Parkinson's - Dopamine delivery and calming tremors.... following the "The Starch Solution" - while trying not to cave in to my cravings!

May 13, 2017

UPDATE ...."The Starch Solution Diet",  did not work for me !  Remember we are all different, what works for one, does not work for all!

7:1 Parkinson's Diet ...
This is what has worked and I am continuing to learn how to make this a part of every meal and morsel I put in my mouth!

Following "The Starch Solution Diet" to see if it helps to minimize my tremors ....

Well ... here's what I have come up with so far!

I didn't exactly  follow the Diet in it's entirety... I did eat some great Vegan Low Fat Recipes from the
Low Fat Vegan Chef

Soup was my main staple during the week... along with Salad and whole Baked potatoes and  steamed Broccoli.

Butternut Squash, Corn and White Bean Soup
Really good and very simple to make!
Did you know that you can buy Frozen  Organic chopped Butternut Squash in your grocer's freezer section....for those of you who don't have fresh squash or just want to make the soup fairly quickly with out the fuss of chopping up a fresh Butternut Squash!

Cream of Buckwheat Cereal ... cooked as directed on Package .... I also added a 1/2 frozen Banana to the Cereal at the end of cooking ... let it melt into the cereal, during the last few minutes of cooking ... then added Cinnamon and Turmeric to taste.
This is similar to Cream of Wheat in texture and appearance....but has no wheat in it!


While I did not follow the Diet completely...

I did note that when I had the Starchy Meals with no additions of dairy, fat, or sugar ... my tremors were noticeably less!

When I added the listed items below in  moderation... I had noticeable tremors 1/2-2 hours after I ate the
items. I also noted some bloating and gas after eating these items!

I ate the following in moderation ... typically  not allowed on the Diet.
These are items I  had on hand and that I normally would eat ,,,I am working on eliminating them from my diet!
They were on hand and I had not gone to the grocery store to get more permissible items for the Diet.
So I am a work in progress right now!

Raw Almonds - Almond Butter on a Apple
Pistachios  -
Store bought ....Poppy Seed Salad Dressing with Oil and Sugar
Avocado in a Salad

Sunflower seeds in a Salad
Hemp seeds in a Smoothie
Olive oil
Dark Chocolate
Organic raisins
Brown cow yogurt-Blueberry, Strawberry

I did not eat any Meat, Chicken or Fish this week!


I didn't really miss not eating the Meat, Chicken or Fish.... it's the other things ...  like Dairy, Fat and Sugar that are my real down falls!

Next week I will work on eliminating Dairy .... and see how it goes!!

Keep the Faith.....

Parkinson's and The Starch Solution .... Getting Started and What do I eat???

I got a slow start to the "Starch Solutuion Diet" ... Over the weekend.... we attended a Wedding on Saturday.
 


This probably sounds weird but in order for me to have a good day... dopamine working and tremors under control... In the past, I would usually not eat or eat very little when I knew I was going to be out and about ... then their would be no interference in my dopamine delivery.
So  ... while I was out doing what I wanted to do... in this case go to the Wedding and feel calm.... I didn't eat much...I had a Homemade Vegan- Oil Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free,  Pumpkin Carrot Muffin that I had made early in the day.
Felt pretty calm most of the morning and afternoon.
Dinner was at 7:00 p.m. by then... I was starving! Dinner consisted of  a Salad, Bread, Steak, Chicken, mixed squash and mashed potatoes.
Normally, I would have eaten the Bread/butter with my salad... but this time I only had the Salad and a small amount of Ranch dressing.
I then ate the mixed squash and potatoes... still feeling really hungry .... I ate the Steak (about 5-6oz)

Around 9-9:30 p.m.- my tremors started in my left leg and arm....tremors started out mild and increased to pretty intense...  this effect was noted about 1-2 hours after eating dinner with Meat Protein.
This is and has been a pretty standard noticeable effect for me after eating a Meat Protein inclusive meal.

The tremor connection is not something new ... most Doctors and Parkinson's suffers know that Protein interferes with  Dopamine delivery and even recommend not eating Protein til late in the day... so any negative effects would be felt late in the day.

Hence, the reason for trying the Starch Solution Diet.... I am tired of not eating or eating very little in order to have my dopamine work.  Eating this way... has not been healthy!
I think that eating / or not eating ...then eating too much of the wrong things because I was starving... contributed to my increase of Cholesterol level and Sugar level.

My hope in following the Vegan/Starch Solution Diet is to find a more well  rounded and healthier way of eating.... that will allow me to feel my best and be the best that I can be living with Parkinson's.

Recipes seem abundant ... once you start doing a search on the Internet.... it also stimulates my creative side ... inspiring me to create my own recipes or modify the ones that I like!

Here 's a great place to start low fat vegan chef
 ...What I ate
Monday Oct 5th 2015


Mcdougall Smoothie

1/2 Frozen Banana
1/2 cup Frozen Strawberries
1/2 cup Frozen Pineapple
1/2 cup Orange juice



Blended in my Vita Mix ... tasted great!
and I also ate

1 Pumpkin Carrot Muffin (note:I added 1 T chia seeds to the recipe)I made these Gluten Free by using Mehl's flour 
Mehl's flour is a great substitute for traditional wheat flours .... you basically can substitute it cup for cup.

I ended up eating another Pumpkin muffin and some leftover soup that I had made earlier in the week for lunch.... Soup was combination of Potato, carrot , celery , onion, vegetable broth, miso paste, seasoned to taste with Turmeric and Cinnamon. Cooked until all veggies soft then thrown into my vita mix blender.

