How does someone who never got introduced to fruits 🍉 and vegetables 🍅 as a kid starts now at 48, (our veggies were potatoes and corn) now 10 yrs with PD? My eating habits are bad very bad😬 despite of all, PD has been very generous to me, it has not progressed that much, yea I am not the same as 10yrs ago, so I want to give my body better treatment, eating healthier and exercise I can say I’ve lived a sedentary life. I need advice on how to start, maybe recommend books on what to feed my brain, recipes etc.... what type of diet does pwp follows? I’m addictive to sugar....... I know that’s a no no for pwp for anyone in general for that matter. Any advice would be very much appreciated!!! I know it’s not gonna be easy but I have to start ASAP also what type of exercise should I do..... believe me I don’t even know how to start..... I do have a treadmill at home, that’s a good start right?? Hope to hear from y’all. Thanks 🙏🏽
How To Start Eating Healthy...... - Cure Parkinson's
How To Start Eating Healthy......
My wife has always served raw carrots, cucumber , and celery and what ever is also in season, green beans etc with a bowl of dip (Chip Dip will do) before every meal . Just be sure to scrub wash well and peal and wash again and no double dipping . Any not eaten is kept in a plastic bag for in between meal snacks. Cooked vegatables ? make soups. Cutting back on sugar ? Just get more exercise
I find raw veggies are great to snack on – mini carrots and bell peppers, also celery. For veggies that need to be cooked, lightly steamed is best - get a vegetable steamer if you do not already have one. I usually keep some steamed broccoli in the fridge to be warmed with meals.I also enjoy green peas. I get them frozen and warm them with meals when I have the inclination. For salad I like romaine lettuce. Buy organic when you can.
Great questions. There are a lot of different diets and it can get confusing. IMO you should begin by making a decision on which to choose. Some will push the Keto diet, others the Meditaranian diet. I recommend going all-out with WFPB (Whole Foods, Plant-Based). Regardless of which you choose, the first thing you need to get over is your addiction to processed food. To start you down that path, I highly recommend watching this 17 minute, entertaining and educational video that explains why you're "trapped" and how to get out of it. youtu.be/jX2btaDOBK8
Thank you park_bear, I’ve read that frozen vegetables are better than fresh ones, because they packed them right away, so they don’t loose their nutrients. I will start buying them organic if possible.
Freezing is okay except for cruciferous veg, especially broccoli. The blanching process inactivates an enzyme, myrosinase, which is necessary to turn a precursor (glucoraphanin) into sulfurophane - which is among the substances that give broccoli its anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory benefits (but there are others - video below). Fresh ground brown mustard seed (not irradiated) can be used to add myrosinase enzyme to formerly frozen broccoli before serving, but I find I prefer to use fresh broccoli anyway - and it can be conventional, as it is on the 'clean 15'.
Rhonda Patrick has done multiple videos on broccoli and sulfurophane and how to get the most out of it, as has Michael Greger of NutritionFacts - I'll post sample video links below.
I also think there is benefit to eating raw veg in that you get a dose of probiotics. My GERD went away after I started consuming raw kale regularly (and it comes back if I stop). I wash the kale, of course, but I don't sterilize it. I figure I am getting probiotics with their biofilm delivered to my gut along with the fiber they need to do their thing.
Check the packaging of your frozen veg before consuming without further cooking, some state that they must be heated to 160 F for safety.
Rhonda Patrick
youtube.com/watch?v=zz4YVJ4...
NutritionFacts
youtube.com/watch?v=Z7P8Gn9...
Broccoli has more than sulfurophane to offer
As far as exercise, just do something you enjoy. That way you’ll keep doing it and you’ll have the greatest reward and motivation to keep going. Mix it up a little and see if there are things you enjoy that you never thought of. Also for many people getting outside and into nature is very beneficial.
Rather than trying diets why don’t you just try using fresh foods as far as possible? Cook from scratch, if you want cake make it . Eat foods from all the food groups don’t cut out a food group . Eat three small meals a day with healthier snacks in between- fruit/ humous/ home made rice pudding/ porridge/ yogurt. Protein tends to affect medication so keep meals away from medication if possible . My husband has been diagnosed for 12 years still doing very well although we do work hard at keeping him well 😀
Probably the best book on functional foods is Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live.
Making fruit / vegetable smoothies is a great way to get more in; you don't need a Vitamix, an Oster blender will do, it just takes longer.
Two of my favorite food innovations - banana ice cream and cashew cream. To make banana ice cream, freeze banana slices then pulse in a food processor. To make cashew cream, soak 50 g raw cashews in 100 g (mL) water overnight and then blend until smooth.
Stevia (alcohol extract) is a good replacement for sugar, but it is best to try to wean oneself off of sweeteners altogether.
My favorite functional foods:
blueberries (wild, can be found frozen at Trader Joe's)
strawberries
sweet potatoes
kale
broccoli sprouts
broccoli
cauliflower
mushrooms
spinach
lentils
green peas
bell peppers
onions
for deciding on organic vs. conventional:
Nutrition for PD (see ‘Exercise’ also): briangrant.org/nutrition/