Every bite counts: Find your unique nutritional strategy for a healthy life with Parkinson’s

by Dr Richard Maurer, retired naturopathic physician and Dr with Parkinson’s.

November 2025

Dr. Richard Maurer, a retired naturopathic physician and author of The Blood Code, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2022 and has since been actively exploring how nutrition and metabolic health can support those with PD. He will be  hosting an open Zoom webinar / talk on Wednesday, November 5^th at 6 PM ET to share insights:

• Food and inflammation
• Protein, hydration and fat needs
• Fiber and cultured foods
• Metabolic optimization, including blood sugar regulation

This session is designed to offer practical, science-informed strategies that may help manage Parkinson’s symptoms and improve overall health. Dr. Maurer’s approach is deeply personal—he applies his own diagnosis of Parkinson’s to explore what truly works in real life.

Every bite counts

#1 – Stay hydrated. Eight glasses is the required MINIMUM amount of fluid prior to exercise/activity/perspiration. Most medications require more H2O intake.

#2 – limit fried food. This includes bagged fried products like tortilla chips, potato chips, and essentially fried at high temperature using poly unsaturated vegetable oils. Eg. French fries, not potatoes, are associated with substantially higher metabolic disease.

#3 – control your blood sugar – get your Hgb A1c tested to assure you are not in the hyperglycemic category. Normal is < 5.7%.

#4 – get adequate protein – wildly important to avoid sarcopenia. The RDA in U.S. is  0.8g/kg body weight. Increase this based on activity level, age, and health goals, with athletes typically needing 1.2 g/kg and “older adults” needing a minimum of 1.0g/kg to maintain muscle mass [supplemental sources…I do use collagen peptides in morning coffee (5g) and most days use whey protein isolate (25g) – RM]

#5 – To raise glutathione levels in the body, prioritize foods rich in sulfur and selenium, as these nutrients are essential for glutathione production. Specifically, include sulfur-rich vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, garlic, and onions.

#6 – get enough fiber in the diet. This requires at least five servings of vegetables a day in my experience. Our goal should be close to 30 g of fiber in both soluble and insoluble forms. 20g is an absolute minimum. [I do add acacia fiber in powder/caps – RM]

#7 – eat cultured foods. Especially those that have lactobacillus plantarum SPP. [kimchi and other fermented cabbage has this.] eat foods that feed the healthy G.I. Microbiome…Legumes and fiber vegetables.

#8 – assure that you eat properly to recover from your exercise. Because your exercise is “the treatment”, your goal is to perform best (time medications to optimize exercise) and to optimally recover (assured nutritional and caloric replenishment) and rest.

#9 – Many of us take vitamin D, but sunlight delivers far more than D – like mitochondrial fuel from “red light” … We all need an Rx to get sunlight exposure at least 20 minutes – without sunglasses and in the AM. Activity in outdoors may be better than just sitting.

#10 – if you do not have hypertension [high blood pressure] do not automatically avoid salt – therapeutic doses are in the 6-10 g/day for those with nOH! Magnesium is another important electrolyte that regulates muscle cramps and controls constipation. [since PD, my magnesium requirement is higher, I take 2 caps/day. I also add Salt therapeutically-RM]