 Mcdougall Split Pea Soup

The soup was delicious... I wondered how it would taste without the traditional Ham/ham bone that I usually make it with... but no problem ... it was delicious!  Very filling .... did not feel hungry at all later in the evening.
Note: I added 1 1/2 teas of smoked paprika and did not add the tomatoes or herbs... didn't miss them at all!

I had a pretty calm day...  tremors hardly noticeable most of the day.

Anyway ... that was day one of following a primarily plant based diet high in Complex Carbohydrates.

If anyone reading this... and I know your out there... I see the stats on my Blog
Would love to hear your thoughts and comments!

Keeping the faith...



  

Parkinson's Disease ... "The Starch Solution" Could it be possible...After 11 years of researching food/diet... and Parkinson's... I may finally be on the right path!

"Let food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be food." Hippocrates

 

100daysofrealfood

real life/real people... changing their DIET -changed their Health! Broad Spectrum of Health challenges...not specific to any one illness!

Maybe it's time for my real life change...After all "you are what you eat"  and I am not healthy...right now! 
The Starch Solution - Free access to site ...information on how it works and recipes
 
If you have been following my blog and website since the beginning of it's creation... you would have noticed  that my focus has always been on food and how it reacts with my body.

What ever I put in my body triggers a reaction... whether it be good or neutral (no obvious upsets. ie; stomach distress, hives, bloating, brain fog or noticeable tremor increase) or Bad ( obvious upsets.  ie;stomach distress, hives, bloating, brain fog or noticeable tremor increase... note: this is a big deal when you have Parkinson's).

Food triggers a chemical reaction in my body and BRAIN...
If you are having difficulty controlling tremors, like I am... than this is important reading for you!

I discovered over the years ...since being diagnosed with Parkinson's...that when I eat certain foods...Protein for example...seemed to interfere with the effectiveness of Dopamine (I use an herb, but research shows that it also affects those taking prescriptions). Particularly affecting my tremors.... making them much worse!
I also found that when I had meals high in Fat and/or Simple Carbohydrates like sugar, fructose, lactose and sucrose... I also noticed an increase in tremors.
I tried eating at different time intervals...away from taking my Dopamine. ...I found that this was only somewhat effective for me. Most of the time I would still struggle with tremors...only the intensity would change...making them somewhat less dramatic, but still existent!
Feelings of frustration constantly plaguing me! I would tell my Doctor... and she would make her suggestions!  I would try again to figure out how to get better results of controlling my tremors. But never finding a definitive answer... I had to keep eating, obviously...and have bounced around from Diet to Diet trying to figure what would  help me! Again, if you have followed my blog you will see what I am talking about....
Always on the search to feel better....and becoming more and more aware of how food seems to affect my shake, rattle and roll... I continued with my Internet searches and mentally noting how I felt after eating certain foods.

Protein in the form of Fish, Meat, Chicken, Seafood ... not a good choice for me! I tried the Paleo Diet and for me it was not a good fit!....I had obvious severe increase in tremors! Simple Carbohydrates... same result... shakey! Too much Fat....same result ....shakey! And when I have all of these ...Protein, Simple Carbs, and too much Fat! Forget it! My tremors go out of control!

The one thing that I did notice over the years is that if I ate a Baked Potato, no butter, just steamed broccoli for lunch and/or dinner or ate mostly Complex Carbohydrates on a particular day...or went to the extreme of not eating for most of the day ...my tremors would be non-existent and unnoticeable for long periods of time.
Note: I was taking the same amount of Dopamine in the form of herb that I have taken for a long period of time. No increase or decrease!

I have mentioned this food interaction numerous times to different Doctors over the years... since being diagnosed with Parkinson's... but didn't get any feedback that made me think that there might be something positive about eating a certain way and it's relationship to my tremors!

Frustration over the tremor/food connection ...makes me feel helpless!
I am one who finds solutions to problems!

Trying to figure out my own plan of eating, but never quite pulling it all together ... has led me to where I am now.

Recent blood work shows increased Cholesterol and higher than normal sugar readings.
I have always struggled in the past with low sugar/hypoglycemia type symptoms... actually fainted once as I was waiting in line at a Chipotle's restaurant ....due to low sugar. But... now...new reading shows elevated sugar level.... and that is not a good thing!

Putting my Investigating cap back on... I have been on the search to figure out what I need to do to seriously make a difference in my health challenges... Not only Parkinson's diagnosis... but a pre-diabetes warning from the doctor too!
With the above mentioned new information my search on the internet now included Parkinson's and Diabetes Diets that can have a positive effect on my health.
It also brought me back to re-reading my posts from 2005 ... when I was following recipes from the "Stop Inflammation Now" program. Recipes consisted of mostly Complex Carbohydrates (starches)and low fat entrees.
Which eventually led me to a You tube video suggesting the Mcdougall Diet/The Starch Solution

I purchased the ebook and starting to read "The Starch Solution" ... how and why it works. Reducing Inflammation in your body.

Immediately a light bulb went off in my head... it was like stars bursting in my head... finally a connection to why and how when I eat a Baked Potato with only steamed broccoli ...it doesn't interfere with the Dopamine I take for my PD.
Now that I have a reference and guidelines to follow via the "The Starch Solution"-recipes
I am on my way to what I believe that I discovered by accident.... noting my reactions to food and my tremors...  A lifestyle that will compliment my treatment plan and allow me a better level of comfort and control of my tremors!

I am not saying this is going to be easy... I am sure it will be difficult! After all I am just human ... with all my flaws.... Food is more than sustenance!


Note: I am a Parkinson's Patient sharing this information for those of you who would like to investigate further how diet may or may not help you in your quest to feel better! We are all unique and what is good for one is not good for all..