Best Exercise and Diet Tips for Those Living with Parkinson’s

For people living with Parkinson’s disease, it is vital to remain healthy and strong. Good diet and regular exercise can assist to slow the progression of the disease and dramatically improve your quality of life. Additionally, eating well and moving regularly can help to prevent and minimise some of the common symptoms associated with Parkinson’s, such as weight loss, constipation and weakened bones.

Unfortunately, some of the common symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease can affect a person’s appetite and their capacity to chew and swallow. Medication also complicates nutrition, with side effects and the mix of medicine and types of food making it more difficult to manage a healthy diet. Certain foods should be avoided to ensure that eating remains a positive and healthy experience. 

We have compiled some tips for diet and exercise to ensure that people living with Parkinson’s can manage the condition, control their symptoms, and enhance their overall quality of life.

What You Can Eat to Ease Parkinson’s Symptoms  

If you have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, it is important to try to maintain a varied and balanced diet. Eating different foods from all the food groups helps to keep your energy levels up and ensures your nutritional needs are being met. People with Parkinson’s disease face a number of common nutritional concerns, including weight loss, dehydration, bone thinning and bowel problems.  

Try to eat three main meals across the day. If you don’t feel like eating large meals, several snacks can work just as well, so long as they are high in nutritional value. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as grains, meat and dairy products, ensures that you are getting the nutrients you need.  

What You Can Eat to Manage Weight loss

Many people living with Parkinson’s will experience unintentional weight loss. In fact, Parkinson’s Victoria estimate that 15 per cent of people living with Parkinson’s are malnourished, and 34 per cent are at risk of malnutrition. You may find it difficult to maintain muscle mass, and this can lead to additional problems like difficulty walking and balancing. Weight loss depletes our body’s fat stores and our nutrient and protein stores, meaning we lose lean muscle tissue. 

Some ways to keep your weight steady is to ensure that you are eating regular meals throughout the day. Try not to skip meals, even when you’re not feeling very hungry. If you have low appetite, be prepared with some of your favourite snacks within easy reach. Eating the foods we love is a lot easier than eating ones we don’t. 

You can also add some healthy fat to your diet by eating full fat cheeses, milks, yogurts, and custards. Some other high-fat foods include nuts, eggs, avocados, fatty fish (like salmon, tuna and sardines), and dark chocolate. 

 If you are still experiencing unplanned weight loss, you can speak to a specialised dietician who can design a meal plan for you. This will help you to keep your weight at a healthy level and minimise the loss of muscle mass. 

What to Eat to Manage Constipation and Delayed Gastric Emptying 

 Constipation and delayed gastric emptying are common problems experienced by people with Parkinson’s. Delayed gastric emptying is when food remains in the stomach for too long, causing feelings of fullness and bloating. It can also result in nausea, reflux and a reduced appetite. People living with Parkinson’s can experience these conditions because the disease can slow down the digestive system, making it more difficult for food to move through the stomach and intestines.  

A high-fibre diet is a good way to ease constipation. Beans, lentils, broccoli and dried fruit are all good options to add some fibre into your diet.  Keeping your fluid intake high can also help to ease constipation. Try to drink plenty of liquids across the day. Tea and juice are good options if you don’t feel like water. 

Eating smaller and more frequent meals can prevent your stomach becoming too full. Avoiding foods that sit in the stomach, like deep-fried foods, also helps to prevent that bloated, uncomfortable feeling. After eating, try to avoid lying down or having a nap. A bit of gentle movement, like a slow walk, can help us to digest our food and keep things moving.

What You Can Eat to Manage Swallowing Difficulties

Especially in the advanced stages of Parkinson’s, you may begin to find it difficult to chew and swallow. This can take a real toll on your ability to eat and enjoy food and drink. If you are finding swallowing difficult, it is a good idea to speak to your doctor. 

Some tips to manage these symptoms include eating foods which are softer and easy to swallow. If you find chunky vegetables difficult, you can try turning them into soups. If meats are hard to eat, try slow-cooked options or using gravies and sauces to make them easier. Drinking water while eating also helps to prepare your mouth and throat for swallowing.

Don’t worry about taking a longer time to eat your meals. It’s a good idea to eat in a quiet and comfortable environment. If you find that your food is going cold while you eat, you may like to only serve a small amount and then go back for seconds. Always sit upright when eating and drinking; reclining makes it more difficult for our bodies to swallow. 

What You Can Eat to Manage Urinary Incontinence 

People living with Parkinson’s disease may experience some bladder problems. You may find that you have a frequent and urgent need to urinate, even when your bladder isn’t full. 

If you are experiencing this, you may be reluctant to drink a lot of water and other liquids. However, hydration is crucial for overall health. You can try to eat foods with high water content to replace some of your water intake. Good options include watermelon, berries, celery and butternut squash. Also avoid drinks that can cause you to urinate more quickly, such as coffee, soft drink and alcohol. 

What to Eat to Manage Bone Thinning

Parkinson’s disease affects body and skeletal health, leading to a range of issues in mobility. People living with Parkinson’s are at a higher risk for low bone mineral density, which can make them more susceptible to fractures. 

