just feel the shape of the package? Does a large print label (big black marker, a sheet of paper and a piece of scotch tape) make life easier? Or does using an app on your iPhone seem to be the most efficient (such as Tap Tap See or Be My Eyes). If you live with a family that moves items on you, you must have a way to tell what’s what as you will not be able to rely on the item’s position on the shelf to let you know if it’s a can of beans or a can of soup in your hands. For more low tech ideas on labeling and organizing read this blog at VisionAware.
- To access package information to know how much sodium or what temperature and time it needs to cook, use magnification or keep notes (or recorded notes) on your favorite foods—that way you only have to ask once. If you are good with your computer, try Directions for Me.
Lastly, talk with your family and share what you are trying to accomplish. You can do this on your own but there will be more harmony in the household with everyone aware of what you are changing.
Life is long and there is a lot of healthy cooking and eating you can do. It is worth your time and effort to participate in instruction for new skills.
Read Part One of this series: You Can Learn All the Skills You Need to Cook Healthy Meals. Our third part to this blog, Healthy Eating Usually Means Cooking from Scratch, will be posted on June 30.
Polly is a Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist and the Director of Rehabilitation Services at Second Sense.
