HEALING OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE THRU GOOD NUTRITION

How Can A Vegetarian Diet Be Of Help To PD Patients


By Nona Lema


(Last of a 3-part article series)

The amount of  protein that the PD patient takes can have a major impact on the symptoms of the disease.  So experts say  ‘go high-carb, low-protein’ . They say PD patients who are taking levodopa need to limit the amount of proteins they eat.  Protein is made up of amino acids, and the amino acids in food interfere with levodopa getting into the brain. (Levodopa is also an amino acid). What better way to lessen protein intake than to adapt a vegetarian diet.  For a clear understanding of just how much protein an average person needs, I’m quoting here the whole of Chapter 2 of GULAY cookbook, wherein I discussed in detail about protein.

…Chapter 2    How Much Protein?

In my many years of teaching about the vegetarian diet, the most frequently asked question is, “where do you get your protein?”  Oftentimes, people are reluctant to eliminate meat from their diet because they are worried that if they do, they will somehow be protein deficient.  There is no need to be worried about protein deficiency.  This fear of ‘not getting enough protein’ from vegetable sources is not only unfounded but it actually leads to an even more serious problem.  It is how not to get too much!  Having too much protein in one’s body is actually as dangerous as not having enough.

In the world today, meat is generally thought to be the ideal source of protein.  Quality-wise, quantity-wise.  That is why nowadays whenever people say ‘protein’, it is usually associated with meat.  We were brought up thinking this way - - an idea widely propagated by major meat companies.

However,  we should be asking, is meat really the ONLY source of protein?  If we are supposed to have protein, how much is enough?  How much is too much? It is very important to know these things so that we don’t become too paranoid about so-called not getting enough.

Actually, the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) of protein for an average adult is only between 40 to 65 grams daily.  Our daily needs of protein ranges from only TWO AND A HALF percent of our total daily calories up to about EIGHT percent.  So if we look at the percentage of calories from protein based on nutritive values of our local food, we will find  that if we eat, for example, an average serving of rice (16% protein) with Ginisang Mongo (29(%), our daily protein requirement is more than fully satisfied.  If we eat rice (16%) with Pritong Tokwa (43%) and some tomatoes (18%), our protein needs for the day is easily taken care of.  Even if we eat nothing but oatmeal (16%) or camote (8%) or saging na saba (8%) for the day, still we would have more than enough protein for our needs.  So here I’m showing you just how low our protein needs really are. And almost all plant food provide protein.

Once the daily requirement is met, the excess protein foes to waste.  Consuming more that what the body requires places a heavy burden on our whole system as it tries to rid the body of the excess. Meat is definitely high-protein food.  All flesh foods and eggs are considered so because they contain all the essential amino acids.  But in fact,  meat is so high in protein content that it is no longer necessary.  The body cannot absorb that much protein anyway.  For example,  an average serving of pork chop has about 180-200 grams of protein.  That’s far, far more than the daily requirement! Therefore,  if we are on a regular meat diet daily,  where does this huge amount of excess protein go?  It is broken down in the liver and excreted through the kidneys.  This causes the liver and the kidneys to work harder.  If the liver and the kidneys are overworked,  we eventually become ill.

So the point is: don’t worry.  First, we simply don’t need as much protein as we have been led to believe.  Second, whatever little amount we need, it is abundantly available in the vegetable kingdom in the form of legumes, beans, and many other vegetables.  Actually, vegetable protein is not only equal in quantity to meat protein, it is even superior in quality because none of the legumes, seeds, grains, or nuts contain cholesterol and saturated fats. Also,  they are nature-packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and carbohydrates, whereas all flesh foods and eggs are packed with cholesterol and saturated fats.  So, we simply have to learn how to combine and balance different vegetable protein foods.  By mixing grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds in a meal, it is easy to get an adequate supply of protein containing all eight essential amino acids.

So, to summarize: Protein is an essential nutrient. We cannot just eliminate protein from the PD patients’ diet just because it interferes with levodopa.  So what do you do? The solution is to avoid high protein food such as meat and eggs AND make sure the PD patients eat enough protein from vegetable sources.

Grab the chance to meet the author, Ms. Nona Lema, in person, during the First Annual Convention of Pinoy Parkinson's Disease or Pinoy PD on October 22, 2011 in Makati City.

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HEALING OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE THRU GOOD NUTRITION

(Second of a 3-part article series)


Nutrients Found In Plant Food
By Nona Lema
   

Nutrients refer to all things that make up how healthy food is - - like vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein and fats.  My advice to everyone in general is, always incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables in your meals.  This is the best way to ensure that you are getting enough of many nutrients.

