Parkinson's Disease and the Candida Diet

Last summer I went home for 5 weeks of R&R, and because of this candida problem, my mom can't cook for me so I kicked her out of the kitchen and told her to take a 5 week rest. She needs it because she's always trying to cook special for my younger brother who has major food allergies and we're convinced, candida too, and then of course juggle some of my dad's Parkison's disease needs.

Anyway, while I was home, I basically put everyone on my diet, of course cooking one or two dishes every meal I couldn't have because my foods must be extremely low on the glycemic count. However, almost everything I prepared was garden-fresh or whole foods, not processed foods. They ate lots of greens filled with toxin-removing chlorophyll, energy-rich beans, a wide variety of gluten-free grains and seeds, very little corn, almost no processed foods but a rare treat of gluten-free spaghetti was ok, and tons and tons of almonds and walnuts [pecans for my bro because of his allergies to walnuts].

The amazing happened! After 2 1/2 weeks I noticed that my dad's arms and shoulders weren't shaking as he was walking around the house! I commented to my mom and she said dad had been commenting to her on that for the past 3-4 days! My dad was even starting to smile again and the twinkle that had gotten wiped out of his eyes about 5+ years ago was coming back! He was cracking jokes, and reciting poems he learned in grade school [never did that before, but with what a clear memory!] Such an amazing change!

Wow, wow, wow, wow! I had read in books that people with Parkinson's should be dairy-free and gluten-free, and the results was amazing! Mom and dad were already dairy-free, but they ate gluten. They also ate out quite a bit, and my dad often commented that he didn't feel good when eating out, especially at Asian restaurants [vinegar? soy sauce? MSG? fermented things and of course MSG affect autoimmune patients].

Since I had started the cooking, clean nuts were always on the table and for snacking, and dad ate a lot of them - great, because people with Parkinson's need the protein and the natural oils. Also, dad was eating regularly. People with Parkinson's have an imbalance of serotonin and dopamine, and one of those hormones tells the person when to eat, but this doesn't function properly with Parkinson's so blood sugars are falling and the person feels badly but still doesn't recognize that he/she is hungry. Because of my candida and my food is so low caloria, I need to eat 3 times a day. So 3 times a day, I would call dad to come eat with me. He didn't want to but I like presentation and he liked being spoiled at the table, so he would come, and eat, and sometimes he would eat a lot! And afterwards, he would feel be smiling and seem much more relaxed.

Also, because Parkinson's people need protein to replace the energy being lost with their incessant tremors, nuts, spirulina, beans, hemp seed, are really recommended to boost their energy levels. We had beans almost every day - beans that I couldn't have because of their glycemic level but beans nevertheless are necessary for dad. Fava beans and asparagus, I've read somewhere, actually are very good for boosting dopamine naturally. We served a lot of them!

Obviously food is affecting people positively or negatively with Parkinson's. From my readings and from my 5 weeks of cooking for my family (and loving to cook for my dad), the basic candida diet with of course higher allowances for glycemic counts in food is a very good diet for people with Parkinson's.

So, my suggestions for Parkinsons' patients are:

(0) Be vegetarian
(1) Be dairy-free
(2) Be gluten-free
(3) Use little soy and corn (best to be soy and corn-free -- both are high GMO foods)
(4) Eat lots of greens for their chlorphyll effect
(5) Eat lots of protein-rich almonds [also high in calcium and low in carbs] and walnuts - these are the cleaner nuts, but the nuts need to be washed free of dust, mold and as many toxins as possible
(6) Eat 3 balanced meals a day
(7) Eliminate processed foods and sugars (honey, maple syrup and blackstrap molasses are OK in moderation; they do have some nutritional value; agave nectar is extremely high in fructose, higher even than corn syrup, and should be absolutely avoided)
(8) Skip the sugary or fermented condiments - use fresh squeezed lemon juice instead of vinegar; make seed dressings instead of mayonnaise or mustard; simplify your taste buds and appreciate the rich flavors of fresh fruits and vegies
(9) Avoid fried foods and "harmful" oils - better oils are olive, coconut, flax, and perhaps grapeseed
(10) Indulge in other vegetarian high-protein foods like hemp seeds (4 tablespoon for complete protein), spirulina (1 tablespoon for a complete protein), chlorella, and others.