I am new to this site. Quite a lot of talk about supplements and drugs and so little about nutrition.
I did search for nutrition. And there was some discussion and quite pointed advice on the issue but it pales in comparison to comments on drugs and supplements.
And I guess I know why: food is on par with religious conviction.
But your body does not care about your ‘entrenched philosophical position’. The energy centers in particular - the mitochondria - and the body as a whole knows what it needs to maintain good health.
So to bring this issue of nutrition center stage, here is an approach and advice we all - those with Parkinson and those without - should carefully weigh. And I dare say we need to begin thinking of ways to incorporate these recommendations into our diet.
I thought the description needed an outline, so I wrote one:
Summary of brain healthy nutrients:
These protect the brain: 1:18
Creatine
Fish Oil
co-enzyme Q 10 (coQ10 for short)
Myelin protects the brain, it needs: 2:14
Vitamins:
B1 - thiamine
B9 - folate (folic acid)
B12 - cyanocobalamin
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Iodine
Neurotransmitters need: 3:06
Sulfur
B6 - pyridoxine
To make mitochondria to thrive: 3:20
B vitamins
sulfur
anti-oxidants
Generalized arguments for a more nutrient rich diet. - 4:08
Where to get these nutrients from food? (~9:00)
9 cups of veg and berries a day before, grain, potatoes, dairy, and meats
3 cups of green leaves - 9:15
kale being a big deal (kale chips, juiced, salad, in soups etc.), parsley, cilantro, dark leafy greens.
3 cups sulfer rich vegetables: - 10:15
The cabbage family (that explains the smell when you cook it) including, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, rutabaga, & radishes.
The onion family: onions, garlic, leeks, chives, shallots
Mushrooms and asparagus
3 cups bright colored veg/fruit - 10:54
Colors are high in flavonoids and anti-phenols (antioxidants)
Some veg: Beets, carrots, cabbage (red), peppers (sweet and spicy), etc.
Some fruits: Blueberries, strawberries, peaches, oranges, rasberries, blackberries, etc.
Animal protein profile - 11:25
Daily, unknown quantity:
Wild fish = omega 3 fatty acids = Myelin and straight teeth
Salmon and herring
Grass fed meat
Once a week, unknown quantity:
Organ meats = vitamins, minerals, and coenzyme Q (coQ10)
liver, heart, tongue, gizzard, sweat breads.
Iodine - 12:15
necessary for removing heavy metals
low levels increase cancer risk
Once a week: seaweed (sushi anyone?) - iodine, and selenium
one fried chicken leg, one beer, one potato , one serving corn, one serving of spinach, butter one raw carrot, some raw cauliflower, one apple, a bit of cheese. The combinations are endless.
I try to eat at least one meal with meat every day,
raw fruit and vegatables with every meal
one glass of wine or beer every day
Bran or oatmeal or more raw vegatables or prunes every day
No desert unless its somebody birthday, but then its always somebodies birtday
This philosophy of the benefits of healthy eating is gaining traction among PwP. I think there are a number of good scientifically-sound reasons for this.
1) reducing food-induced oxidative stress
2) rebalancing oxidation-reduction with anti-oxidant foods,
3) fighting inflammation caused by oxidative stress
4) dissolving a-synuclein olygomers and misfolded proteins.
There are many posts on this site that discuss this. I'll start with this one by ElliotGreen, but there are many others.
The Mediterranean diet seems to be the best starting place.
BUT I'm now going to be controversial.
I don't think MODERATION is appropriate for PD patients. I'm in favour of EXCESSIVE consumption of foods that could be good for PwP.
Excessive consumption of:
- Coloured fruit, red berries, strawberries, red grapes, red plums, peaches, apples, apricots etc. These should be organically produced, so you can eat the skins rich in polyphenol antioxidants.
Raw or lightly cooked green vegetables, especially cabbage family containing sulphur. Celery, tomatoes, red, yellow peppers, beetroot aubergines etc Salads, avocados (omega3)
Oily fish containing Omega3 oils.
Herbs and spices, olive oil, black pepper curcuma..
Dark chocolate and green tea.
This is now my Ultra-Meditarranean diet.
It's low carb and low red meat and low dairy.
Breakfast is a big bowl of at least 3 fruits
Lunch is salad + vegetables +eggs.
Dinner is vegetables + fish or seafood or chicken. Chocolate or fruit for dessert.
