{"id":74968,"date":"2026-01-19T08:04:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T15:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=74968"},"modified":"2026-01-19T08:56:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T15:56:22","slug":"whats-the-best-diet-for-people-with-parkinsons-disease-eat-more-fish-and-learn-other-tips-for-better-eating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/whats-the-best-diet-for-people-with-parkinsons-disease-eat-more-fish-and-learn-other-tips-for-better-eating\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s the best diet for people with Parkinson’s Disease? Eat more fish, and learn other tips."},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Fish
Fish is a great component of a healthy diet for people with Parkinson’s and for others. Everyone can benefit from eating more fish, which boosts brain health. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Accommodations in diet accompany many illnesses or diseases, from chicken soup for those with colds or the flu<\/a> to the carefully watched plates of the diabetic.<\/p>\n

However, for persons living with Parkinson\u2019s Disease, the sorts of food prepared and eaten matter less than the ways that food is cooked and consumed.<\/p>\n

Of course, most who counsel people living with Parkinson’s Disease suggest that maintaining a nutritious, well-balanced, Mediterranean diet should fare them well overall, in the same way that these food choices benefit everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond that,\u201d says Jessica Hinkley, an outpatient dietitian neuroscience specialist at UCHealth, \u201cthe main thing that I talk with them about is to prevent malnutrition. [Parkinson\u2019s] can cause people to be down or depressed, and that can cause malnutrition.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, Mediterranean diet, check. And within that, because Parkinson\u2019s is, in the main, a disease of the brain, an emphasis on eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, promotes brain health.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we are missing out,\u201d says Hinkley, \u201con potential anti-inflammatory benefits if we don\u2019t eat enough fatty fish. Tuna, salmon, and trout are good options. For those who like mackerel, sardines, and anchovies, those are great, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

But unlike many others bearing under disease or illness, persons living with Parkinson’s Disease and their caregivers must attend to matters peripheral to the food itself. Tinkering with everything from the kitchen cabinet to the way to scoop up peas matters to persons living with Parkinson’s Disease.<\/p>\n

In general, the classic symptoms of Parkinson\u2019s are slow muscle movement, muscle stiffness and rigidity, and involuntary tremors. These especially affect the face, mouth, tongue, and throat when eating food in mid- and late-stage Parkinson\u2019s. Furthermore, tremors affect the fine motor control of the hands and fingers.<\/p>\n

All of these conspire to make chewing and swallowing food difficult. Holding, grasping or using both kitchen utensils and tableware becomes challenging, even dangerous. (In early-stage Parkinson\u2019s, by and large, these issues do not present.)<\/p>\n

Addressing Parkinson’s symptoms while at the table<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Some adjustments to dining protocols can help. For example, because it can be difficult, due to tremors, to steadily grasp and hold a fork, it helps to use instead a large-handled spoon to move especially small foods such as peas or rice to the mouth.<\/p>\n

Because large pieces of food are unwieldy, even dangerous (for fear of choking), cutting up foods into small pieces is advisable. Likewise, harder foods such as raw or crisp vegetables can be difficult, not to say perilous, for the person living with Parkinson’s Disease to chew and swallow. Hence, long-cooked, softer foods are a norm.<\/p>\n

Dry mouth, an effect of some medications, affects many people living with Parkinson’s Disease at the table. A lack of saliva can be remedied with sips of liquid before introducing food to the palate. An abundance of fluid also assists in moving food through the intestinal tract when slowed peristalsis is also complicated by medication.<\/p>\n

A short list of recommended tableware:<\/strong><\/p>\n