‘Supplementing’ supplements with whole-foods.

[Ashti]

Before Parkinson’s symptoms came into my husband’s life, we generally tried to get all our nutrients from the food we ate (and had to supplement B12, D, and omega 3 because of a plant-based diet).

Since following sites like this, we have added more B vitamins (B complex, B1, more B12), and magnesium, plus from Laurie Mischley’s course CoQ10 and glutathione all in pill form. And from the neurologist are taking carbidopa/levodopa after a cascade of symptoms came on fast after anesthesia/pneumonia/Covid last year, which led to the PD diagnosis. Luckily the C/L helps and his energy has come back significantly (mainly due to B1 therapy??)

I am now turning my focus back to looking at ways of making our diet more nutrient dense with a variety of plant-based whole-food . Always inspired by Michael Greger’s Daily Dozen. My husband’s new cravings for bananas (which he used to hate) and walnuts (which he used to dislike) are interesting developments.

Anyway, trying to get a variety of greens, beans, cruciferous vegetables, berries, other fruits and vegetables, legumes, intact whole grains (which at present are mainly oats and brown rice, which I hope to expand on) and nuts and seeds in throughout the day.

Interested to hear if there are foods you have added to your meals that seem to have made a difference? (Certainly the blue-berry, goji berry, walnut, pumpkin seed, sesame seed, whole-wheat bran muffins made with ground flax seed, banana and molasses are a daily snack around here, that help with symptoms, 😊).

We are also following the intermittent fasting research with interest - which may be the next step.

The PD diagnosis has certainly shifted our focus. Glad my husband likes exercise and is ok with trading in his long distance running which he could no longer maintain for boxing and classes at a PD gym and long walks in the woods.

But I am thinking, it could not hurt to up my game in the food prep department so am happy for inspiration.

[wifeofparky]

Quinoa is an excellent addition to your diet. It is a very nutritious grain.

[Ashti in reply to wifeofparky]

That is a good tip for branching out. Thank you.

[Bolt_Upright]

I have a high school degree but I am still thinking it is important what you DON't eat. I don't eat gluten or lectins.

healthunlocked.com/cure-par...

healthunlocked.com/cure-par...

My position is admittedly fringe

youtu.be/mjQZCCiV6iA(Not working as expected?)

[Ashti in reply to Bolt_Upright]

When I googled lectins and saw that they are in all plants and most foods, it made me wonder what on earth do you eat?  Then when I started watching the video, I see it was at a carnivore conference, lol.

 Lots of things start on the fringe until they become accepted.   As far as I can tell, lectin-free implies gluten-free, and pretty much all that I presently eat. 

Keep those research results coming!  Never say never.

[Bolt_Upright in reply to Ashti]

I eat mostly:

Pistachios, walnuts, onions, broccoli sprouts, ruminant meat (beef), cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, tuna, sardines, shrimp, fish, strawberries, blueberries, applesauce... that is about it.

And Pepsi with real sugar (I think corn syrup has lectins).

[Ashti in reply to Bolt_Upright]

Thank you for clarifying! Very helpful. We have at least half of those foods in common. And people with PD obviously have something going on that most don’t - glad to see work aimed at teasing it out.

[LAJ12345]

GBOMBS

greens

berries

Onions,garlic

Mushrooms

Beans

Seeds, spices

Every day

Eat 30 different fruit and veges every day (including counting spices)

[Ashti in reply to LAJ12345]

That is an inspiring list.

I used to add spices to my green smoothie, until the taste became too ‘complex’ (is a kind way of describing it), and the ground flax was a pain to clean out of the blender.

Now I have a daily spice mix that I have with soy milk using similar amounts of spices you might use when cooking and would account for 15 of the suggested 30, lol.

The base is ground flax seed and in approx. descending order: cocoa, Ceylon cinnamon, green tea, hibiscus zinger tea, marjoram, rosemary, dulse flakes, nutritional yeast, black cumin seed, amla berry, ginger, turmeric, cloves, ground pepper.

