5 Sweet Treats for Parkinson’s Disease Protection

The holiday season doesn’t seem to end until after Valentine’s Day! It can often feel like a feeding frenzy, especially for sugary desserts. But the excess consumption of refined sugar may disrupt dopamine levels and their receptor availability—ultimately impacting brain health.¹

Not to mention, excessive consumption of sugar may have other negative health implications that go beyond the brain! So, skip the white stuff and satisfy your sweet tooth with these nutrient-rich desserts that offer protection and taste!

Gingerbread cookies

Enjoy the holiday fun by decorating and munching on this classic treat! Its ginger content may help protect dopaminergic neurons, improve motor function, increase cell survival—all while minimizing neurodegenerative causing inflammation.²

Plus, ginger may help improve digestive health by promoting bowel function and alleviating constipation. Check out this lower sugar ginger cookie recipe.³

Persimmon pudding cake

This fruit’s health benefits are as sweet as its taste! It’s rich in lycopene - a color-filled nutrient that may reduce oxidative stress and neuroinflammation associated with cognitive decline. It also helps activate compounds that contribute to neurodegeneration and overall homeostasis.⁴

When baking this delicious dessert, feel free to substitute the cake’s sugar content with a healthier alternative. For example, I often add in pureed prunes and dates for over the half the sugar, then cut back on butter as these fruits contain additional moisture.

You can also use honey, maple syrup, or date syrup to minimize processing while getting additional nutritional benefits. In other words, you may have your cake and eat it too for better Parkinson’s disease protection!

Sweet potato chocolate cake

Don’t be fooled; this sweet spud helps create a dessert sensation while providing Parkinson’s disease protection. Specifically, the beta-carotene content in sweet potatoes may contribute to the gene regulation required to maintain brain health.⁵

The beta-carotene is necessary to produce vitamin A, which helps improve age-related vision degeneration and skin health. Talk about a nutrient that takes the cake for better brain health.⁶

Homemade apple pie

Yup, that’s right! Mama’s old-fashioned apple pie not only pleases the senses, but it helps the mind! The apple skins provide quercetin - a nutrient that kicks inflammation to the curb, allowing for greater neuroprotection.⁷

Keeping the skin on your apples also helps add texture, color, and fiber to your classic dessert. Specifically, its fiber content may help improve bowel regularity, which is a common goal among people with Parkinson’s disease.

So, keep your eyes on the pies for better disease protection! Choose a whole grain crust made with oils instead of butter for an additional fiber boost.

Dark chocolate-covered strawberries

This sweet cocoa berry dessert is a double dose of brain-boosting nutrition. Both strawberries and dark chocolate contain resveratrol, protecting dopaminergic neurons by preventing cell death. Specifically, it works by helping to maintain glutathione levels responsible for proper brain health.⁸

But the benefits don’t stop there. Dark chocolate also provides additional disease protection by improving endothelial function, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar regulation, and more. (9) So, get your choc’ on with these tasty (and protective) berries!⁹

Moderation is key

When consuming sweet treats, moderation is key. While these delicious desserts may provide protective benefits for Parkinson’s disease, they should not displace the consumption of other nutritious ingredients.

So, if sweets don’t float your boat, there are tons of other delicious ways to enjoy these brain-boosting nutrients.