In Treatment

Quick & Easy Recipes for Neuropathy

For some of my chemo chums, peripheral neuropathy was one of the nastier side effects they suffered from. It would cause debilitating, constant pain, even numbness in either their feet or hands, sometimes both. Having painfully sensitive hands and fingers can turn the simplest kitchen tasks into agonizing chores, but luckily there are ways to make it easy on your hands and still eat your greens. Supermarkets are... full of pre-cut, pre-washed, bagged veggies and leafy greens, like carrots, squash, kale and spinach to name a few. You can even buy jars of pre-peeled or chopped garlic. Though originally made for the convenience of harried working moms, bagged pre-prepped veggies can help take the labor of cooking prep out of sore neuropathic hands. Frozen vegetables and fruits are another great standby for the same reason. If your hands are sensitive to temperature, especially cold, you may need to wear soft oven mitts or thermal gloves to get the packs of frozen veggies out of the freezer and opened. And should you need to chop onions for a dish, or anything else for that matter, a food processor will do the task at the push of a button. Use the pre-cut or frozen veggies you have on hand to make easy stews, top a pre-made pizza crust, or add to quinoa or couscous. Here are some recipes that are simple to make without being too hard on your hands.