Introduction – a healthy balance

The most important dietary advice for a person with Parkinson’s disease (PD) is to eat a healthy, balanced diet, with plenty of fibre and fluids. It’s as simple as that. A routine of three balanced meals a day is a good start, although some people with PD may find it easier to manage more frequent, smaller, meals.

At different times, certain foods, vitamins or unusual diets may be advertised as being able to help PD, but there is no proof that this is the case. One common story is that broad beans (fava beans) are able to help relieve PD symptoms. It is true that broad beans do contain levodopa, but in variable, small amounts, and at nowhere near the level that is found in levodopa medications. The number of beans you would have to eat for them to have an effect would probably make you ill in other ways. If you are tempted by any unusual ‘dietary therapies’ like this, then please discuss the idea with your medical team. Members of the team who may be able to advise on diet and practical issues with eating include the doctor/specialist, registered dietician, occupational therapist, speech and language therapist, and PD nurse.

If you already eat a healthy, balanced diet, then you may not need to make any changes to your routine. However, in some specific cases, there may be other factors to consider, and many of these are discussed in the following pages. In addition, this booklet contains a section of simple, easy meal ideas that can help you to create a balanced diet with the minimum of effort.