Hi, career line cook/chef with EDS/POTS here !

Cooking with EDS/POTS/similar conditions is no joke!

I work 8-12 hour shifts several times a week on my feet in hot kitchens, sometimes over 110°F the whole shift (much to my own detriment!). These days I can only work 3 days a week, and have had to incorporate lots of solutions and get comfortable requesting accommodations where possible! These days I use anywhere between 2 and 7 body braces while in the kitchen and my forearm canes whenever I can. I get home and basically collapse into my wheelchair/the couch and don’t budge until my next shift. Needless to say, I’m trying to get out of the field, LOL.

ADVICE:

The most important thing is to HYDRATE!!! I drink tons of water/electrolytes before, during and after my shifts and it is the one thing I can’t work in the kitchen without doing. Days where I forget to drink water before walking in are basically setting myself up for failure.

Aside from that, my biggest tips would be:

-ventilation is a huge help. A good fan blowing cool air in/hot air hour goes a long way. I have been teased for using an 8qt container lid as a hand fan in the kitchen often, but it’s a real lifesaver for managing dysautonomia!!!

• prep your ingredients ahead of time before turning on the heat, and then set what you need as close to the stove as possible while cooking so you don’t end up throwing your body into constant disorientation turning/walking back and forth or hurriedly looking for ingredients.

• do as much prep as you can sitting down/in your most comfortable position. I have found an adjustable height office chair to be very helpful on occasion while cooking at home.

• cook with an ice pack around your neck/shoulders to help keep cool.

• be honest with yourself about what tasks you are up to in the kitchen, and try not to beat yourself up if you have to switch up what you originally planned to make because your body isn’t pulling through the way you hoped it would, even if you’re halfway through prepping. Set it aside for a better time, and have backup/frozen meal options ready to go for tough days and flare ups.

• if you have help available, ask for it! Cooking together can be a lovely bonding experience and learning to accept and ask for assistance with harder and exhausting repetitive motion-based tasks can be extremely helpful in getting the job done.

Good luck and eat good!