Kelly Morrow, Dietician
Kelly Morrow, MS, RDN, FAND
Kelly Morrow, MS, RDN, FAND is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She has been on the faculty at Bastyr University since 2002 where she has supervised clinical rotations at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health and taught in the Departments of Nutrition and Exercise Science, Naturopathic Medicine, Midwifery and Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine. Kelly has been a private practice since 2000 and has previously worked at Evergreen Hospital in radiation oncology, the Booth Gardner Parkinson’s Center and in Community Health Promotions.
As a nutrition educator, Kelly helps people learn about how food affects health. As a nutrition counselor, she helps people with motivation and making sustainable changes while supporting personal preferences, lifestyle, and culture. Kelly uses an integrative, body positive, gender affirming and non-diet approach.
What's the Problem?
The pharmaceutical drug levodopa uses the amino acid receptors of the small intestine for absorption.
Since dietary protein is just a string of amino acids, anytime people eat protein-containing foods before they take their levodopa run the risk of blocking absorption of the medication.
Some people are avoiding protein out of fear, others can be incapacitated by the interaction. Some people seem to not be bothered!
Digestion of Protein
Different foods are digested at different rates. Fried chicken is not digested at the same rate as hummus....
Protein Content of Foods
Protein is found in both plant and animal foods. Not only do foods vary in their amount of protein, they vary in the types of protein and their digestibility.
Getting Away with a Little
It's not so much that you have to avoid all protein, but that you need to figure out how to ingest enough protein to get your dietary needs met while minimizing the impact on your medication.
Example Curriculum
Enroll in all of Parkinson School
Parkinson School was created to be a scientifically-sound, comprehensive, integrative, affordable resource for helping patients and their support team navigate Parkinson's.
Over 3000 students from 55 different countries are currently enrolled in Parkinson School. We invite you to watch recorded sessions, participate in live classes, teach us what you know, and learn from us what you can!