I'm now hooked on this diet. It tastes good, it's not expensive here in France.
You can add supplements to this in the form of coQ10, celery seed, omega3 capsules etc.
That's a very good question. I eat all fruit raw to conserve the maximum benefits. This may not be the best way to get the maximum bioavailability of the antioxidants, but I have no way of knowing that. Idem for a vegetables that can be used in salads. When cooking vegetables make sure not to overcook and steam rather than boil. Otherwise the beneficial products will be thrown away with the water. This is especially true for cruciferous vegs. If anyone has information on the degradation of antioxidants by cooking please let us know. High temperature frying is known to oxidise olive oil and make it oxidizing rather than anti oxidizing when used cold in salads. Fish should be cooked at low temperature, 70-80°C. It takes longer to cook but is delicious.
What about frozen spinach and kale? The supermarket sells these organic so it is easier than trying to find organic lettuce which often looks very old at the organic shop, and is a bit of a journey for me to collect.
Is it the just vitamins and flavonoids that do the good? These are mostly preserved when freezing or lightly steaming. Or is it the enzymes in living plants that are the active ingredients? I’m not sure if they survive heat or freezing?
At temperatures around boiling, the chemical bonds that hold together the structure of enzymes begin to break down. The resulting loss of three-dimensional structure causes enzymes to no longer fit their target substrate molecules, and enzymes entirely stop functioning. This loss of structure, known as denaturation, is irreversible – once enzymes are heated so much that the chemical bonds holding them together break down, they will not spontaneously form again if temperatures decrease. This is unlike freezing, which does not affect enzyme structure – if temperatures are increased after freezing, enzyme activity will be restored.”
So I guess frozen Veges would be a good improvise if I can’t get fresh organic ones!
LAJ, I entirely agree with all you write here. In fact just yesterday I did a survey of frozen foods available here. With winter coming the availability of fresh fruit will be more limited, so I wanted to see what was available frozen. In the supermarkets, frozen vegetables often had preservatives added which I wanted to avoid. However the specialist frozen food chain here, Picard, quoted no added ingredients on the label, just pure washed fruit and vegs. Especially good was a big range of red berries, including strawberries, blackcurrants and blueberries and much cheaper than fresh. So no problem for the winter months.
Just a comment about the choice of fruit and vegs. They are not all equivalent. Some contain greater quantities of polyphenols and other antioxidants than others.
Not so sure about pesticides in celery. I grow it organically and nothing seems to attack it. Otherwise go for celery seed. There's less surface for chemicals to stick to.
I have always been interested in digestion and how diet affects the body. I have tried many different eating plans to help my husband with PD. We finally settled on the Mediterranean diet, eating lots of fresh produce, chicken/fish, olive oil, while cutting way back on processed foods, lots of carbs, excess red meat and excess sugar. We also buy everything organic as much as possible. We currently subscribe to an organic food and produce delivery service, every two weeks, which helps.
There is also something called the MIND diet, similar to the Mediterranean; the acronym for MIND is really long, but if you search for the MIND diet you should have no problem finding it. I believe it is an anti inflammatory diet more geared towards avoiding alzheimers, but I don't see why it would not be a good guideline for those with Parkinsons.
Since we have been following this style of eating for a couple of months, I myself have noticed that I have less inflammation in my joints and a lot less pain in my body. My stomach aches have disappeared completely. Also, I always make sure we stay hydrated with plenty of water, as sometimes lack of energy and fatigue could just be dehydration.
My husband seems to be doing well on this eating plan, and it has definitely given us more energy. I find it very easy to stick to, we don't measure anything, we don't worry about portion sizes, we just eat healthy, organic foods in it's natural state. I have found that if we eat this way, our bodies seem to know what to do with food that it recognizes. I highly recommend the Mediterranean diet for anyone looking for good eating plan that you can get started on right away.
I fix a smoothie every morning for my husband (pwp) and me. 4 cups lettuces (variety), a vegan (my husband) or paleo (me) protein powder, nut butter or coconut butter, cacao or maca, cinnamon and a couple of handfuls of berries. Since my husband is not a big salad eater, he gets the leafy greens this way. The beauty of the smoothie is that you can throw in a variety of raw veggies if you don't want all lettuces. The fruit helps to add the flavor. BTW, the ingredients are almost always organic. It also helps to have a high speed blender, like a Vitamix, to do this.