The best way to improve bone health through diet is to eat lots of foods rich in calcium. Some sources of calcium include dairy products, leafy greens, nuts and tofu. Vitamin D also assists in bone health; if you are not getting enough vitamin D from the sun, you may want to speak to your doctor about taking a supplement. 

Foods to Avoid When You’re Diagnosed With Parkinson’s

While some foods can assist you in managing the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, others should be minimised or avoided.  

Try to limit your intake of foods with a lot of sugar, saturated fats and added salt. Sugars and processed foods impact us both physically and mentally, causing tiredness and moodiness. If you’re already feeling low or experiencing a lack of energy, these sorts of food can make the problem worse.

Alcohol should also be avoided. Some medications used in the management of Parkinson’s can be affected by alcohol consumption, and you should check with your doctor if it is okay to have a drink. Additionally, alcohol can often make incontinence problems worse and some beverages, like beer, can add to that uncomfortable bloated feeling associated with delayed gastric emptying.

Managing Medication for People Living With Parkinson’s

Medications are an important part of treating and managing Parkinson’s disease. Although Parkinson’s cannot be cured, your quality of life can be significantly improved by taking medicine along with making some lifestyle changes.  

Carbidopa-levodopa, or just levodopa, is the most effective Parkinson’s disease medication. It is a natural chemical that passes into your brain and is converted to dopamine. Like all medications, levodopa comes with possible expected side effects. 

Levodopa works best when taken on an empty stomach. However, it is quite common for people to experience nausea as a side effect and taking the medication with food may be a better option. If this is the case for you, talk to your doctor about the best way to manage this. You may want to eat a small snack, such as a few crackers, directly before or with your medication to avoid unpleasant side effects.

Levodopa will be less effective if taken directly before or after a meal rich in protein. Eating meat, fish, nuts, eggs and dairy products close to taking this medicine may cause a slow absorption of the levodopa into the blood.  

This means that people living with Parkinson’s need to carefully manage their mealtime routine to ensure that they are getting a healthy amount of protein in their diet without it affecting their medication. A good way of doing this is to avoid protein-rich foods in the morning and eat a meal with plenty of meat, fish, eggs and other proteins in the evening. Protein is important to maintaining muscle mass and overall nutrition, and it should never be removed from a diet altogether. 

Exercise for People Living With Parkinson’s

Exercise is an important part of health for everyone. For people living with Parkinson’s, it can help to slow the progress of the disease, manage symptoms, and improve quality of life. Regardless of how long you have been living with Parkinson’s, you can experience the multi-faceted benefits of exercise.

Exercise can greatly help in improving coordination, balance, strength and flexibility. Parkinson’s disease can affect your movement and ability to complete daily tasks but engaging in exercise can return some functionality to your muscles and joints.  

Additionally, exercise can help to address some of the common concerns for people living with Parkinson’s. If you are suffering from unintentional weight loss, exercise can build muscle mass and improve appetite, causing you to eat more. If you are experiencing constipation or problems with bowel function, exercise can keep your digestive and intestinal system moving. 

People living with Parkinson’s can often experience low mood and emotional problems. Exercise is proven to reduce depression, anxiety and stress. Even a short and gentle exercise routine can cause you to experience a sense of achievement, making you feel more in control of your body and more capable in your daily life.

Types of Exercises

Certain exercises will be more suitable or attractive to different people. It’s important that you enjoy the exercise that you are doing and that it doesn’t feel like a chore. Find something that feels good and try to do it regularly and consistently. 

Your exercise program should combine a range of aerobic activity, strength training, and activities to promote balance and agility. Some good aerobic exercises to get the heart rate up include brisk walking, swimming, dancing, aerobics and cycling. To build strength and muscle mass, you can try doing some gentle exercises using weights or resistance. To improve balance and agility, you can try exercise routines that promote flexibility and stability such as yoga or tai chi.  

You don’t need to have any special equipment to do exercise. You may want to seek out a health practitioner who can tailor an exercise program and assist you in working out which exercises will best help with managing your Parkinson’s symptoms.

Advice for Exercising 

Beginning an exercise program may be intimidating for people living with Parkinson’s, especially if you feel that you are not as strong or fit as you used be. But the best thing you can do is just start. There is no need to immediately begin a strict or difficult exercise regime; gentle and easy movement is fine to start with. As your fitness improves, you can increase the level of difficulty. 

A good way to motivate yourself is to set a fitness goal. This may be to walk around the block in less than ten minutes, or to do yoga every day for a week. Make sure that you are setting goals which are realistic and achievable, while still challenging yourself. The sense of achievement you will get from reaching your goal will be a boost to both your physical and mental health. 

While a regular exercise routine is a good idea, it is equally important to listen to your body and not overdo it. If you are in pain during an exercise, stop immediately. Use any supports that you need, like a mobility aid. Drink plenty of water, and try not to exercise when you’re already feeling tired. 

Parkinson’s disease can make diet and exercise more difficult or complex, but with some simple modifications and good planning, fitness and nutrition can be achieved at any stage of the disease. If you are living with Parkinson’s, you can boost your wellbeing by focusing on diet and exercise choices that improve physical and mental health.