This healthy and nutritious one-day menu for people with Parkinson’s, featuring salmon baked potatoes, is ideal for supporting brain health and eating difficulties.
When people with Parkinson’s disease have difficulty chewing, mealtimes can be difficult. In this article you’ll find a specialised one-day menu, with further nutrition advice and suggestions to ease chewing problems.
Healthy one-day menu for people with Parkinson’s – easy-to-chew meal planning
When chewing takes a long time, small, frequent meals and snacks may be better than three large meals a day. It also helps to take small bites. As a soft-food diet is more limited, it may be advisable to use fortified foods and a multivitamin-mineral supplement.
Although chewing problems require adjustments in cooking and serving foods, it is important to have a varied, healthy, and nourishing daily meal plan. This will help to get the vital nutrients needed, and enough calories to maintain a healthy weight.
Here is an example of a carefully chosen one-day menu with all the flavour, vitamins, minerals, and fibre you need, featuring the salmon recipe above.
Breakfast:
- 177ml calcium-fortified orange juice
- 220g cooked oatmeal
- 30g raisins
- 120ml 1% fat milk or calcium-fortified milk alternative
- Coffee or tea
Snack:
- 12ml apple sauce
- 1 scrambled egg
Tips:
- You may crush a multivitamin tablet and mix into the apple sauce
- If you find the portions are too small, increase as needed.
Lunch:
- 235ml split pea soup
- 1 whole-grain rye crisp biscuit/cracker, crumbled and added to the soup to soften
- 30g cheese or vegan cheese, grated and added to the soup
- 220g bread pudding or rice pudding (made with milk alternative if needed, and whole- grain bread or brown rice)
- 175ml tomato juice
Dinner:
- Salmon and vegetable baked potato topper
- 110g mashed turnips or cooked finely chopped spinach
- 240g milk or milk alternative, or coffee or tea as preferred
- 1 poached pear, chopped
What makes this a healthy and nutritious menu for people with Parkinson’s?
The protein foods include salmon, egg, cheese and split peas. Fish has omega-3 fatty acids that nourish the brain and nervous system, and split peas are rich in fibre. Other proteins could include ground beef, lamb, or poultry.
Fruits include orange/grape/apple juice, well-cooked raisins, applesauce, poached pear. Melon chunks, which can be chopped small or puréed, also work well.
Vegetables include bell pepper, onion, carrot, turnip, and potato. A cold vegetable soup, such as gazpacho, is another way to increase vegetable servings.
Rice pudding and bread pudding are easy-chew ways to get more fibre daily. Use whole-grain bread and brown rice, if possible. Also, a slice of bread can be chopped and soaked in honey- sweetened milk or milk alternative for a snack. Other fibre sources include oatmeal, applesauce, pea soup, soaked rye crisps, bread pudding or rice pudding, well-cooked onion, sweet pepper, turnips or spinach, and carrots.
Read more of Parkinson’s nutrition expert Kathrynne Holden’s tips for easy-to-chew meal planning
Check out more Parkinson’s-friendly recipes
Author bio:
Kathrynne Holden, a registered dietitian, has specialised in the nutritional concerns of Parkinson’s disease for over 20 years. She has contributed to two physicians’ manuals on Parkinson’s disease, written the booklet ‘Nutrition Matters’ for the NPF.
