Treating Parkinsons with diet

I have been looking at a couple of articles about treating parkinsons with diet and they’re both very interesting and well worth a look for any one who are interested. The first one is a 90 minute documentary on Netflix called The gamechangers, this is a real eye opener. Full of top athletes including Arnie who have changed to this sort of diet. The second is an article which can be found at www.nutritionfacts.org and type in parkinsons diet in the search box.I’m going on to a strictly vege diet now plant based protein only and i’ll come back with an update in due course.

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Thanks for sharing this. It’s very interesting. I just watched that 3 minute video on NutritionFacts.org

I don’t eat any meat, but I do like cream in my coffee - and on fruit - I probably get through 100ml a day - which the cream tub tells me contains 1.5g of (animal) protein. Compared to yogurt at 4.2g per 100ml. (Just going through the stuff in my fridge).

I already follow a low-carb high-fat mostly-plant diet, and have lived well on it for years. But I was eating eggs, and so I’ll stop.

I think I need to balance changes to diet against enjoying life. So I’ll give up as much animal protein as I can, but not cream.

Hubby diagnosed with yop just over a year ago. Tremors in his right arm and dystonia in his right leg that was affecting his sleep badly. He also had a lot of days where fatigue had him feeling awful. About 7 weeks ago he changed his diet. Less protein and bread and more fish and vegetables. The change has been amazing. His tremors and dystonia have improved immensely and he isn’t as tired as he was. He feels so much better for it. Keeping my fingers crossed it lasts x

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I was diagnosed at 43, a year has passed since then and I have made a lot of changes to my diet only in the last 2 months, and I can honestly say it has been amazing.

I was suffering from back pain, tremor in my right arm, dystonia in my right leg and chronic fatigue during the day. I started doing research into diet and Parkinson’s and the results have been fantastic. No back pain, barely any noticeable tremor, the dystonia which would keep me up at night has lessened and the fatigue is gone completely.I don’t know a lot of the science behind it but whatever is going on in my brain this diet change is working for me and I wanted to share it on here so that it might work for someone else.

Vitamin D is important for someone with Parkinson’s but also that gluten and sugar are the devil!!

I stopped eating the following foods and changed my eating habits, no sugar, salt, bread, cereal, pasta, rice, potatoes, meat, processed food as well as the good things we enjoy like chocolate and crisps!

9am: I have a bowl of fruit, any fruit you fancy with natural yoghurt, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts.

I drink what’s called a bullet coffee which consists of coffee, Splenda sweetener, oat milk, 3 tbsp kerrygold grass fed butter and a tbsp of coconut oil. I know it sounds awful but I’m getting good fats from that drink.

6pm I have a large salad bowl of vegetables, any vegetables you like with any oily fish, sardines, salmon, mackerel. Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some chilli’s. I eat until I’m full up, best way to describe it is being Christmas dinner full up and I don’t eat again until the next morning when I have my big bowl of fruit.

It’s fasting for 15 hours, I know this won’t work for some people but the difference in me has been unreal, it has surpassed all my expectations and I’m losing weight into the bargain. I’m awake every morning from 7am and still on the go at 10pm, no fatigue, no tiredness.

I’m just educating myself about Parkinson’s and trying things that might help me. The changes I have made are tiny, tiny sacrifices in comparison to having to go through every day living with my previous ailments. I am full of energy all day and honestly feel so good. There has been loads of talk about the impact of protein and gluten on people with Parkinson’s so I have cut most of it out.

I hope this might help someone else, I’m not saying this will work for everyone but I would urge folk to at least have a go, you have nothing to lose and so much to gain.

Never give up trying different things to help alleviate any of the symptoms this disease throws at you. It has had a dramatic impact on my life and there’s no going back to bad eating habits for me :slight_smile:

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Feeling inspired by this, to add some nuts & seeds to my morning fruit.

I only have two meals a day - 11am fruit and double cream, and 4pm lots (and lots) of veg/salad/beans. At bedtime I always have a glass of milk and a chocolate digestive (so I don’t feel deprived). So fasting for 13 hours.

The seeds and nuts add fibre and a different way of getting some protein as well. Did some research into Parkinson’s sufferers lacking in vitamin D so the oily fish in the diet is a great addition. And the bullet coffee is amazing, easy way to take in essential fats. It’s nice to have a treat as well from time to time so your not torturing yourself craving all the bad stuff!!

With the fasting overnight and the diet change I have seen such a dramatic change in my symptoms and all for the better. So far so good :blush::blush:

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I like the sound of your new eating regime and impressed how it works for you. My husband is the PWP and I think I may be able to introduce changes along this line, apart from the bullet coffee, which I was aware of (!), but sounds absolutely revolting !

Hi Candice, I really was astounded by the effect my diet had on my symptoms. I never really expected much to change but it has been dramatic. There is so much research going on now with regards to Parkinson’s and diet and it’s been a real game changer for me, especially the fatigue.

Have to agree the bullet coffee is an acquired taste! Lol But get your husband to give it a go, small amounts of butter to start with, I actually enjoy it now. Make sure it’s grass fed butter, Kerrygold etc. And plenty of oily fish for that vitamin D. The fasting works for me as well but I would recommend a few days on then off to get used to it. And my number 1 bit of advice is not to torture himself about abstaining from all the foods he really likes, the more you tell yourself you can’t have something the more you crave it!!

