There is no exact diet that someone with Parkinson’s disease should follow. However, WebMD.com states that eating a well balanced diet is very important for the Parkinson’s patient. With a good diet, the Parkinson’s patient will have more energy, and the medications the patient is taking will work better.
Eating right with Parkinson’s is almost the same as for everyone else.
Eating right with Parkinson’s is very easy to do. Just keep these tips in mind:
Basics For Eating Right For Parkinson’s Patients
- You should eat many types of foods from each basic category – meats, dairy, fruits and vegetables, and grains. You should check with your doctor to see if you should also be taking supplements.
- Try to keep your weight up by eating well and also exercising. Check with your doctor about what your ideal weight is, and how many calories you need daily.
- Have a lot of high fiber foods in your daily diet: vegetables, dried peas and beans, whole grain breads, and fresh fruit
- Select foods that are low in saturated fat
- Keep sugars to a minimum, including natural sugars, such as honey
- Do not use as much salt
- Drink eight glasses of water each day
Tips for Eating and Parkinson’s Drugs
One of the most common drugs for this disease is levodopa. This drug usually works the best when it is consumed on an empty stomach, at least 30 minutes before a meal. It also should be taken with several ounces of water – it will be absorbed by your body faster.
However, for some patients, levodopa can cause an upset stomach if it is taken without eating. So, your doctor may give you both levodopa and carbidopa. If nausea continues to be a problem, your doctor can prescribe other drugs. It is very important to have any nausea problems dealt with quickly by your doctor; otherwise, you will not want to eat and this can lead to poor nutrition.
Drinking Tips for Parkinson’s
Some medications for this disease can make you more thirsty. To deal with this, try these tips:
- Drink at least eight cups of water daily
- Keep caffeine consumption down; this can cause you to become more dehydrated
- If you are eating breads or cookies, you can dunk them in milk or coffee without caffeine to soften them up
- Drink after every bite of food to make your mouth more moist
- Try sour candies to increase the production of saliva
Parkinson’s Aids to Help With Eating
Remember that eating and keeping up your nutrition with Parkinson’s can be helped with many affordable Parkinson’s supplies. The Insulated Weighted Bowl keeps your food and drinks either warm or cold. It has weight added to help with any tremors you may have in your hand or arm so nothing is spilled. Along the same line, you also can try this Weighted Insulated Cup, which also has had weight added to it to reduce chances of spillage.
With some foresight and planning, you can continue to keep your nutrition up with Parkinson’s, which will help you to stay healthier in the long run.