Daily intake
Anyone who has a special requirement for food intake in relation to their Parkinson’s disease (PD) medication, should consult their doctor or dietician about the best choice of daily diet. If taking a particular medication means that most protein intake has to be at the end of the day, then foods from the protein-rich meat, fish and alternatives, and milk and dairy products groups should be omitted earlier in the day, and taken instead for the evening meal or supper.
For those without specific medication guidelines related to food, a balanced daily food intake, or diet, contains the items listed in the table below, with portion sizes defined in tables 1–5. (Please note that this only serves as a rough guide, as people differ in the amount of energy/ calories they require, according to their age, gender, body size, activity level, and whether or not they need to eat extra amounts to gain weight.)
So-called ‘free foods’ do not count towards the daily nutritional intake, although some of them do contain high levels of salt (marked with *), and should therefore be avoided in large quantities. ‘Free foods’ include:
- some drinks – diet soft drinks, carbonated or mineral water, squashes with no added sugar, instant soup*
- condiments – very low fat mayonnaise, sauce (tomato, brown or barbecue), horseradish, lemon or lime juice, pickles, chutney, mustard, salsa, vinegar
- seasonings – herbs, spices, fresh or dried chillies, Worcestershire sauce*, soy sauce*
- other – sugar-free jelly, sugarfree hard sweets, vegemite*
Chart of daily intake and food groups
- To download a chart of daily intake and food groups as a printable PDF click here.
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|
Food group |
Minimum daily requirement (1,000-2,000 kcal) |
One
|
Bread and cereals |
3-8 portions |
Two
|
Meat, fish and vegetarian alternatives |
2 portions |
Three
|
Fruit and vegetables |
5-7 portions |
Four
|
Milk and dairy products |
2-3 portions |
Five
|
Extras |
1-7 portions (50 kcal each portion) |
|
Fluid |
8-10 glasses of water |
One
Bread and cereals |
| One portion is equivalent to either: |
| Breakfast cereal (3 tablespoons, 20g) |
Boiled noodles or cous cous (60g) |
| Dry porridge oats (3 tablespoons, 20g) |
Cooked pasta (3 tablespoons, 75g) |
| Bread/toast (1 slice) |
Biscuit (1 plain) |
| Bread roll (½) |
Tortilla (½) |
| Bagel, pitta bread or chapatti (½) |
Oven chips (15 medium, 150g uncooked) |
| Naan bread (¼) |
Boiled potatoes (2 small) |
| Bread sticks (x4) |
Baked potato (1 medium) |
| Malt loaf (1 average slice) |
Boiled rice (2 tablespoons, 50g) |
Two
Meat, fish and vegetarian |
| One portion is equivalent to either: |
| Beef, pork, lamb, mince, chicken, turkey or oily fish (60-90g) |
Cooked pulses, lentils, dahl or other beans (4 tablespoons, 150g) |
| White fish or tuna in brine (140g) |
Nuts, e.g., cashews, almonds, peanuts (6-10) |
| Cold meat (2 thin slices, 60g) |
Baked beans (5 tablespoons, 120g) |
| Sausages (2 grilled) |
Eggs (x2) |
| Full-fat cheese (60g) |
Peanut butter (30g) |
| Reduced-fat cheese (100g) |
Soya, tofu or quorn (110g) |
Three
Fruit and vegetables |
| One portion is equivalent to either: |
| Apple, pear, orange, or peach (x1) |
Stewed or tinned fruit (2 tablespoons) |
Grapefruit (½)
Banana (1 small) |
Dried fruit (1 tablespoon) |
| Plums (x2) |
Fruit juice (1 small glass, 100ml) |
| Strawberries (x7) |
Cooked vegetables (3 tablespoons) |
|
| Apricots, dried dates or prunes (x3) |
Onion (1 medium) |
| Grapes (x12) |
Mushrooms (8 medium) |
| Side salad (1 small) |
Tomatoes (1 medium, or 6 cherry tomatoes) |
Four
Milk and dairy products |
| One portion is equivalent to either: |
| Milk (1/3 pint, 200ml) |
| Yoghurt or fromage frais (1 small pot, 150g) |
| Rice pudding (1 small pot, 150g) |
| Hard cheese (30g) |
| Cottage cheese (120g) |
| Soft or cream cheese (40g) |
Five
Extras |
| One (50kcal) portion is equivalent to either: |
| Butter or margarine (1 teaspoon, 5g) |
Jam, honey, or marmalade (2 teaspoons, 10g) |
| Low-fat butter or margarine (2 teaspoons, 10g) |
Low-calorie hot chocolate drink made with water (1 full mug) |
| Cooking or salad oil (1 teaspoon, 5g) |
Sugar (2 teaspoons, 10g, or 2 cubes) |
| Salad dressing or mayonnaise (1 tablespoon, 20g) |
Low-fat salad cream or dressing (1½)
tablespoons, 30g) |
Double cream (½
tablespoon, 10g) |
Gravy, made with instant granules (4-6 tablespoons) |
| Single cream (1 tablespoon, 20g) |
Low-fat cream cheese (1 tablespoon, 20g) |
| Avocado (2 slices, 25g) |
Hummus (1 tablespoon, 20g) |
| The following snacks and alcohol each count as three ‘extra’ portions (150kcal): |
| Cereal bar (1 average) |
Cake (½ small slice, 60g) |
| Crisps (1 packet, 25g) |
Digestive biscuits (x2) |
| Chocolate (1 bar, 30g) |
Yorkshire puddings (2 small) |
| Ice cream (1 average scoop) |
Croissant (x1) |
| Ice lolly (2 average) |
Wine (1 small glass, 125ml) |
| Doughnut (½ average) |
Beer (½ pint, 250ml) |
| Biscuits (2 average high-fat, e.g., chocolate digestive, shortbread, cream-filled) |
Spirits (1 measure, 30ml) |
