7 Foods To Eat And 7 To Avoid When You Have Parkinson's

Chances are you've heard of Parkinson's disease. You might even be familiar with some of its potential symptoms, like difficulty walking and maintain balance, uncontrollable shaking, and a general slowness in one's movements (via the Michael J. Fox Foundation). But what you might not realize is that the symptoms of Parkinson's or PD can vary from person to person — and that beyond medical treatments, lifestyle changes can help someone better manage this disease.

Although we are still learning about PD, we do understand that a major aspect of Parkinson's is a chemical called dopamine. Remember, our brains create chemicals like dopamine, but when someone develops PD, the cells in their brain responsible for producing dopamine either die or shut down. This is why Parkinson's can not only affect one's movement, but also impact other bodily functions and cause health issues like constipation. In addition, someone with PD might have trouble remembering things and/or experience depression.

While there is no cure for Parkinson's at this time, that doesn't mean there aren't treatment options. However, as the Michael J. Fox Foundation explains, since Parkinson's can affect everyone differently, what works for one person with PD might not be a good idea for someone else. So, if you have Parkinson's, you should always work with a health care professional and let them help you find a meal plan to fit your individual needs.

The "protein effect" might sound like something related to a dieting plan that involves cutting out carbs. But it actually refers to a concern for Parkinson's patients who take a medication called levodopa, per the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA). And if you guessed that foods that contain high amounts of protein like pork are part of this "protein effect," you'd be absolutely correct.

To fully understand how the "protein effect" works, we first need to talk about levodopa and how it can be helpful for managing Parkinson's. As MedlinePlus explains, the lower levels of the chemical dopamine are why patients with PD can experience a wide range of symptoms, including movement issues, stiffness, and tremors. The brain, however, can turn levodopa into dopamine, which helps it compensate for lower amounts of natural dopamine. As the APDA points out, though, protein-rich foods like pork can interfere with how someone's body absorbs levodopa.

The good news is that it might not be necessary to completely cut pork from one's diet even if they do take levodopa (via ParkinsonsDisease.net). Instead, they might want to only eat a portion-controlled amount of pork for dinner, but not at any other point throughout the day. Also, having smaller amounts of protein in general throughout the day might lessen the chances of it interfering with levodopa. However, one should always speak with a medical professional before making such changes to their diet.

It's only natural to take certain things for granted. For example, when you're eating while watching TV, do you really pay attention to how you're chewing and swallowing your food? Probably not, but for someone with Parkinson's, this everyday activity can become more challenging to the point that certain foods like steaks and other chewy meats might become problematic.

According to the Parkinson's Foundation, Parkinson's can affect how someone moves, including how they move their jaws and tongue. One possible change that can take place is a PD patient might move slower than they did before, which can interfere with eating and swallowing. In fact, trouble swallowing is a medical condition called dysphagia — and unfortunately, not only can dysphagia make eating foods like chewy meats more difficult, but it can also be dangerous. For example, if a person has problems swallowing, foods and drinks might go down into the lungs instead of the stomach. And this has the potential to be fatal.

While not eating chewy meats is one way to avoid possible dysphagia-related problems, there are options for Parkinson's patients who don't want to avoid foods like steaks entirely. As Medical News Today points out, there are ways to tenderize chewy meats so that they'll be easier to chew and swallow. For example, chopping up meat and cooking it in a casserole might make it softer and not as difficult to swallow.

As the medical community has researched Parkinson's, they've developed several different types of medications to help treat the disease, per the Cleveland Clinic. But like many treatments, some of these medicines have side effects, including nausea. And unfortunately, eating greasy foods can worsen PD-related nausea.

Before we talk about specific kinds of greasy foods that might be problematic for patients with Parkinson's, let's explore which medications in particular can cause nausea. According to the Cleveland Clinic, levodopa, which is prescribed to help with Parkinson's-related stiffness, tremors, and movement issues, can make one nauseous. However, pairing with carbidopa can help at least reduce the severity of one's nausea, as well as other side effects of this Parkinson's treatment. Besides levodopa, dopamine agonists, which can help the brain compensate for lower levels of dopamine, also have nausea as a side effect. Additionally, MAO-B inhibitors (drugs that keep your brain from breaking down dopamine) can also cause nausea.

Of course, letting your health care professional know about any medication's side effects is important, since there might be treatment options. With that said, WebMD recommends avoiding greasy foods if you have Parkinson's and have nausea. So, if doughnuts, potato chips, or deep-dish pizzas are your favorite foods, they might be exacerbating your PD-related nausea (via Healthline). And if you're not sure if a food counts as greasy, think about its recipe and how much oil is needed to prepare it.