I find Michael Greger and his team at NutritionFacts.org do a thorough job of sorting through and critically evaluating the peer-reviewed nutrition research - with links to all the papers. With so much money involved with the food/health industry and doctors receiving so little nutrition training, he makes it clear why there are so many conflicting opinions, and relies on the peer-reviewed studies to get to the bottom of things. I have found nothing else so thorough.

He has a few recent videos related to Parkinson’s on l/d, mucuna, and faba beans that I think were posted here.

We need a ParkinsonsHealth.org dedicated to evaluating the PD research.

[LAJ12345 in reply to Ashti]

yes, your spice mix, a salad for lunch , fruit salad and stir fry mix vege for dinner would easily count for a big range too. And varied herbal teas. Even a square of dark chocolate counts for 1

[SilentEchoes]

No gluten (30% glutamate) no soy (estrogenic) no dairy unless fermented, no MSG, this includes parmesan cheese and soy sauce (high in MSG) no refined sugar, no artificial anything - sweeteners, colors, flavors and preservatives.

I agree with Bolt, easier to list things to avoid than things to eat.

Try to eat whole foods in their natural form and limit ingredients. Eat fat, butter/ghee, olive and coconut oil, coconut milk, avocados, tallow and lard, eggs and a rainbow of fruits and veggies. Look for nutrient density.

I'm not diabetic anymore after following a modified keto diet and intermittent fasting, getting closer to OMAD.

SE

[Ashti in reply to SilentEchoes]

Thanks for your reply. My husband can imagine being open to intermittent fasting. We may head in that direction at some point. He is starting a light therapy study so is not planning on making big changes in the next 2-3 months.

We are with you on whole foods, but stay on the low side when it comes to saturated fats. I thought the strength of the research data is pretty clear there, but opinions certainly abound. And really, what is better than butter, though we have given it up.

Glad to hear your blood sugars are back in range!

[LindaP50]

Can you tell me more about the Glutathione you take in pill form?

[Ashti in reply to LindaP50]

Hmm, I don't have that info here. 300 mg/day, I think.

[LindaP50]

Fresh fruits and veggies are expensive. Then you get the produce home and find its unsatisfactory to eat. Last week bought blueberries, cherries, strawberries and bananas. Blueberries were mushy (crows enjoyed), cherries were tasteless. Frustrating.

We eat gluten free pasta and use gluten free flour. Will bake a keto cake now and then. Eat fish 1 or 2x a week. Try to make a colorful plate for dinner (fresh greens, veggie), do one night vegetarian. Have a protein with carbs. Drink plenty of water or decaf tea/green tea.

[Ashti in reply to LindaP50]

Sorry to hear of your disappointing produce experience!

My husband has found that he feels much better now that he is intentionally drinking water.

I learned a tip about green tea, which you probably already know. It tastes better when steeped at a lower temperature (~160 F) and can even be steeped in cold water overnight. I used to really dislike it, but now I have mint green tea, and between the lower temp and the added mint, I really like it.

[LindaP50 in reply to Ashti]

I add a little raw honey to the hot green tea. Drink bottled decaf green tea - Arizona brand.

[amykp]

IMO, cut out sugar! That includes honey, maple syrup. coconut sugar, agave, super sugary fruit like dates etc...

Sugar is inflammatory, and more and more they are thinking PD is an inflammatory disease.

I eat keto, which is probably over the top in the sugar-free department for most folks, but it works for me.

[Ashti in reply to amykp]

Good tip! Cutting out sugar is easy for my husband with PD. His only weakness there is marzipan at Christmas. He has dropped beer, wine, and Scotch except for the odd occasion - a much bigger sacrifice for him. So, I would say fruit is his main source of sweetness.

It is interesting what people find challenging to change diet-wise.

[amykp]

I love fruit. I stick to berries, which happen to be low sugar, but I have a few for dessert most nights.

BTW for some reason a lot of PWP really crave sugar, which is weird.