ANIMAL PROTEIN

Sources are meats of all kinds, butter, cheese, milk, cottage, cheese, yogurt, and eggs. In brief, protein is composed of Amino acids. If one is on Sinemet CR, which is an amino acid, any food that has protein in it, naturally has other amino acids in it. If this food is consumed at the same time, the amino acids in the protein food will compete with the amino acid in the l-dopa in the Sinemet CR. This results in either less l-dopa crossing the brain barrier, which makes the medication less effective, or slower at alleviating the symptoms. In order to get full benefit out of the medication, it is recommended that a person take their medication at least half an hour before eating any protein. This allows time for the medication to pass through the stomach, and into the small intestine, where it has to go in order to be assimilated into the blood stream, and on past the blood-brain barrier into the brain where it can be used. In addition, according to my Neurologist, "delayed stomach emptying" is a "given" with people with Parkinson's Disease, which can further delay the benefits of the medication if foods, especially protein foods, are taken too soon after Sinemet CR. My original Neurologist told me to take my medication with food to start with, in order to help with nausea, and that the nausea would decline in a month or so, as my body adjusted to the medication. Instead, it took 2 years to adjust. Only, I was told 4 years later that it was because I was over prescribed to start with.

*Red meats, organ meats in particular, contain Vitamin B-12 which is necessary for our health. Plants on the other hand, with one exception do not contain B-12. Comfrey does, but lately there seems to be some question about its safety. For years, we grew comfrey, and made a tea out of it. It is recommended by doctors that vegetarians take B-12, and some published articles estimate that up to 50% of this continent's population is deficient in B-12. A lot of the symptoms of a B-12 deficiency are similar to those of an iron deficiency anemia. Many times going undetected as a result. Any meat that I eat, I cut it up into tiny bits, and chew it up so that my stomach has less work to do in order to process it, and even then, it takes longer to pass through my body. Hamburger stew and other ground meats are easier to digest, and pass through my body faster (especially when ground), and do not seem to create the same problems. A recommended serving of meat the size of the palm of your hand has been suggested.

PLANT PROTEIN

Nuts and seeds on the other hand, I either grind up, or chew real good before swallowing, as well as putting them in my "smoothy" in the morning. There seems to be little or no problems with either the medication or evacuation that I can find. So, I try to get as much of my protein as I can from plant source rather than animal, even though, I am told they are not a complete protein. So far I have not lost too much muscle mass in the last 4 to 5 years.

There is some concern that a lot of antibiotics are being fed to farm animals, and when these animals are slaughtered, some of their body parts are processed, and fed back to live animals as a protein additive to their grain. While the processed additive is otherwise a fit food, there is concern regarding the build up of antibiotics.
Also, there are reports which infer that animal protein creates a loss of calcium in the human body.
In as much as these two above items have not been proved, or unproved, I have decided to use as much plant protein in my diet as well as vitamin B-12 when needed as I can. Just in case!
The above article is not meant to diagnosis, treat or, in anyway be construed as medical advice, or to replace the advice of a Physician, it is the result of my own experiences, which WORKS4ME.
Plant protein seems less apt to interfere with Sinemet CR.