I’M STILL MAKING REVISIONS IN MY DIET FOR PARKINSON’S

Hungry for a change? So am I.

I’ve been thinking about food a lot lately. This makes sense because I worked as a chef, a farmers market manager, a food columnist, and a community food adviser for most of my adult life. Food was my job, my entertainment, and my passion. Then my Parkinson’s came along in 2015, and slowly my interest in food waned.

By the time my husband, John, had a heart attack and quadruple bypass in 2019, I was darn near apathetic about our meals. When he came home from the hospital after surgery, suddenly I had to care about what he ate. The cookbooks came out, and low fat, low salt, and the Mediterranean diet became our default. Keeping him healthy was my priority.

In the meantime, I wasn’t hungry anymore. We never snacked, we stopped eating ice cream, we rarely had dessert, and we didn’t go out for breakfast anymore because what’s breakfast without bacon and eggs? We both lost quite a bit of weight. John was happy with his weight loss, but I felt like I was disappearing.

In 2021, I had deep brain stimulation surgery, which changed things for me dramatically. I was hungry. I was interested in food again.

At first, I had some difficulty regulating the speed at which I ate. I gobbled my food; I couldn’t get it into me fast enough. Often, I’d choke on it, much to John’s dismay. These days, I’ve calmed down a lot, chew my food properly, and don’t try to talk and eat at the same time. I’ve also gained 20 pounds, which I’m pleased about.

There’s a connection between Parkinson’s disease and our gut health. I can’t pretend to understand it, but I do believe it. I think our diet is crucial to our health.

My boxing class is right at lunchtime, so I often don’t eat anything but my breakfast and a coffee before I go. By the time the class is over, I’m famished! Often, I’ll race home, eat whatever is available—if I’m being honest, usually it’s toast with jam—and try to avoid protein because I take my levodopa and carbidopa combo around that time. Then, I’ll nap until it’s time to make supper.

I’ve got to make some changes to this routine.

The best diets for Parkinson’s, some sources say, are supposed to be the MIND and the Mediterranean. They both emphasize fruit and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and olive oil. The MIND diet goes the extra mile, saying that berries, in particular blueberries, are the best kind of fruit and that in terms of vegetables, greens are the top choice, with kale and spinach being the best option.

Armed with this knowledge, I bought a lot of frozen fruit and vegetables, and I plan to make smoothies. That’ll solve a few problems. First, it’ll increase my fruit and vegetable intake. Did you know that we should eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables daily? I can whip up a smoothie in five minutes and drink at least three servings of the required five. Also, it’ll be high in fiber but low in protein. This smoothie is going to change my life!

My expectations may be high, but I believe that small, manageable changes to our diet are the way to go. I’ve often felt overwhelmed with dietary information and then do nothing to improve my diet. Although this step is a small one, I do have big hopes.