Sometimes, it can be mind-boggling the way daily nutritional requirements are written.  If you’re like me, who go crazy with all the nutritional statistics and figures, then the best thing to remember is this:  have a ‘balanced’ amount of all the different types of natural food available in nature - -that’s all.  Make sure to eat a daily serving from each food group such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes.  Very simple formula.  You can never go wrong that way.

Now, speaking of nutrients for PD patients, experts say  focus on calcium and vitamin D (for maintaining bone health) and antioxidants (for helping reduce the loss of dopamine-producing neurons).

In other words,  feed them all things naturally healthy but most specially foods that are rich in  calcium and antioxidants.

Good sources of calcium are:  dairy, green leafy vegetables, almonds, pistaccio, molasses, wheat, brewer’s yeast, broccoli, cabbage, okra, carob, oats, sesame seeds, turnips and tofu.

Good sources of antioxidants are:  nuts, dark-colored fruits, leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, broccoli, red kidney beans, pinto beans.

Experts say an average adult need 1000-1500 mg of calcium and roughly the same amount of antioxidants a day.

To translate, for breakfast serve the PD patient an average serving of hot or warm milk, or fruit milk shake or fruit smoothie such as banana, avocado, papaya, melon, etc.  One important thing you should remember about milk is that it is best to be boiled first in order to predigest it so it is easily absorbable. So in milkshakes/smoothie, boil the milk first, let it cool before blending with the fruits.
The worst thing to take is cold milk, as in the form of iced milk shakes or drinks.  These are actually modern Western concoctions that have no bearing in eastern nutritional and medicinal food. Cold milk is not only hard to digest, it is also mucus-forming. Milk  drinks should always be taken hot or warm.

In oatmeal or cereals, boil the milk first before adding the oats or cereals. For sweetener try switching to molasses.

For variety you can also serve grilled cheese or just plain cheese sandwich; or pasta with cheese or yoghurt and fruits - -always have a lot of fruits.  Interchangeably,  serve fried/plain rice with tofu or tokwa and different kinds of gulay dish.

For lunch and dinner:  As a rule, have a variety of talbos/dahon every mealtime - - talbos ng kamote, sili, ampalaya, kalabasa, sayote, sitaw; dahon ng malunggay, kangkong, alugbati, talinum, spinach, etc. Serve them as native vegetable salad or sabaw (soup).  In your regular ginisang gulay or ginataang gulay, grain/pasta or noodle dish, always incorporate some form of leafy vegetable.  And then for added flavor, nutrients and texture, add tofu or tokwa.

Tofu or tokwa  is the best meatless substitute.  It can be mixed in sauces, pasta, chilis, stirfries, etc because it is so close in texture to meat and a rich source of nearly all nutrients that your PD patient needs.

For PD patients the best way to have nuts or seeds is to have a  sprinkling of  it. 

In my family, one favorite regular table item is ‘sesame salt’ or ‘peanut salt’.  To prepare this,  roast one cup of sesame seeds or fry one cup of peanuts.  Blend in a blender with a little salt.  Put in a shaker or small bottle container.  Sprinkle on your rice and pass around during mealtime. My children just love it.  An appetizing and nutritious way to have your daily dose of calcium and antioxidant without your even knowing it!

And then for dessert you can have blueberries.  Blueberries are a little bit expensive but once in a while have them in muffins or pies or tarts. Again, a delicious way of ensuring that your PD patient gets their needed nutrients. Of course our wide variety of local fruits may also be prepared in so many delicious dessert dishes.  So as I have said before, try to be creative about it.

And lastly, In one vegetarian cookbook written by Jeanne Lemlin, she mentioned some tips  about the ‘secret to a relaxed cooking’.  I’d like to share them with you.  She says: “have all the ingredients you will need gathered together in front of you.  Have all the dishes or pans taken out. Have all the precooking done ahead of time, for example, peeling and chopping of vegetables, measuring, etc.” To which I’d like to add: take a deep breath and pause for a minute of  relaxation.

How Can A Vegetarian Diet Be Of Help To PD Patients? (Part 1)

By Nona Lema


(First of a 3-part article series)


Introduction

Hi! I’m Nona Lema. I’m not a doctor nor a nutritionist. At home, I’m simply a wife and a mother who loves to cook delicious and healthy vegetarian meals for my family - - traditional Filipino food that we, as a family, have enjoyed eating together for the past 30 years.

In the following article series, I’d like to show you, in simple language, the direct link between PD and the vegetarian diet. Anyone who is interested in cooking healthy food for their PD patient will see and understand the connection very clearly. Veggie food and PD are compatible on these basic points: a) fiber, b)nutrients, AND c) protein.

Of course there have been many medical and nutritional researches/statistics made to prove that a vegetarian diet is indeed excellent for PD patients. But the question is, how do you translate these informations into a delicious meal? In other words, when you go to the kitchen to cook lunch or dinner for your loved one with PD, what do you cook? And why?