The odd treat day is good motivation, it’s hard enough dealing with this disease as well as cutting out everything you enjoy with regards to food. Good luck with it, I really hope he gives it a go and starts to see some positive changes in his symptoms. Keep me posted :blush::blush:

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Hi all, i posted 8 days ago about watching the 2 documentaries on Netflix… The gamechangers and What the health, both about animal protein based meals v plant based meals. I started it a week ago and i am over the moon with the results i’ve had. I’ve been a meat eater for 73 years and have found it easy to change to a plant based diet despite being a big biscuit cakes crisps and cream cakes etc eater,but the changes have been so good already. I like lemon eat only a small breakfast in the morning about 11am usually and maybe a couple of Ryveta type crackers in the afternoon and then i rarely have anything before 9 or 10 and then apart from fruit nothing else before next morning. It sounds harsh but i fin d it quite easy to do now. My meds last a lot longer, i’m sleeping better, the other night i actually turned over during the night for the first time in years and that felt so good. I’m walking better and less stiffly and have more energy. Long may it continue and please guys don’t take my word for it watch the two docs on Netflix and make an informed decision yourselves. You won’t regret it

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I am delighted things are working out for you diet wise. One other suggestion I might make is a glass of celery juice preceded by a glass of water and squeezed lemon first thing in the morning. The celery juice does take some getting used to but the benefits greatly outweigh the inconvenience. I find coming of sugar a real battle. Keep me posted as to how you are getting on.

check out Medical Medium blog, true cause of Parkinson’s.

This is from the “medical medium” blog

“ Since age four, Anthony has been using his gift to “read” people’s conditions and tell them how to recover their health”

I’d suggest this link to read if you think this guy knows what causes Parkinson’s

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of course the pharmaceutical companies and the medical profession will not want to hear of a natural cure. Keeping people forever on medications is their goal. Follow the money!

Hi @boomerang83,

I just thought I’d chime in to share some information on diet as it relates to Parkinson’s.

If you have Parkinson’s, there is no specific diet you should follow but making some simple changes to your eating and drinking habits may help you manage your symptoms. Eating a healthy diet usually means eating a varied diet and healthy portions of foods including different food groups, eat regular meals, drink plenty of fluids and eat at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day.

We outline more of this information including starchy foods, meat and fish, salts and sugars on our website here: Diet | Parkinson's UK.

We also explain the research behind some diets and fasting in our research blogs here: Diets for Parkinson’s — research explained | by Claire Bale | Parkinson’s UK | Medium and here: Can you really prevent Parkinson’s? | by Dr Beckie Port | Parkinson’s UK | Medium.

Before undertaking any diet and supplements we always recommend speaking to your healthcare professional.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Best wishes,
Reah

Thanks have founds these posts really useful there’s so much online about diet it’s hard to know what to believe so it’s good to hear on the forum that changes to diet can help symptoms.
I used to eat a lot of meat / high protein diet I used to fast a fair bit too.
Do people make their own changes to medication when / if diet + exercise seem to be working ie take slightly less or is this something the neurologist or nurse only advise on?

I can only speak for one or two neurologists so those i encountered would not condone eliminating food groups, rather a balanced diet. They would point to the fact there is no research to say it works for sure. Some protein is needed and giving that up can lead to other issues like B12 or iron defiency, which then have to be treated in addition to PD. Some of the meds specifically say to be taken with food, there can be issues with constipation etc.

Nor did they advise tinkering with dosages, quite the opposite. More so theyd recommend sticking to the same routine every single day. Because the meds are usually time release throughout the day, taking less could make you unwell, liable to freezing etc. Taking too much could make you unwell or result in compulsive behaviours. Medication changes would only ever be made officially on your prescription by the Neurologist otherwise you could be stockpiling it or running out.

I’m thinking of giving the chocolate & ice cream diet a try.

Happy New Year everyone.

Steve2

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How to get enough fibre for ‘loo’ issues
I have ‘discovered’ the following rather nice way to help my other half with his loo issues of PD - stewed apple with sugar - apparently stewed apple has a component called sorbitol which is a natural laxative - make sure you put a bit of sugar in as well otherwise too tart will cause other issues. Not too much though - my hubby loves it and no problems any longer - 4 large Bramleys is enough for two people for several days.

Vitamin B12 1,000 ug and throat issues
My hubby has had a terrible cough - for about 8 years - told reflux etc. - guttural - which has kept him awake most of the night and hasn’t helped my sleep either - I am into nutrition and have researched my own health conditions for over 50 years and found solutions - was giving him just 100 ug and didn’t do anything - but when looking on internet what causes chronic cough - whilst I appreciate this can be a PD symptom of low muscle strength in the throat area to clear the mucous build up - I was astounded when in one day the cough stopped - B12 helps the neurological triggers of a chronic cough - hope this helps - the company I used is Natures Best - it is a tiny little tablet so easy to swallow - and I can recommend. Hubby is now getting uninterrupted sleep so win win situation. Hope this helps anyone who has a horrible cough with PD.