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Dick Metzler: Dietary proteins of all kinds interfere with the proper absorbtion of Sinemet (levadopa) but some are worse than others. In my case all dairy products are the worst - followed by meat, fish, poultry, egg whites, legumes, cereal. A vegetarian diet is my best bet but hard to stick to. Interestingly shellfish and crustachians don't bother me. Milk and ice cream do me in for hours and it is getting to the point where enjoying dairy foods isn't worth the discomfort after. Dietary protein molecules are large sized amino acids. Levadopa is also protein but are small molecules. Here is what happens ---- You take a dose of Sinemet and eat some protein food. All these amino acids are absorbed into the blood stream. At the bus station called Blood Brain Barrier the large dietary proteins muscle their way onto the bus and fill up most of the seats. The smaller Sinemet molecules are left standing at the station whilst dietary proteins go into the brain and muck up the place to the extent that the little bits of Sinemet that were able to get on the Blood Brain Barrier bus arn't able to do much good. More levadopa gets on the BBBB if you take it on an empty stomach - a half hour before eating or one hour after eating. You can't stop eating dietary protein or you will become malnourished. You just learn when to eat it and you don't eat as much. Americans eat too much dietary protein. Another little nugget - don't take anti-acids (Tums, Milk of Magnesia, etc) at the same time you take Sinemet as Sinemet won't work as well if at all. Wait an hour. Take Sinemet with an acid drink like orange juice or lemonade as it dissolves faster. However, if you are suffering with acid stomach (heartburn), take Sinemet with water. If Sinemet taken on an empty stomach makes you nauseaus you will have to eat something. One soda cracker and orange juice will help.