This article series is meant to educate, to share, most of all to show love and compassion to those afflicted with PD - - by showing how you can prepare nice, home-cooked meals that they too can enjoy. Happy veggie cooking!

Fiber Rich Food

It is very important that caregivers of PD patients understand very well the need for more fiber intake. What has fiber got to do with PD? PD is a progressive neurological disorder that results in the death of dopamine-producing cells in the brain. Loss of dopamine affects movements. So because PD patients are generally “slow mo”, therefore they also generally suffer from chronic constipation. Fiber is beneficial in preventing constipation.

Now, this is another important thing caregivers should understand - - Fiber is found ONLY in plant food. Foods containing fiber include fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. Meat, fish, chicken and eggs do not contain fiber AT ALL.

We Filipinos are very fortunate to have been blessed with so much variety of different fruits and vegetables, our very own prutas at gulay, - - delicious, juicy, succulent, naturally healthy; pagkaing butil-- whole grains and nuts, beans and legumes that are so fragrantly wholesome, so full of rich, nutritious taste.

To be really healthy, experts say you need to consume about 25-40 gms of fiber everyday. For PD patients, a little more, maybe 50-60 gms.

To translate, it means for breakfast, maybe you can prepare for them one serving of oatmeal or cracked wheat or farina (also known as sooji), cooked with milk and sweetened with honey or muscovado sugar, a slice of buttered wheat bread toast or fried tofu sandwich. Be sure to always feed them with lots of fruits in season – bananas, pineapple, papaya, chico, etc, sliced up fresh or juiced . Root crops are also a very nutritious and fibrous breakfast item. You can serve them camote, gabi, kamoteng kahoy, ube - -cooked in many different traditional kakanin or ginataan style. Sometimes you can serve them plain or fried rice with scrambled tofu instead of bacon and scrambled eggs.

Tofu or tokwa is sometimes called the ‘vegetarian’s best friend’. It is a by-product of soy beans, sometimes called ‘the poor man’s protein’; it is such a versatile food and so protein-rich. It has been eaten for thousands of years in most Asian cultures that were traditionally vegetarian. Tofu or tokwa may be substituted to almost anything that you would need meat, fish, chicken and eggs for.

So for now, a good starting point in adapting a vegetarian or at least a ‘semi-veg’ diet is to try to eat meat less often. Substitute as often as you can with healthier, more fibrous food alternatives. All your all-time favorite meat, fish, chicken and egg dishes such as pork or chicken adobo, arroz caldo, escabeche, pork menudo, beef caldereta, etc.may be prepared the healthy meatless way. How? Simply substitute with tofu or tokwa. Or for a fancier version, try substituting with gluten, and/or different varieties of ‘veggie cold cuts’ - - veggie meat, veggie sausage/hotdog, veggie tapa (all available at popular vegetarian food stores).

Soups may be prepared from mashed or pureed or blended vegetables; or mixed with grain pasta or noodles. But then again, instead of meat, fish or chicken soup stock, try substituting with cream of vegetable powder or canned soup, vegetable bouillon or any kind of plant-based seasoning or appetizer.

For lunch and dinner, you can prepare all kinds of ginisang gulay, or ginataang gulay - -sitaw, kalabasa, talong, upo, okra, ampalaya, bichuelas, pechay, repolyo,etc. It’s also a good habit to always feed them kamatis, either cooked or fresh because it’s a fiber rich food. With your variety of gulay, simply make a gentle, healthful twist - -instead of sauteing with pieces of pork, shrimp, chicken or eggs, again try mixing slices of fried tofu or tokwa.

Why is there a need to gradually avoid (if possible) all kinds of meat food? Because, as I have said earlier, all meat food have ZERO fiber. It means meat food does not contain moisture and bulk. Meaning, therefore, that it does not make the stool soft and easy to dispose. On the contrary, it makes the stool become even more compacted and dry. That is why, if the PD patient’s diet is meat-heavy, they will have a tendency to suffer from chronic constipation.

So again, try to remember - -the only way to get good fiber is to eat vegetable food.

As far as cooking veggie food for your PD patient goes, be creative. Be innovative. Read up on a lot of vegetarian recipes. Familiarize yourself with the different ways of substituting your meat food with vegetable food.

One last piece of advice:

If there’s extra attention and care there in your cooking, the PD patient will feel it. If the cooking is done grudgingly, or with anger or contempt or just because it’s a routine paid job, then the PD patient will also feel it. So the least we can do for them is, try to cook delicious meals—and cook them with genuine care and concern.

Note:

Nona Lema is the author “GULAY”, the best selling Filipino Vegetarian Recipebook, available at National Bookstore and Powerbooks