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A balanced diet is a foundation of good health. For people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), a balanced diet is even more important. With PD, there are some foods that may help to ease symptoms and help brain health, while others can affect the way medications work. While there are many things about PD that cannot be changed, the informed choice of diet can help people to live better with the disease.
The Parkinson’s Support Group of Asheville will explore diet and nutrition at its May 7 meeting. Kendra Miller, a registered dietitian nutritionist, and co-owner of Fueling Life Nutrition in Asheville will talk about how good eating habits and a balanced diet can help people with Parkinson’s feel their best and maintain their energy.
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, while there is no prescription for a PD-specific diet, one that includes a variety of whole grains, vegetables, fruits and protein-rich foods can improve health. The Parkinson’s Foundation recommends people with PD consider including nuts, olive oil, fish and eggs to your diet, for their beneficial fats.
Nutrition adjustments can also help ease some of PD’s most common symptoms, both of a motor and a non-motor nature. People with Parkinson’s often experience digestive difficulties, especially constipation. Certain fluids and high-fiber foods can help alleviate the problem.
Fatigue and sleep difficulties are also common symptoms of PD. The culprit of these problems often is sugar. When eaten during the day, sweets briefly boost energy, but make you sleepy later. When eaten in the evening, they may keep you awake.
Another benefit of dietary changes can be improvement in the effectiveness of PD medications. Taking medications at mealtime can affect how quickly they are absorbed into your system, and the rate at which your body uses, or metabolizes them. If you take carbidopa/levodopa (Sinemet) for PD symptoms, you may find that protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs or dairy products, or high-fat foods, lengthen the time it takes for the medicine to kick in, or make the medication less effective.