I think I need to try that. He usually says no to smoothies but I might insist. I’m trying to grow greens in my garden in organic soil but I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up with that volume. I’m going to have to try and source organic lettuces. The supermarket doesn’t have it and the local organic store often just has a very wilted supply of unappealing greens!
I avoid the bitter stuff, although I do occasionally add dandelion greens. We are blessed with Trader Joes here in the states. I buy their organic bagged lettuces and use a lot of spring greens (a mixture), butter lettuces, and their other combinations. I don't find them to be bitter. I also use romaine, escarole, endive (curly and belgian) from time to time. If you put cinnamon in the smoothie you can disguise some flavors. It may just be an acquired taste.
I try to not make things too complicated. I have a 4 cup measuring cup and I just fill it up. I don't try to tamp it down much. It's pretty much how it comes out of the bags. You could definitely do cabbage & broccoli but it would definitely effect the taste. Kale and spinach may be better choice. I know people who put raw beets in their smoothies. I stick to the lettuces because it's cheap, easy and the results are mild and tasty. Also, no one says you have to do 4 cups. It's just my preference. We eat a fair amount of steamed or roasted veggies at our other meals. Just have fun and experiment!
Ok thanks. Just tried it with a bit of brocolli and cabbage as I don’t have enough lettuce and it’s not that nice so I don’t think hubby would eat it! I’ll get lettuce in and try again. Thanks😊
You're braver than me with the broccoli/cabbage. I have seen people say that they lightly steam some of these "tougher" veggies in order to put them in their smoothies. I just avoid them because I'd rather have my broccoli roasted and my cabbage in a slaw. You really have to balance any iffy flavors with something, whether that's fruit, or spices like cinnamon. I used to put some liposomal turmeric in my husband's smoothie. The protein powder that I use for both of us is flavored with vanilla, so that helps. You could try putting a little vanilla in your smoothie if you don't have a flavored protein powder. And, again, there is nothing that says you have to use 4 cups or that you have to use all greens. It's definitely an experiment!
The Mediterranean diet is reasonable and shown to have many health benefits. Anti oxidants are good and most of the diet is low cholesterol and it does no harm. The availability of the foods depends a bit on where you are in the world as fish, olive oil, and fresh vegetables are kind of expensive in winter in most of Canada where meat and potatoes and grains and dairy are the bases of our diet. If every one in the world depended solely on the Med diet then you could not afford to eat it even in France. The world famine and starvation predicted in the 1960,s was warded off (or delayed ) by the increase in production by farming technology and ocean transport resulting in the increased world wide new usage of grains.
However, although it seems logical , I know of no study or report that links any decrease in the incidence or severity of Parkinson's to this diet or indeed any diet. I understand that the countries around the Mediterranean are about the same ratio of PD to the world average .
Do you have any information on studies that would support a PD / diet link.
Studies are nice to have. But we need not wait on any, in a field with so many confounding variables.
Here is a doctor, with a neurodegenerative disease - multiple sclerosis - who with access to the best health care kept going down hill. She did the research and got on to supplements and then worked out a diet. This is all logically laid out in a twenty minute talk.
She cured here MS when modern medicine could not.
Parkinson is a neurodegenerative disease, so one would think, maybe PwP would take a very close look at her eating pattern and at least begin to incorporate this stuff in their diet.
But no, they want studies.
The fact is we want to eat what we want to eat. And waiting for a study is just a smoke screen so we can continue eating what we like.
But GymBag you are not alone. I had an argument with my wife - the PwP - about food just an hour before posting. And this will be on-going because ‘it begins with food’. ✨🏋️♀️✨
Understood that studies can be hard to come by when it is the prospect of profits that gets them funded. That said, there is only so much time and attention in a given lifetime. Before I spend the time and attention needed to increase my consumption of greens to the degree that she suggests, I want to see one person who has recovered from Parkinson's in the way that she has recovered from MS.
The best paper on this so far is that by Dr Laurie Mischely on PD progression and diet. There is a link to that in ElliotGreen's post.
However, the Mediterranean Diet does not prevent PD. That's why I advocate going in the same direction, BUT going much further. This means eliminating foods that lead to oxidative stress and exaggerating the consumption of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory foods.
IMO, this should be the baseline condition.
When and only when that is achieved, I believe that supplements can help accelerate the process of cell recovery and slow or stop progression. If a balanced redox diet is not followed, then supplements will only be fighting against food-induced oxidative stress.
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