Good diet

A healthy balanced diet is good for everyone. That means eating a mix of high protein foods, such as meat, fish, nuts and pulses, cereals, fruit and vegetables and dairy products. Fluids are important too, and unsweetened juices can be a good source of vitamins and minerals.

A nutritionist or dietitian who specialises in helping people with Parkinson's disease can advise you.

If you have Parkinson's disease:

• Protein can interfere with the way levodopa is absorbed from the intestine, so you may be advised not to eat protein-rich foods when you take your medication
• You may digest food differently, lose weight or become constipated. Finding foods that tempt your appetite can help to maintain your food intake, and eating fibre-rich fruit and vegetables will aid digestion and reduce the risk of constipation
• Swallowing may become more difficult in the later stages of Parkinson's disease, but you can make it easier by eating a little and often, liquidising some solid foods, and thickening liquids