Managing Parkinson's with Diet

The author, Yuchi Yang, has been a registered dietitian for more than twenty years. She has been counseling patients with Parkinson's on food and nutrition to optimize their health with diet. Levodopa (L-dopa) is the most used medication to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Dietary protein can compete with L-dopa to cross the blood-brain barrier and decrease the efficacy of the drug. Such problem of protein and levodopa competition usually appears years after the initiation of L-dopa therapy. In this book, you will learn how to eat healthfully with an adequate amount of protein while maximizing the L-dopa efficacy. This book includes nutrition information and research findings on managing Parkinson's disease with diet; how to design your own meal plans; and 14 healthy breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks. Research continues to explore the science behind diet and nutrition for the risks of Parkinson's and how to manage it. Further research and studies will result in even more compelling dietary recommendations. In the meantime, this book can be used as a guide to managing Parkinson's with diet.