Parkinson's Protein Diet

If you have Parkinson's disease, you have probably been prescribed levodopa, the most common drug used to treat the symptoms of your illness--"a slowly progressing degenerative disorder of the nervous system," according to "The Merck Manual of Medical Information."
For a few years, levodopa can reduce the severity and number of tremors and improve your movement. You may have been able to resume most of your normal activities. However, the effectiveness of levodopa can diminish over time. Fortunately, scientific studies have concluded that changing your eating habits can help.
A study of 18 patients by the Institut Clinici di Perfezionamento in Milan showed that Parkinson's disease patients had fewer symptoms when they ate a low-protein diet than when they ate a balanced diet. In addition, according to "Science News," researchers have concluded that "protein affects the movement of levodopa into the brain" and "too much protein results in too little levodopa acting against tremors and other Parkinson's symptoms."

Redistributing Protein

A balanced diet is still important, so researchers tried to ascertain whether taking levodopa in the afternoon and eating protein in the evening would be effective and found that it was.
In a study conducted at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., most of the 43 patients found success on a protein redistribution diet."In only three patients (7%), those with the most severe and complicated disease, was the protein redistribution diet stopped because of its limited therapeutic benefit," reported the hospital's Department of Neurology.

Afternoon Diet

Those who are taking levodopa in the afternoon should eat low-protein foods and avoid high-protein foods in the afternoon.
There is no specific diet for Parkinson's disease patients, but low-protein foods include virtually all fruits. Apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries, pineapples, cantaloupes and raisins are all recommended.
It is also recommended that patients drink juices instead of milk, which has a lot of protein. Virtually all juices are recommended, including apple, tomato, grape, pineapple and orange.

Evening Diet

After eating lots of fruits in the afternoon, you should get the protein that you need by eating high-protein foods in the evening--several hours after you have taken levodopa. Peanut butter and tuna have very large amounts of protein and should be avoided in the afternoon but are excellent high-protein foods to eat at night.
In addition, many kinds of shellfish have very large amounts of protein and should be eaten at night rather than the afternoon. Crab, clams, lobster, oysters and shrimp all fall into this category. Beans are also an excellent source of protein but should be eaten only in the evening.