Now, if you have Parkinson's and love cheese, don't worry. Not every type will be on this list. But if some of your favorites include parmesan, feta, Camembert, cheddar, blue, and Swiss cheese, then unfortunately, you might need to rethink which cheese is on your plate, since all of them contain large amounts of a compound called tyramine (via WebMD).

Before we go any further, we need to talk about a type of treatment for PD. As the Michael J. Fox Foundation explains, Parkinson's and lower-than-normal levels of dopamine go hand in hand. But our bodies are supposed to break down dopamine, and we do so with an enzyme called Monoamine Oxidase Type B (MAO-B), per the Parkinson's Foundation. So, when someone's body is not producing enough dopamine and is also destroying the little it has produced, that can be a recipe for PD-related health issues. This is why Parkinson's patients are sometimes prescribed MAO-B inhibitors, since they help prevent the MAO-B enzyme from breaking down dopamine.

While MAO-B inhibitors can help with some of the symptoms of PD, there are potential drawbacks. Although the MAO-B enzyme breaks down dopamine, that's not it's only job. It also breaks down the tyramine in foods like aged cheeses (per WebMD). And if tyramine remains in the body, it can lead to spikes in blood pressure.

We've all seen movies where a student in a chemistry class puts the wrong combination of chemicals in a beaker and causes anything from an explosion to a big mess. And while this is usually played for laughs, real-life chemistry can be a sensitive balancing act where one additional element can lead to unintended consequences. Such is the case with medications used to treat Parkinson's disease and alcohol.

As the Michael J. Fox Foundation explains, medications like the ones used for Parkinson's are eventually metabolized. In other words, our bodies break them down and get rid of them after they've been in our systems for a certain amount of time. But if a PD patient has alcohol in their system, that could cause their body to break down a drug faster than normal. And if this occurs, then the drug might not help with PD symptoms for as many hours as it's supposed to because it's excreted from the body too quickly.

Besides possibly interacting with PD medications, drinking large amounts of alcohol — especially over a long period of time — can lead to health issues like liver and heart disease, an impaired immune system, and several different types of cancer, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It also can increase the chances of developing anxiety and depression, raise one's blood pressure, impact one's memory, and cause a stroke.

"Processed foods" is a term that gets thrown around quite a bit. But according to the American Heart Association, a food is considered processed for three reasons: 1) it's packaged, 2) it's prepared, or 3) it's somehow changed from its original form. Unsurprisingly, some foods are more processed than others, falling under the category of highly processed foods (sometimes referred to as ultra-processed foods). Now, this might not seem like a big deal, but if you have Parkinson's-related constipation, knowing the difference between minimally and highly processed foods can be important.

As the Better Health Channel explains, constipation is not only an oft-reported symptom of PD, but it's also sometimes the first symptom of it. And while medications can help treat it, dietary changes like opting for fiber-rich foods over highly processed foods can make a difference. For example, registered dietitian and nutritionist Jessica Fishman Levinson told Prevention that treats like cookies fall under the highly processed food category and are bad choices for managing constipation because they are "high in fat, low in fiber, and low in fluid."

Specifically, foods high in fat have the potential to slow down your digestive system, which can worsen constipation (via Healthline). As for fluid and fiber, water helps expand the fiber in your stool, making it easier to pass, per the Better Health Channel. And according to the Mayo Clinic, fiber makes feces larger and softer, which helps with bowel movements.

This next topic can be difficult to talk about because it involves waste products. However, it's important to understand all possible PD-related health issues, especially if they can interfere with one's quality of life. As the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) explains, there are different stages of PD. In its advanced form, an individual might experience fecal incontinence. If this happens, then they might have trouble "holding it" when it comes to their stool.

Now, as one would expect, diet can play a role in fecal incontinence. In particular, the APDA states that Parkinson's patients who have this condition might want to avoid sugar, since it "can contribute to loose stools." This is important because Parkinson's can sometimes affect the muscles that allow someone to release or hold feces. However, keep in mind that sugar doesn't affect every person with PD the same way. Thus, it's possible for one PD patient with this form of incontinence to be able to continue eating sugar, while another one might need to cut it out of their diet.

Besides sugar, foods that contain high amounts of fiber and/or fat could be problematic for someone with PD who has fecal incontinence. However, even if you have Parkinson's and are experiencing this bathroom-related condition, you should still have a health care professional verify that the root of your fecal incontinence is your PD and not a different health concern (like inflammatory bowel disease, for example).